Circumstances dictate additions
RED DEER — Amber Holland and Michelle Englot followed different paths when dealing with their support teams at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Holland and her Kronau crew of the Schneider sisters, Kim and Tammy, and Heather Kalenchuk, have returned to the Canadian women’s curling championship as the defending national champions. Alternate Jolene Campbell and coach Merv Fonger are also back with Team Canada.
Englot didn’t have the luxury of a year when it came to a fifth and a coach for the Scotties. She won the Saskatchewan title on Jan. 29 in Humboldt and then quickly added Maryfield’s Candace Chisholm as her fifth and Regina’s Dwayne Mihalicz as coach.
“You really only have one team in Canada who gets to do that,” Englot said during a break at the Scotties about having a fifth and coach in place prior to the provincial playdowns. “Jennifer Jones (as skip of Manitoba) did it with her fifth because Jill Officer was pregnant, but for the most part you deal with four players and away you go.”
Skips of elite teams know that they will have to expand their teams if they win a provincial championship. Adding two new personalities to the mix can be tricky.
“It’s important to pick people that you know will fit in and will add value to the team,” said Englot, who is curling with her Tartan team of Lana Vey, Roberta Materi and Sarah Slywka. “We knew that both Candace and Dwayne got along really well with their teams on and off the ice. We’re very happy with our picks.”
Mihalicz and Chisholm were pleased and honoured to be selected. Mihalicz is a veteran curler and coach. He shared in Saskatchewan men’s championships with Moose Jaw’s Rod Montgomery in 1996 and 1998. Mihalicz then moved into the coaching ranks and has enjoyed success at that level as well. He was the coach of Braeden Moskowy’s 2011 Canadian junior men’s championship team from Regina and filled the same role with Regina’s Kyle George, who won Canadian and world junior titles in 2005. Mihalicz has embraced his spot with Englot, but was also cautious in his approach.
“You have to mind your Ps and Qs,” said Mihalicz, who had previously coached Slywka. “We’ve all come to the conclusion that it has been a pretty good fit and everyone wants to do what it takes to win. If I have a strong opinion on something, I’ll put it out there. I’m not afraid to do that.”
Mihalicz isn’t here to change techniques. He helps with strategy and logistics.
“He’s really good with strategy because he has played the game for a long time,” Englot said. “He’s good at organizing us and that has taken a ton off my plate. When we were debating adding a coach, I wasn’t sold on the idea because we had won all year without one. You do change the team chemistry, but there is so much stuff to organize and it’s nice to have someone else take care of that.”
Chisholm was surprised when Englot approached her about being the alternate. Chisholm returned to competitive curling this season after taking off the last five years to devote to her young family. She guided her Maryfield team to a tiebreaker at the provincial women’s championship and felt her season was over.
“I just got really lucky,” said Chisholm, who is making her first appearance at the Scotties in any role.”