Sport: Curling
What year(s) did you compete for Lakeland? 2006-2010
How did playing for the Rustlers help you get to where you are today?
Lakeland College Athletics opened the door for me to find success and build confidence as an athlete. The benefit of a small campus like Lloydminster or Vermilion is that it’s easy to find opportunities to be a star. You can be a star on the ice/court/field, be a star in the classroom, or be a star in the community. I started in 2006 and continued up until last season coaching a Junior Curling Program and coaching the Alberta Rocks Summer and Adult camps. Those experiences lead to me getting recognized and invited to coach at the World Curling Federation Summer Curling Camps in Germany in 2016 and 2018. From 2015–2017, I volunteered as the Assistant Coach to the Rustlers Curling team, my dad Dusty as Head Coach, so those were special years.
I got an opportunity to see the event organization side of curling and worked as the Event Assistant for Edmonton’s 2013 Tim Hortons Brier. That experience led me to act as the Volunteer Coordinator for two Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events; Lloydminster in 2017 and Calgary in 2018.
Where are you working right now and what are you doing?
I am currently on maternity leave from my position as a Curling Club Manager. I am fortunate to have turned the sport I love into a paying career!
Are you still involved with your sport you competed at Lakeland now? Coaching/playing etc.
I will curl competitively as long as I possibly can. In fact, three weeks after our daughter was born, my women's team hit the ice and made the final of our first event of the season!
I have played competitive women’s curling since 2006. The highlights of my professional career include playing for Team Alberta at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, playing for Team Alberta at the 2016 Mixed Canadian Championship, and our team invited to play as Team Canada at the 2019 Qinghai Elite in China. I still instruct Junior Curling and corporate curling groups as well.
What was your favourite moment at Lakeland as a student-athlete?
The 2007 and 2009 ACAC provincial championships we won carry many fantastic memories. I am also fortunate to have received a few accolades I am very proud of: All Conference team in 2007 and 2009, and Lakeland Female Athlete of the Year in 2008.
But before all that, the best moments at Lakeland were spent at the Vermilion Curling Club. We would play in the Wednesday Men’s League (that my Women’s team won! I love my “2007 Vermilion Men’s Curling Champion” jacket!) Each league night was a chance to practice against a tough team, and each opponent acted as a coach and a lesson for us.
The community of Vermilion really rallied around the Rustlers, and it’s the love we felt from the community that made the Vermilion Curling Club always feel like home.
My most favourite off-ice memories took place in the summers. Each August, we would round up as many Rustler and Vermilion curling members as we could to get together for the annual Irma Summerspiel. It really spoke to the friendships and community connections that were made through Lakeland Curling. Even our coach, Pete Wilkinson, would join in the fun!
Are you still close with any former teammates?
Yes. The sport of Curling creates a special bond between teammates. Since there are only four people on a team, it’s important to “gel” together – and quickly – in order to be successful. All four years I played for Lakeland, each of the Men’s, Ladies, and Mixed teams were made of stellar teammates. They were just such good people. And good people make good curlers. I was happy to even attend wedding celebrations for four different teammates post-graduation!
If you could give a couple words of advice to our current Rustlers, what would it be?
Get involved, get involved, get involved. Take the time to coach, score-keep, help the icemaker, line the fields, clean the bleachers. Find a way to be a star on the ice/court/field, be a star in the classroom, and be a star in the community, and watch the doors open for you!