Quebec skip takes aim at Scotties field
Overwhelmed at 2013 tourney, Quebec skip aims higher this year
MONTREAL — The spotlight doesn’t often shine on curlers, and when it does it can be unfamiliar turf.
When Allison Ross and her team went shopping last year in Kingston, Ont., during the Scotties Tournament of Hearts — in civilian clothes, no less — people recognized them at the mall and asked for their autographs.
“It was really cool and weird at the same time,” Ross said.
For the second year in a row, Ross is the skip of the rink representing Quebec at the Canadian women’s curling championship, which kicks off Saturday at the Maurice Richard Arena.
Her rink, which trains out of the Glenmore Curling Club in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, won the provincials two weeks ago in Val d’Or. They dropped one game en route to that title after going undefeated last year.
While her rink had a really good week, Ross said she didn’t find they were as strong as last year.
Asked if that was a bit disconcerting heading into the Scotties, Ross said: “It is and it isn’t. I think last year we peaked at provincials. So I’m hoping our peak is still to come this week.
“We were on fire that week (at last year’s provincials) and then we got to nationals and really fell flat. So I’m hoping that our timing is a little bit better this year, that we get on fire during the week in Montreal.”
This will be Ross’s fourth appearance at the Tournament of Hearts. A native of Cannington, Ont., Ross attended the tournament in 1999 with an Ontario rink and in 2005 with a Quebec rink. She returned last year in her first stint as a skip at the championship.
“It was overwhelming in Kingston,” Ross said. “I didn’t realize how much attention went to the skips before because I’d never done it.”
Ross felt disconnected from the team because she’d get pulled for interviews after the games and the team would go back to the hotel separately, she said, adding this time out the team will travel together.
They had a lot of family members in Kingston, as they will this time, but Ross said they try to stay in their team bubble as much as they can.
“I think we’re putting the team first a little bit more than we did last year,” she said.
A lot of things had changed at the tournament between Ross’s previous time there in 2005 and last year, she said.
“It was kind of a relearning experience last year. So now going back-to-back I feel like everything is still fresh in our minds and we’re a lot more prepared this year.”
One of the changes Ross noticed was that before the curlers had always been allowed to go up into the stands at any time. Things were a lot more strict about where the players could be in the arena, she said.
“Even with the fans, I found they were really tight on security, which I think is a little bit crazy because it’s still just curling fans,” Ross said with a laugh. “They’re mostly like 70-year-old women wanting to trade pins or something.”
Ross has been skipping since she returned to curling in 2008 after she had her two daughters. Her team is made up of Pamela Nugent (lead), Brittany O’Rourke (second) and Melissa Gannon (third). Nugent, who went to the Scotties in 2006 with another team, and Gannon are the new faces on Ross’s rink at this year’s tournament. Gannon is just out of juniors, but Ross said: “She’s just an awesome shooter. She’s the best third that I’ve had playing for me.”
Their first game is against New Brunswick on Saturday. It will be televised and the players will wear microphones.
“I think I’ll always be nervous before a TV game,” Ross said.
“It’s actually pretty easy to forget the TV cameras. The hard thing is to not say something stupid into the microphone.”
“It’s nerve-racking, but it is all fun,” Ross said of the attention.
“You do get to be like a minor celebrity for a week ... It’s fun to have people asking for autographs.”
The tournament runs until Feb. 9. The only other time the championship has been held in Quebec was in 1979 in Montreal.
Quebec has fewer curlers per capita than other provinces on average, said Marco Ferraro, general manager of Curling Québec. But having the Scotties in Montreal, followed immediately by the Olympics, is a “gold mine” for them in terms of getting people to try the sport, Ferraro said.