Two teams from The Ottawa Curling Club faced off at the Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Jan. 24, but the win didn’t go to the largely favoured team.
The Jenn Hanna rink – a first-year team – upset world #1-ranked Rachel Homan.
With a 10-8 final score, Jenn Hanna, Brit O’Neill, Karen Sagle and Stephanie Hanna are off to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Grande Prairie from Feb. 20 -28.
“We are a first-year team, so we didn’t really know what to expect going into this season,” says Lead Karen Sagle.
“I think the win has really helped solidify the idea that we are a strong team and that we can pull out those big wins when we need them.”
Headlines have ranged from “The Bombshell in Brampton,” to “Ottawa curler Jenn Hanna beats the odds,” and Sagle says the whole experience hasn’t truly sunk in.
“I don’t think it has yet, not sure it will until we actually get there. Still, it feels amazing. It’s a complete dream come true.”
All provincial and territorial championships have ended, with many new names added to the Scotties line-up. Jennifer Jones – Olympic gold medalist in 2014 – is set to be the favourite for the national tournament starting on Feb. 20.
But, if the provincial tournaments are any indication, the field is wide open.
“For Jenn and Steph, it’s a bit of a comeback story which is always super exciting,” says Sagle. The Hanna’s last competed in 2005, but for O’Neill and Sagle, this will be their first time attending the tournament.
“There have been so many upsets this year in provinces across the country,” notes Sagle. “We’ve heard a lot of people say they’re super excited for this year’s Scotties to see some new faces and some of the unpredictability that will come along with it.”
Although they are a first-year team, they certainly aren’t new to each other.
“We have a great team dynamic,” says Sagle, “which is such a huge deal, especially in women’s curling […] It’s kind of an interesting mix – Brit and I are a couple and Jenn and Steph are sisters – but it works really well for us!”
O’Neill agrees.
“Karen and I have seem to mastered the teammate vs. girlfriend role quite well! The major benefit of this dynamic is that we can all communicate things to one another that may otherwise seem ‘too forward’ from team members with little relation. In the one season we have had together, I think it’s fair to say this experience has already, and will continue to, further our trust in each other as teammates and expand our respect for each other as friends.”
For the next few weeks, the team will focus on balancing training, practice, intensive school programs and their jobs, while they prepare for the national competition.
They’ll be sneaking in practices during their lunch hours, using their vacation time to travel to tournaments, and living within the means of a new team with limited sponsorship.
“There are of course a lot of Homan fans out there who were hoping to see the team back at the Scotties,” says Sagle, “but we’ve had a lot of people write to us who are excited about the underdog pulling out the win.”