A third straight trip to the provincial Scotties final proved to be the charm for Prince Albert curler Kara Thevenot.
The lead for Robyn Silvernagle’s rink from the Twin Rivers Curling Club in North Battleford will be heading to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the first time in her career following a 6-5 win over Sherry Anderson Sunday night in Humboldt.
“Everyone’s been congratulating us over the last couple of days, but I’m not sure it’s really sunk in yet for us,” Thevenot said.
“I think once we get our green jackets and everything else that we will be wearing at the Scotties, that’s when it will hit home for sure, along with when we all arrive in Sydney, N.S. for the event.”
Silvernagle and Thevenot had made it to the championship game in 2017 and 2018, but had lost a 10-7 affair to Penny Barker’s Moose Jaw rink and 7-6 extra-end contest to Anderson’s Saskatoon squad respectively.
Sunday’s final was a close one right from the opening stone, as Silvernagle and Anderson were tied at five heading into the 10th end.
Although they were without the hammer coming home, Silvernagle’s rink were able to steal a point to get the win as Anderson’s angle bump back of a guard came up short of being shot stone.
“We weren’t as sharp as we had been earlier in the week but we all stayed positive no matter what the situation was,” Thevenot said.
“Even though we gave control of things in the eighth (when Anderson got two points to take a 5-4 lead) and a rock ended up jumping on us when we had a chance for the blank in nine, we all stuck together as a team and that paid off for us.”
While Thevenot kept an eye on Anderson’s final shot, her skip was nowhere to be found on the ice at the time.
“She actually went downstairs and was hiding in the bathroom,” Thevenot said. “I’ve played with her for four years and I wasn’t surprised that she was hiding because she doesn’t like to watch the other teams shots, especially when we don’t have the hammer.
“After we all shook hands with Sherry’s team, I was wondering where she was and then I saw her running out and I gave her a big hug. We’ve been through a lot as teammates, so it was great to win it with her and to have our family and friends there to cheer us on.”
While Silvernagle and Thevenot will be making their first trip to the Scotties, along with second Jessie Hunkin, third Stefanie Lawton will be going to the event for the fifth time.
She skipped Saskatchewan’s team at the 2005, 2009, 2014 and 2015 events, with her best result being a semifinal finish four years ago in Moose Jaw.
“To have her experience on our team will be a big help, but we’ve been lucky enough to play in some major events as a group, such as the Meridian Canadian Open in North Battleford a few weeks ago,” Thevenot said.
“The jitters that come with playing under the big lights are something that will be there when you arrive of course, but we’ve got to play at the slams and the provincials on arena ice in the past which helps us out a lot, along with having chance to face many of the big teams that will be there at World Curling Tour events.”
The Silvernagle rink will find out what pool they will be in after this weekend, which is when the provincial playdowns will conclude in British Columbia, Northern Ontario and Ontario.
Among those who are already locked in for this year’s Scotties, which runs from Feb. 16-24, are Alberta’s Chelsea Carey, Manitoba’s Tracy Fleury and defending champion Jennifer Jones.
A sendoff party will be held for the rink at the Twin Rivers Curling Club in North Battleford on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.
