Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

CURLING

Team Brown ready for action as 2024 Scotties kicks off in Calgary on Friday

Feb 14, 2024 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Life doesn’t stop just because you’re preparing for a national championship. Just ask Corryn Brown, Erin Pincott and Samantha Fisher, who have been rushing over to the Kamloops Curling Club after work these days to get their reps in ahead of the 2024 Scotties.

“It’s definitely a lot of a balancing act, between work and family and curling,” Skip Brown says. “We’re really grateful that we all have employers who are really supportive of our curling and also families and spouses that really support us. And a great facility down here in the Kamloops Curling Club, that allows us to come practice at our beck and call.”

The Scotties brings together 18 of the top curling rinks from across the country for the right to represent Canada at the World Curling Championships — or, depending on the year, the Olympics. It’s a competition that these athletes grew up watching.

“The Scotties is kind of the reason you start curling as a child. It’s the pinnacle of Canadian curling, I would say,” Third Pincott explains. “It still is. Grand Slams are a huge goal of ours, but the Scotties is highlighted on our calendar, every season.”

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For lead Fisher, her only other Scotties experience was in the bubble during the pandemic, so she’s looking forward to having a full rink of fans for this go around.

“This will be my first time having a big show and having the families and the crowd there, which is really exciting,” Fisher says. “It’ll be fun to have a crowd and just the excitement of the fans while you’re playing is always something you look forward to.”

A quick glance up to the banners hanging on the wall shows the history that Fisher, Pincott and Brown have as a rink. That’s one of the reasons they keep chasing this dream of winning a Scotties, year after year.

“It’s so much fun,” Fisher says. “Every time I step out onto the ice, I get to do it with two of my best friends, and then we added Jenn (Armstrong) to the team this year — we’ve become really close, as well. It’s just so much fun to go out there, and you’re doing it with the people you enjoy doing it with. It just makes the game so much better.”

Next Monday, the Brown rink is matched up against the defending champs, Team Einarson. That should give the Kamloops rink time to settle in and get a feel for the ice ahead of some stiff competition.

“We usually do have a game plan, whether it’s the first game of the event and we’re learning the ice versus later in the week,” Pincott explains. “I wouldn’t say it varies much, opponent to opponent. It’s very much the situation that we’re in, the ice, rocks, that kind of stuff.”

As curling fans know, and Kamloops found out last year, the event is about more than just curling. The key for the Brown rink will be finding that right balance of enjoyment while staying locked in once those rocks start crashing into each other.

“For us, it’s really important to enjoy the opportunity because you’re never really sure when you’re going to get back there,” the skip suggests. “Taking in all the action is important, going to the Patch, taking in the meet and greets, doing the Sandra Schmirler telethon. It’s really important to get that full picture. But when it’s game time, that’s the main focus.”

Team Brown plays in the first draw on Friday night at 5:30 pm PST against the McCarville rink from Northern Ontario.