Officer is hoping to make her exit on winning note
Jill Officer knew this week was coming.
But as much as she has prepared for her final event with Team Jennifer Jones and as much as she embraces her decision to step away from the game of curling, the 42-year-old would like to go out with a bang and capture the Pinty ’s Grand Slam of Curling Humpty’s Champions Cup.
“I just really want to enjoy it,” Officer was saying before the action kicked off Wednesday at Calgary ’s WinSport facilities.
“I love hanging out with other athletes and I like being with my people on the tour. Curling is my community. I’m just looking forward to spending some time with the players and going out and having a last event with my girls. I’d love it to end on a winning note.
“But if it doesn’t, I have no right to complain.”
Officer and Jones have been together for 23 seasons including juniors and have captured six national titles, including the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and the 2018 and 2008 world women’s curling championships. The two, along with vice-skip Kaityln Lawes and lead Dawn McEwen, also won Olympic gold in 2014 at Sochi.
Officer will be replaced by Red Deer’s Jocelyn Peterman.
“I’ve said this many times — I’ve been married to Jennifer longer than I’ve been married to my husband,” said Officer, who is hoping to spend more time with six-yearold daughter Camryn and husband Devlin.
“But it’s true, because of the amount of time we spend together. It’s hard … other than my husband and my child, I spend all of my time with my curling team. It’s going to change.”
Officer made the difficult deci- sion to step away from the game in January after she realized she couldn’t commit to another fouryear Olympic cycle.
But she isn’t quitting the game cold turkey.
She plans to still be involved with curling and will be the fifth (alternate) player on Team Jones next season.
“When we’re finishing our last game, maybe it’ll hit me a bit more but I think I’ve been processing it for so long and really been working through the emotions for the last four months,” she said. “I’ll be surprised at how much is left, but I think I’ll still have some sadness about it being done. These last couple of months I’ve been trying to have more fun and that perspective. When you go out and do that and be grateful for those opportunities we have, you tend to play better. We’ve had a successful last couple of months.
“That aspect makes it hard because we’ve been playing well and having fun.”