This year, Nunavut will not participate in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Playing Quebec at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Kamloops, British Columbia, on Sunday, February 19, 2023, Nunavut skipper Brigitte MacPhail throws a rock. Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press
Nunavut pulled out of this year’s Canadian women’s curling championship without a complete squad and because Iqaluit’s curling rink was not accessible.
Nunavut will not participate in the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary next month, Curling Canada confirmed on Monday.
The best female curlers in Canada play in an 18-team competition; the victorious team moves on to represent Canada at a world championship.
According to Alison Taylor, who has curled for Nunavut in the last two Scotties competitions, it was the players’ decision to withdraw.
She stated in an interview that a few of her comrades are taking a vacation from the squad this year.
“A couple of us decided that this wasn’t the year; we simply don’t have the time or resources to properly prepare at this time,” Taylor stated.
“Although I’m sorry that there isn’t a team, this gives us a chance to regroup, make plans, spark interest, and determine what the next 18 months will need to return to the national arena.”
Curlers in Iqaluit, meanwhile, are presently unable to enter their rink.
A film production company is renting out the Iqaluit Curling Club’s city-owned rink, according to Peter Van Strien, president of the club and board member of the Nunavut Curling Association.
Curlers thus lack a location in the community where they may practice and get ready for a national championship.
Van Strien stated on Monday, “I think that one of the contributing elements would have been that we’re losing access to our rink; we lost it as of yesterday, practically.”
“I believe that not being able to train as a new team in the run-up to a major event like the Scotties had to be a factor.”
In the Curling Canada ranking system, another team will take Nunavut’s place in the Scotties event.
Since 2016, when all 13 provinces and territories sent teams to the Scotties, Nunavut has participated. 2020 was Nunavut’s finest year, winning two games and losing seven under a skipper named Lori Eddy.
Teams led by Brigitte MacPhail and Eddy skipped the last three tournaments, losing all eight games they played.
Speaking on behalf of Curling Canada, Al Cameron stated that the organization is saddened that Nunavut will not be attending this year’s Scotties, as the territory’s presence at the competitions is important to them.
In an interview, Cameron stated, “We do take pride in the fact that we have equitable access for all of Canada’s provinces and territories, including Nunavut.”
“We’ll keep working with the Nunavut Curling Association to make sure they do continue to attend all of our national competitions, even if this is disappointing.”
There are still plans for Nunavut youth curling teams to compete in the Arctic Winter Games in March in Alaska, but it’s unclear where they will practice in the run-up to the competition.
Additionally, a team from Nunavut will compete in the men’s championship of Canada, the Montana’s Brier, in Regina in March 2024.
The Brier team will have time to train in the south and take part in several practice tournaments, according to Van Strien.
“We’ve had really tremendous participation and an increase in members despite the last few years, which have been hard because, you know, COVID and then the shutdown due to the water situation and then the short season this year,” Taylor stated.
“We want to see a lot of teams competing for the Scotties in the end, and I think we’ll succeed.”
