DEFENDING CHAMPS
Golden Hawks look to defend OUA championship with daughter of two curling greats playing second
Kelly Middaugh shouts instructions to her Wilfrid Laurier University teammates during their OUA curling championship match against the University of Toronto at the KW Granite Club on Thursday. Middaugh is the daughter of famed curlers Wayne and Sherry Middaugh.
WATERLOO — Foes relish the chance to take out the purple and gold at the Ontario University Athletics curling championships.
And for good reason.
The women’s rink from Wilfrid Laurier University is not only the defending champs but has won seven of the past 11 provincial titles.
“There is definitely more of a target on our backs,” said Golden Hawks second Kelly Middaugh. “Other teams are looking out for us a little bit more. We just want to live up to Laurier’s reputation.”
As the daughter of famed Canadian curlers Wayne and Sherry, the added pressure is nothing new.
“I’ve kind of lived with it my whole life with my parents,” said the 19-year-old. “So I just go out, be myself and do the best I can.”
Sixteen women’s and men’s teams from across Ontario have converged for the OUA finals at the K-W Granite Club in Waterloo. Pool play kicked off Thursday and continues through the weekend with medal games running Monday.
The top three from each side will advance to the U Sports championships in Fredericton, N.B., on March 15-19.
Laurier — skip Kaitlin Jewer, vice Emma McKenzie, second Middaugh, lead Natalie Wisz and alternate Stacey Huras — got off to a rough start by dropping their opening match 7-3 to the University of Toronto on Thursday morning.
The Golden Hawks trailed by one before the Varsity Blues put up a trio in the seventh end.
“I felt like we were really struggling with the rocks a little bit,” said Middaugh, a global studies major. “We need to work on communication and just make more shots.”
The Victoria Harbour native’s parents are staples on the curling scene. Dad Wayne is a three-time gold medallist at the world curling championships and has also won three Briers while her mom Sherry has picked up four bronze medals at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
“I hated the sport when I was little,” said Middaugh. “I wanted to spite my parents a little bit. Eventually I gave in.”
Her folks got her into a youth league when she was 10. She really embraced the sport during her mid-teens.
Now, she’s grateful to have two world-class curlers a phone call away.
“My dad is extremely experienced in the sport just because he’s played in so many events,” said Middaugh. “I talk to him about it all the time and soak up as much information as I can.”
At the rink she marries her parents’ skills to form her own identity.
“I like to think my strategy is a little bit more like my dad but skill-wise I’m maybe more like my mom,” she said.
“My dad is competitive like I am. But I show it differently. I’m not going to be the one banging brooms.”
Laurier has won four women’s national titles in curling. Middaugh’s bunch came up short last season and are eager to return for another shot.
“When we picked our team we wanted to defend our title and go back to the nationals and place there,” she said. “That’s really all that it’s about right now. We’ve been working hard toward it and it would mean so much.”