Carey and her new crew working out kinks
Calgary curler a fixture at the Autumn Gold
The Autumn Gold Curling Classic isn’t a Grand Slam event on the calendar.
But it’s a pretty major deal for each of the 32 rinks in attendance at the Calgary Curling Club.
Especially this edition, at the start of the Olympic cycle.
Take Calgary skip Chelsea Carey, who hopes to use the World Curling Tour event to get to know what her new team brings to the ice.
“It’s challenging because you’ve got new stuff to figure out,” said Carey, who has a different crew of mates to open the four years leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. “Of course, we’ve learned a lot about each other (already).”
In March, her former team of third Laura Crocker, second Taylor McDonald and lead Jen Gates decided to go their separate ways.
That led to a call from second Dana Ferguson, who along with lead Rachel Brown, was in the market for a new skip after Val Sweeting ’s Alberta team called it quits.
Sarah Wilkes joined as the third to give Carey a new-look squad for the 2018-19 season.
“It was like this four years ago after the last cycle, too,” said Carey of the major team changes in the curling world. “The Olympics does this. It didn’t used to be that way. But now as soon as the Olympics are over, everybody shuffles. It’s a long grind being together as a team for four years. You spend a ton of time together. So sometimes you just need a change and a fresh start and new kinds of vibes and energy.”
The hope, of course, is to turn a refresh into both short-term and far-reaching success.
“I mean, it’s too early to tell for everybody,” said Carey when asked if success is already at hand. “It’s still brand new, so we’re still figuring it out. But so far, so good.”
Carey & Co. came out of the Autumn Gold gates quickly Friday, scoring an 8-2 first-draw victory over Saskatoon’s Sherry Anderson. With the hammer in second and fourth ends, the Alberta team counted a pair of deuces before sealing it with three in the sixth of the seven-end game.
Next up for the Alberta foursome — which features Heather Rogers at lead in place of an expecting Brown — was a 7-1 loss Friday evening to Manitoba’s Kerri Einarson.
An event win at the Autumn Gold would be nice, but ultimately, progression is the priority in Year 1.
“We just want to be getting to the kind of team we want to be next year at the end of this year,” Carey said.
“We’ve been lucky in a couple of events we’ve played in to get good competition, but that’s why you choose the events you choose. You want to be tested by good teams and figure out what you need to do to get as good as them and then to get better than them, hopefully.”
The Autumn Gold, in its 41st year, certainly helps out with that.
“Pretty incredible,” said Carey of the event’s longevity. “I’ve always joked that I’ve spent every Thanksgiving in Calgary for as long as I can remember because we’ve been at this bonspiel. I’ve been coming since basically I’ve been in women’s, flying in from Winnipeg (before moving to Calgary three years ago) because it’s that kind of a draw.
“It’s a great bonspiel, always has been — obviously the proof ’s in the pudding because teams keep coming. And for our schedule, timingwise, it’s a great fit.”
EXTRA ENDS
The World Curling Tour event continues Saturday at 9 a.m. followed by draws at 12:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The A-event finals of the traditional triple-knockout cashspiel go Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
The eight-team playoff round begins at 9 a.m. Monday with the champ to be crowned later that day after the 3:30 p.m. final.