Kerri Einarson’s team spent the last half of their four years together through a pandemic, and posted some of their greatest successes during that time.
Eyebrows raised as a team of former ships reunited in spring 2018 with Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard and Brianne Meilleur together.
To win a third straight Canadian championship in February, the Gimli Curling Club sent quarterbacks from Manitoba to their first “normal” world championships in Prince George, BC
Canada opens the 13-country championship on Saturday against Italy and Norway at the 6,000-seat CN Center.
The guest team will have what feels like a rarity for them – a building full of unmasked fans cheering for them.
It’s been a journey for this team since winning their first Scotties Hearts tournament in Moose Jaw, Sask., In February 2020.
They then arrived at Prince George ready to compete for a world title when the first wave of COVID-19 virus swept international sporting events, including theirs.
Einarson and the company then ran the gauntlet of canceled events, closed training facilities, adaptations and curling bubbles for almost two years.
“It was an absolutely emotional roller coaster, that’s for sure,” Einarson said.
“You pack your bags to go to an event and all of a sudden you unpack them, so it was extremely challenging, but we overcame so many defeats.
“We just kept pushing hard. Even though we were not at curling events, we watched games, we were extremely hard hit in the gym, doing off-ice things that helped us keep our game sharp when we could not necessarily get on the ice.
Sweeting, the team from the provincial player from Alberta, went months without seeing her teammates in person.
“Full of Kudos to Val,” said Birchard. “It was challenging especially last year where we could not travel freely between provincial borders.
“So to have her out in Alberta alone, to still keep up, train alone and not get along with us, I know that was extremely challenging.
“The effort and work she put into her end was amazing and it translates so well when we get together two days before the Scotties without practice together and win it all.”
Einarson completed her Hearts Hat trick Feb. 6 in Thunder Bay, Ont., In front of volunteers and a handful of junior curlers allowed into the arena last weekend.
Einarson’s team won their second heart and competed in last year’s World Cup Calgary Bubble with no fans in it.
“Last year was pretty quiet outside,” Einarson recalled. “This year I think it will be very different.”
Einarson, 32, is a rehabilitation assistant at Gimli. Sweeting, 32, is a case processing agent for Immigration Canada in Edmonton.
Winnipeg’s Birchard, 26, is a self-employed and 28-year-old bestseller from Petersfield, Man., Working for an office furniture company.
Einarson was a candidate to represent Canada at the Beijing Winter Olympics in the November tests in Saskatoon.
But the team struggled to find its form 4-4 and was eliminated in a tiebreaker loss against Krista McCarville.
They have since brought on board coach Reid Carruthers, who plays third on Mike McEwen’s Winnipeg men’s team.
“The key to our success is that we absolutely love playing together and enjoying our society on and off the ice,” Einarson said. “We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. Definitely helps keep things light.
“Bringing Reid helped so much. We were in a bit of sleep during the processes and then somehow close, so Reid really changed and brought out a fresh new look in us.
Einarson opened the World Cup 1-5 last year before winning six of seven to make the team six playoffs in the Calgary bubble.
That gave Canada an Olympic place in women’s curling, but Einarson narrowly missed out on the semifinals.
Rachel Homan (2017) and Jennifer Jones (2018) are the only Canadian teams to have won a women’s world title in the last dozen years,
“As Canadians, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Einarson said. “Definitely our first goal is to make playoffs and then we go from there, but we definitely want to bring home gold.
“Can’t wait to get there and wear that Maple Leaf again.”
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