Dawn McEwen, lead for Team Jennifer Jones has announced she will be retiring from curling at the end of the season.
In a statement posted to Twitter, she says, “I am full of gratitude and can peacefully say I am ready to hang up the curling shoes at the end of the season.”
McEwen has been playing with Team Jones since she first moved to Manitoba in 2007 when she was just 27 years old.
The now 41-year-old said the time was right step off the ice.
“I knew coming into the season that this was going to be my last,” said McEwen. “It’s just a good time in my life. I think I’ve been so blessed to have such an amazing career, and I can honestly say this is a very peaceful decision for me.”
Dawn now has two young daughters at home with her husband and fellow curler Mike McEwen.
“It’s a grind to try and be at the top in this game with so many great teams out there that are getting better and better every year,” Dawn said. “So it’s a massive commitment, and every year it just seems to be more and more you have to do to try and be at the top. So, I’m in a good place in my life to step back now.”
She has quite the trophy collection to show for her 15 years on the team: she won gold for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics and captured the title of two-time world champion, after winning with Jones at the 2008 and 2018 World Championship.
McEwen is also a 5-time national Scotties champ to go along with her five Manitoba provincial titles.
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“It’s honestly a dream come true and I have so many great stories from all those events,” McEwen said. “The fact that we get to go represent Canada at the Olympics was just an amazing storybook ending for me.”
Fans and even fellow curlers have been reaching out to her since the announcement.
“My phone has been non-stop all day,” she said. “It’s hard keeping up with everything, but I really didn’t expect to have this kind of outpour. It’s really nice. I’ve been very emotional all day.”
Although Team Jennifer Jones did not win a medal at the 2022 Olympics, in her online statement, she spoke highly of teammate.
“(Jennifer) is a prime example of someone who truly loves the game. From the very beginning she taught me about work ethic, never giving up, having high expectations and thinking outside of the box searching for ways to always be better.”
McEwen credits the sport for introducing her to her husband when she was 18 years old. “I’m not going far from curling, I’m my husband’s biggest fan and love watching him play, so you’ll see me around curling venues.” The couple now has two daughters.
She said her future may include a mixed doubles curling bonspiel, joking that she’ll have to convince her husband of that first.
Team Jones played as a 5-player rink last season with Lisa Weagle occasionally subbing in at events for McEwen. And with her skip, Jennifer Jones now 47-years-old, there’s going to be lots of questions surrounding the future of the Olympic champions. But McEwen didn’t want to speculate.
“I don’t know to be honest,” said McEwen. “I haven’t been apart of any conversations. I honestly just been kind of more focused on me and my retirement. So, I don’t know. I’ll be watching just like you are.”
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