McCarville pulls out of Scotties due to COVID

Northern Ontario skip Krista McCarville says her team is declining an invitation to participate in the Canadian women’s curling championship due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

McCarville’s team from Thunder Bay, Ont., which won last year’s Northern Ontario playdown, was nominated to represent its region at the Scotties championship after the Northern

Ontario Curling Association cancelled provincial playdowns.

However, McCarville cited travel restrictions in her community and the impact returning home from the event in Calgary could have on her job and family as reasons not to play.

McCarville is a Grade 6 teacher and mother of two. She said the decision by her team “breaks our hearts.”

The Scotties, scheduled for Feb. 2028, is one of the major curling events planned to be run in a bubble environment at Calgary’s Markin MacPhail Centre. The Canadian men’s championship, world men’s championship and two Grand Slam of Curling events are also included in the plan.