By Jana McDade
Eight granite rocks, five uniforms and four brooms may seem odd supplies for a family trip, but for Ottawa’s Hanna family, it is nothing but ordinary.
“Curling is something we share at home, on the ice, and even at the dinner table” says Jenn Hanna. “We love it.”
Bob Hanna has been coaching his daughters Jenn, 25, and Stephanie, 22, since they were young children. This week, their hard work is paying off.
Jenn, Stephanie, and teammates Pascale Letendre, Dawn Askin and Joelle Sabourin are competing at the Scott Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women’s curling championships in St. John’s from Feb. 19- 27.
“It’s my first nationals and I’m going with my younger sister,” says Jenn, skip of her team based out of the Ottawa Curling Club. “I know that we’re meant to win together, and that is more special to me than anything.”
Winning the nationals would turn Team Hanna into Team Canada.
The Hanna family has been curling competitively for generations. Bob was introduced to the sport as a young child by his parents and grandparents.
“When I met Bob in high school, I was 17 and he was at the curling club all the time,” says wife Valerie Hanna, smiling at the memory.
“I complained to my mom one day about it. She said that I had better learn to curl if I wanted to be with Bob. I did and I loved it. Everything else is history.”
Valerie and Bob Hanna married and started a children’s curling program at the Granite Curling Club in West Ottawa. Getting the girls involved happened naturally.
The sport was a good way for the family to spend time together, and for the girls to learn about teamwork, says Valerie.
“I wanted to give them a life skill,” says Bob. “It was up to them how good they wanted to be.”
The Hanna team wanted to be the best. They lost four of five round-robin games in the provincial championships at Ottawa’s Rideau Curling Club in January.
In an unlikely comeback, the team pulled together, winning eight consecutive games and defeating Krista Scharf’s Thunder Bay foursome for the title.
Valerie says she is excited to cheer her daughters on at nationals.
“The girls used to play against each other, and it was hard as a mom,” she says, laughing. “I had to cheer for both teams, all good shots, and always be equal.”
Ever since the girls both qualified for the same division, they have played together.
“I always looked up to Jenn when I was little,” says Stephanie, the team’s lead. “When she asked me to play on her women’s team, I was so excited.”
Valerie says curling has brought the family together.
“Having a dad as coach has been great because he understands our limits more than anyone else and wants us to be the best we can be,” says Jenn. “He makes us proud of what we do out there.”
Adds Stephanie: “He’s coach when he’s on the curling sheet, and he’s dad when he’s at home.”
Valerie says many people who curl competitively get their kids involved in the sport.
Getting involved is exactly what Shayne Morrissey did when he started coaching his two daughters.
“It’s great because you’re with the kids right in the action, sharing in their success,” he says.
Success for the Morrissey’s Rideau Curling Club team came earlier this month, in the form of the junior national championships.
Skip Erin Morrissey, her younger sister Katie, team vice Samantha Peters and second Karen Sagle just returned from the tournament in Fredericton, N.B.
Team Morrissey placed 11th in the country, finishing with a record of four wins and eight losses.
“We’re really proud of what they have done,” says Shayne.
For the Morrissey and Hanna teams, curling is a family affair likely to continue in future generations.