ASHLEY HOWARD, MAKES HER FATHER PROUD.
DAUGHTER OF CURLING LEGEND STRIVES TO MAKE HER MARK AT NATIONALS
Amatter of the heart paved the way for Ashley Howard to curl for Saskatchewan at the appropriately titled Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The 26- year- old daughter of curling legend Russ Howard moved to Regina in 2014. And why was that?
“A boy,” Ashley Howard says with a chuckle.
Specifically, she is referring to Scott Deck.
“He’s affectionately referred to as The Reason in our family,” Howard points out. “He even has a shirt of that nature.”
Howard’s wardrobe now i ncludes Team Saskatchewan curling garb. She is throwing third stones at the Canadian women’s championship tournament for a Highland Curling Club foursome that is skipped by Jolene Campbell.
In a sense, the storyline — Howard competes at a national curling championship — is hardly novel.
After all, Russ Howard has curled in 14 Briers, winning the event in 1987 and 1993 — years in which he also captured the world men’s championship. He also earned an Olympic gold medal in 2006 as the second on Brad Gushue’s team.
Ashley’s uncle, Glenn Howard, is about to take part in his 16th Brier. He was the third on Russ Howard’s titlewinning teams of 1987 and 1993 and has since skipped teams to world championships in 2007 and 2012.
Additionally, Ashley’s brother (Steven) and cousin ( Scott) have both been to numerous Briers. Now it is time for a female Howard to reach the nationals.
“It took me a while to realize that I was ineligible to play in the Brier and that I had to find my own dream, and that was the Scotties Tournament of Hearts,’’ Ashley says.
“It’s amazing to have that dream come true. In my family, it’s not often that you get to be the first at something in curling. A lot of road has already been paved. How cool is that?”
Very cool, in the view of Russ Howard.
“It’s emotional, it really is,” he says. “We’ve never had a female make it to ( the nationals). We know how great it is and how much fun it is.
“I remember my f i rst Brier like it was this mor- ning. There’s the emotions and the excitement and the camaraderie with your team members. She knows just about everybody who’s here, so it’s just going to be a fun week for them no matter how they play, really.”
The excitement was evident when, leading up to the Scotties, Ashley tweeted a photo of her receiving her first pair of curling shoes. It was Christmas Day, 1994.
“I was extremely excited, and that’s a passion I still feel,” she says. “That little kid’s inside when we get to go out on the ice. It’s pretty cool.”
Not to mention an indication of how quickly Ashley warmed up to curling.
“The minute she got those shoes on Christmas morning she talked me into going to the rink,’’ a proud father recalls. “By the time she was five years old, she had one of the best curling deliveries you would ever want to see.
“Wendy and I didn’t push our kids into curling. A lot of people think that we would have, but it was all about introducing them to every single sport we could and keeping them busy and keeping them doing the right things instead of the wrong things. They both gravitated to curling to some degree. Steven’s a natural at whatever sport he takes up.”
Ashley’s outgoing, congenial nature makes her a natural for the marketing profession. She is the senior marketing co-ordinator with KPMG Management Services.
“I was in Winnipeg before,” she notes. “It was just a little bit too big for me, so Regina is a really nice size and Scott ( Deck) and his family are there, so I get my fair share of Sunday night home- cooked dinners from his parents.
“That family aspect has been great for me, and the people (in Regina) have been great.
“Hey, love that football team, too.”
Who, a curious scribe wondered, are her favourite Saskatchewan Roughriders players?
“I have to say they’re gone to Winnipeg now,” Ashley laments, referring to recently departed receivers Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith. “It breaks my heart a little bit.
“I have to go with Darian Durant. I’m looking for a big comeback this year.”