Saskatchewan ringer wearing Manitoba colours at Scotties
Skip jumps ship, joins rival province for another shot at national glory
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Three wins into the Canadian women’s curling championship, Michelle Englot still felt weird about the buffalo on her back.
“I don’t think it’s going to wear off, really,” the Manitoba skip said on Sunday.
After running the house for Saskatchewan seven times at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts during her career, the 53-year-old from Regina is as surprised as anyone she’s wearing the crest of her neighbour province.
Gaining an Olympic trials berth was top of mind for third Kate Cameron, second Leslie Wilson and lead Raunora Westcott when they sought a replacement for Kristy McDonald.
They were a strong team that lost last year’s Manitoba final to Kerri Einarson, but McDonald wanted a break.
With her 43-34 career Hearts record and almost 30 years of competitive curling, Englot was the woman they called.
“She had a couple of things we wanted, which was someone with experience and someone who has done what we want to do,” Cameron said. “We wanted someone relatively close. We knew Manitoba didn’t have the skip we needed that was available.”
Englot’s Regina team was going in different directions because of work and family commitments. Englot says she was encouraged to exchange green for yellow.
“They said I’d be crazy not to take the chance to play with an established team like this,” Englot said. “It’s exciting to play with these girls and they’re so committed and talented.
“I feel like a rookie. It is like a rejuvenation.”
Manitoba and Ontario’s Rachel Homan were out front quickly to 3-0 records by Sunday.
Englot downed Kerry Galusha of Northwest Territories 9-4 after beating Saskatchewan’s Penny Barker 8-5 in the morning.
The weirdness factor was particularly high for Englot facing a team in the colours she’d worn so many times at the Hearts.
“I’m glad we got it over with early in the week actually because then that story is done and we can just move on,” she said.
Homan cruised to 8-3 and 9-3 wins over Prince Edward Island’s Robyn MacPhee and B.C.’s Marla Mallett, respectively.
In the afternoon draw, Stacie Curtis of Newfoundland beat Mallett 10-5 to get to 2-0.
Mallett was winless in three games, with B.C. to face the Northwest Territories and Chelsea Carey’s Team Canada today.