The first time Swedish curler Sofia Mabergs visited Saskatoon in 2016, it wasn’t the barren landscape that she had been told about in the past.
“Beautiful,” said Mabergs. “I heard the Prairies are very flat and boring, but I love Saskatoon.”
Seven years since that initial visit, Mabergs proudly calls the ‘Bridge City’ her second home.
It’s in that second home she’s chasing the eighth Grand Slam of Curling title of her career with Team Hasselborg, competing at the 2023 WFG Masters.
Despite hailing from a continent away, there’s a hometown feel for the Hasselborg rink lead.
“I do feel like it’s kind of a home event and I see the people cheering for us here as well,” said Mabergs. “So it’s a pleasure.”
Mabergs’ connection to Saskatchewan is through her partner Brady Sharback, a born and raised Prairie curler hailing from Saskatoon.
It’s a community which she is hoping to make her full-time home in the near future.
“I’ve been familiar with the city for a long time now,” said Mabergs. “The last couple of years I’ve been spending more and more time here. I’m in the process of being a permanent resident here, so we’ll see when I’ll fully be a Saskatoon girl.”
Since joining Team Hasselborg in 2015, Mabergs has reached the highest of highs in curling as she’s captured a pair of Olympic medals for Sweden. That included a gold medal won at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, vaulting Mabergs to the top of the Olympic podium at just 25 years old.
Along with the Olympic success, Team Hasselborg has won a pair of European championships and twice have finished as runner-up at the World Curling Championships.
“We are like family all of us,” said Mabergs. “These eight years or whatever, it feels like yesterday we started it. We still have so much to learn and we still love enjoying time with each other, playing on the ice and having so much fun with all of the family around us. I’m just enjoying every minute of it.”
On Friday, Team Hasselborg fell in a tight 5-4 contest to Team Morrison out of Scotland in extra ends, dropping their record to 2-2 on the week, though they still have a chance at cracking the eight teams on the women’s side who will qualify for this weekend’s playoffs.
Amid all of the maple leaves which have dotted Merlis Belsher Place over the past four days, Mabergs has noticed a handful of Swedish flags waving in the stands.
A sight which brings her a little piece of home, in the city where her roots are just beginning to branch out.
“It feels like home and I really mean it,” said Mabergs. “I love this city and it’s such a pleasure playing here.”
If necessary, Mabergs and Team Hasselborg would be back on the ice Saturday morning bright and early at 7:00 am for tie-breaker games if they qualify.