It took an 11th end on Sunday night in Tisdale, but Saskatoon’s Skylar Ackerman rink came through when they needed it the most.
They achieved a dream they’ve been chasing since their junior days to represent their province at the highest level of Canadian women’s curling.
“Honestly, it still doesn’t feel real,” Ackerman said. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid. So to finally make it happen with my best friends here today is absolutely unreal.”
Team Ackerman will represent Saskatchewan at the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts after claiming the Viterra Scotties provincial championship Sunday in just their second trip to the event as a team.
Facing the Nancy Martin rink in a wild, back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change seven times, Team Ackerman hit and rolled their final shot to win 10-9 in an extra end.
“We knew going in that we were a strong team and we can make good shots,” third Ashley Thevenot said. “They can make good shots too, we just have to capitalize when we get the opportunities.”
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After Team Martin stole three points to lead 8-6 after eight ends, Ackerman would answer back with a three-spot of her own in the ninth to take a 9-8 lead heading to the 10th.
Martin missed a double take-out with the hammer to claim the victory, however, she scored a single to force an 11th end.
Facing two red stones with the hammer, Ackerman made good on her final throw to roll to the button to claim the Saskatchewan title.
It will be the first Scotties Tournament of Hearts appearance for Thevenot, second Taylor Stremick and lead Kaylin Skinner.
Ackerman served as an alternate for Robyn Silvernagle’s rink last year in British Columbia, however, now she will get the chance to skip her own rink at the national championship.
“I was lucky enough to go last year with them and get that experience,” Ackerman said. “It really motivated me this year to get there with my own team. We’ve all worked really hard this year to get there, so it means a lot.”
The provincial title is a special one for the Ackerman family, as Skylar’s father Patrick coaches the Saskatoon-based rink.
Now, he gets the chance to compete at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts with his daughter.
“I’ve coached Skylar pretty much all of her curling career,” Patrick said. “To see a culmination of that start of a career I guess like this is fantastic. It will be a blast.”
According to Skylar, it’s a journey with her dad through the junior levels and up to the women’s level that’s created indelible memories for the pair.
“It’s really special having my dad here with me and to win my first green jacket in women’s with him is pretty awesome,” Skylar said.
The youngest rink at the tournament with Ackerman victorious at just 22 years old, it’s a passing of the torch for women’s curling in Saskatchewan.
Believed to be the youngest team to ever qualify for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts out of Saskatchewan, Patrick said it’s a testament to the work that’s been put in over the years by the rink.
“We played a lot of big events this year,” he said. “We went to Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton and played some events to get some competition against other teams with lots of experience.
“The girls are experienced beyond their years, they really are. They’re really talented players.”
Team Ackermam will be facing world champions and Olympic medalists next month, with well-known skips like Kerri Einarson, Rachel Homan and Jennifer Jones already qualified for this year’s event.
It’s a daunting stage for a newcomer to the national level, but one that Thevenot and her teammates are eager to experience.
“It’s going to be like a dream come true,” Thevenot said. “I think there will be a little bit of nerves and jitters going in, but once we get our feet under us and get on the ice it will all come together.”
Team Ackerman will compete for Saskatchewan at WinSport in Calgary, with the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts running from Feb. 16 to 25.
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