TIMMINS - After only a year together as a team, a local curling rink is heading to nationals.
Team MacInnes made up of Valerie MacInnes, Rosanna Furletti, Kim Armstrong, and Carole Horton won the Senior Provincial Curling Championships in an extra end and will represent Northern Ontario at the 2025 Canadian Senior Curling Championships. It’s Nov. 26 – Dec. 6 in Ottawa, but for now, they’re basking in the win.
This is Kim Armstrong's first year participating in competitive curling, and she said it took some convincing from her teammates and their families to get her to take that step.
“I didn’t see myself as a competitive player,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot this year, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
There was an active push to get Armstrong on the team when a spot opened up.
“It took some convincing,” said Furletti. “Besides Carol bugging her for years, her husband finally was the big push.”
Armstrong’s husband also participated in the competition and is on the men’s championship team.
“He said you have to do it, they’re going to stop asking you,” added Armstrong.
MacInnes, Furletti, and Horton had been playing together for six years before this season, and the win gave them a reason to tease Armstrong as the newcomer.
“You win the provincial, you get a heart, and they’re very coveted. Everybody wants the heart,” “Technically, she’s played six competitive provincial games, and she walked away with the heart. People play for years and never get the heart.”
Adding Armstrong to the team has been an easy fit, and that has affected how they play.
“Kim fit into our little group like a hand in a glove,” said Furletti. “It’s so much more relaxed on the ice when you have comraderie on the team.”
The championships were held in Timmins at the McIntyre Curling Club from March 12 to 15.
Playing on home ice had its challenges.
“As wonderful as it is to play in front of your home club, it’s really stressful because there is a lot of expectation,” said MacInnes. “They would never tell you that they expect you to win, but you know, and they’re there.”
Playing at home also brings some differences to the whole experience.
“When you’re at home, there’s all the outside influences,” she said. “When you’re away, you all stay together, and the team dynamic is different because you share rooms, you have breakfast together, and you stay as a cohesive group, whereas at home, we’re going in for different directions.”
When the curling club reopens in October, MacInnes said they’ll have to prepare for competition quickly.
“It’s going to be pretty exhausting trying to get into game form by the time we have to go away,” said MacInnes. “Every spare time on the ice is going to be us practicing or throwing or working on something.”
The experience of competition is one that MacInnes is keen to share with the team.
“You meet a lot of new people and I look forward to the curling,” said MacInnes.