By Canadian Press

Scotties Bound: Northern Ontario’s Krysta Burns accepts invite for national playdowns

Dec 21, 2020 | 7:34 AM

Team Krysta Burns has accepted an invitation to represent Northern Ontario at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, a spot that was declined by Team Krista McCarville last week. 

The Northern Ontario Curling Association recently cancelled its annual playdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic and announced it would invite last season’s provincial champions to compete at the national championships in Calgary.

McCarville chose not to participate, citing travel restrictions, family and work commitments. Burns, who dropped a 6-5 decision to McCarville in the 2020 provincial final, was next in line as the finalist.

Burns, who finished third at the 2017 Canadian U21 junior championship, will be making her Scotties debut. 

Her team includes lead Amanda Gates, second Sara Guy and third Megan Smith. 

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Burns skipped Laurentian University to a gold medal at the U Sports national championship in 2017.  

“I think all of us were completely shocked,” Burns said of the opportunity. “We had never even really considered it as a possibility. So when it came through, we were just like, ‘OK, let’s pinch ourselves here.'” 

The Scotties will be the first of six competitions to be held in a bubble setting at Markin MacPhail Centre starting in mid-February.  

“Being there and getting to represent where you’re from, it makes the whole opportunity mean a lot more,” Burns told The Canadian Press from Sudbury, Ont. “I know it’s going to be something we’re never going to forget.”

Other provinces and territories may end up following Northern Ontario’s lead.

The 16-team fields at the Scotties and Tim Hortons Brier are primarily filled with winners from provincial and territorial playdowns that are traditionally held in January and February. 

While many of those events remain on the calendar, they appear to be on uncertain ground due to the pandemic. Decisions on whether to simply declare representatives for the nationals may have to be made over the coming weeks. 

Team Brad Jacobs, the 2020 men’s Northern Ontario champion, previously accepted an invite to play at the Brier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2020. 

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press