1. How did you first get introduced to curling?

My dad was the first to curl in our family, he was introduced to the game by some friends and joined the University of Toronto team. When my brother and I were young my parents brought us out to try curling at the High Park Curling Club in Toronto. They introduced the sport to us by saying “it was something we love to do, we hope you enjoy it, but there’s no pressure to play if you’re not having fun”. Needless to say, 23 years later, my brother and I still love the sport and always have a blast when we can play in a spiel with our parents.

 

2. Was there someone or something that was a key motivating factor for you to curl and to aspire to play at a high level?

I remember being a sign bearer for a team at a junior mixed provincial in Oakville when I was in little rocks. The team that I was assigned to was very nice, asked me a lot about my curling and what I wanted to achieve when I was older. It was just a great experience and I remember telling my parents that I wanted to be on one of those teams at provincials when I was older.

 

 

Be in the Know With SWSCD: Meet Elite Canadian Curlers Team Brandwood

Meet Team Brandwood: The Backstory on Skip Chelsea Brandwood

Meet Team Brandwood: The Backstory on Vice Megan Smith

Meet Team Brandwood: The Backstory on Lead Keira McLaughlin

Meet Team Brandwood: The Backstory on Coach John Gabel

 

3. What would you tell someone aspiring to be a high level curler to do to develop the skills and mindset needed to be able to compete and play at the highest levels of the game?

Practice and dedication. If you make a commitment to yourself to want to play at a high-level then the foundation has to be set to achieve these goals. Meaning that off-season training should be a priority, practices should be met with the same level of focus you would bring to a game, and ultimately you want to be the best teammate you can be.

 

4. What do you enjoy most about the game of curling?

The people. I’ve made lifelong friends and meet my husband through the sport. When I moved to London, four and a half years ago, I didn’t know anyone here other than my husband and his family. By joining a couple leagues at Highland I quickly meet a whole bunch of people with similar interests, from a wide age range that I could get along well with and hangout with outside of curling.

 

 

5. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 10 year old self?

To never give up on your dreams and enjoy every moment because the seasons come and go too quickly. There will be some tough loses along the way but it’s all a part of growing and learning.

 

6. Do you have a favourite memory that stands out in your curling career to date?

It’s hard to pick just one, but I would have to say that my favourite memory that stands out would have to be from the time we spent in Newfoundland for the Canadian Juniors in 2015. Ontario is such a hard provincial get out of and represent so it just felt amazing finally getting that opportunity to represent on the national stage. We had a fantastic week and came up just a few shots short in the final to represent Canada at the Worlds. The cherry on top that week was definitely getting the All-Star award and having our games aired on TSN was pretty cool.

 

 

7. What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in the game of curling?

Never step onto the ice with your slider foot! And just go out there and have fun, it’s a great social sport that you can play all throughout your life.

 

8. What one suggestion/recommendation would you make to increase what Canadians know about high-level competitive curling and the elite players who compete to be the best in the game? How do you see this making a difference?

My suggestion would just be for more Canadians to catch a game here and there when it’s on TV. This would allow individuals that don’t know a lot about the sport to see how athletic the teams are nowadays and how much precision goes into shot making at the elite level. This would hopefully also get more Canadians interested in the game and maybe entice them into looking at Learn-to-Curl programs in their communities.

 

 

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