Jones hopes experience pays off for ‘rusty’ curlers in Scotties bubble

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Jennifer Jones has competed in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts so many times that sometimes the events start to run together in her mind.

Something tells us she will remember the 2021 Scotties for a long time, even if she’s not able to add to her already bursting trophy case by the end of this month.

Jones, a six-time Canadian women’s curling champion, two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist, will play in the Scotties for the 16th time, starting Friday.

Only this time, the tournament will be conducted in a bubble environment, at Calgary’s Canada Olympic Park, with no fans in the stands and stringent COVID-19 protocols in place.

“It’ll definitely be a little bit different,” Jones said this week as her team travelled to Calgary to start practice sessions on Thursday.

“Honestly, with everything that’s going on in the world and with a different kind of curling season, where we haven’t been able to play very much, we’re just really excited for the opportunity and the privilege to play.

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“As much as it’s gonna be different, right now we’re not even thinking about that. We’re just excited to have the opportunity to play.”

Jones and her teammates, third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jocelyn Peterman and lead Lisa Weagle (filling in for Dawn McEwen), are among the favourites in an 18-team field that was expanded by two teams from last year because so many provincial championships had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

Experience has to count for something when there’s been so little curling this season.

“People might be a little bit rusty but we’ll remember how to curl.”

Jones said. “At the end of the day, it will all come back and the competition experience is there as well. We haven’t had a ton of games with (Weagle), so that will be some getting used to. But we’re all veterans and we’ve all been there before. You just kind of remember how to do it and, in those big moments, all your experience comes through.”

Manitoba’s Jones, defending champion Kerri Einarson and three-time champ Rachel Homan of Ontario are the obvious favourites in the field, which includes representatives of 14 provinces and territories, Team Canada and three wild-card teams.

One of those wild-card teams is skipped by two-time Canadian champ Chelsea Carey, who is filling in for Manitoba’s Tracy Fleury (family illness).

“We’re excited by the possibilities,” Carey said. “Because it’s such a weird year, the Scotties is as wide open as it’s ever been. Everybody is coming in with less practice and games and preparation.

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“Everybody’s going into this cold and trying to figure out how to prepare. But everyone’s also looking forward to getting back on the ice and, if nothing else, just having something to do. A lot of us curl full time and haven’t been playing, or even for those who have other jobs are working from home, having a schedule, something to wake up for, is a bit of an exciting piece.”

Einarson will finally get a chance to wear Team Canada colours, a year after her team won the 2020 Scotties in Moose Jaw. Her team missed out on a chance to be Team Canada when the women’s world championship was cancelled last March, but it still gets to put on the Maple Leaf in the Calgary bubble.

“It’s definitely something I’ve been waiting for,” Einarson said. “I’m so excited to put it on and step out on that ice and represent Team Canada.”

All of the curlers are having to go through considerable hoops to be able to play in the bubble. They had to have a negative COVID-19 test before leaving home and were immediately tested again upon arrival in Calgary.

There will be more testing throughout the week and social distancing and mask-wearing is mandatory.

“My nose is gonna be awfully sore,” Einarson said with a laugh.

Curlers are not allowed to congregate, even with their own teammates, other than on the ice. That rule applies to the tournament hotel as well.

“For the most part, you go and you eat and you curl so the only difference is you can’t go out for dinner or go get a Tim’s,” Jones said. “Other than that it’s really not that different. There are health checks and COVID tests but, for the most part, it shouldn’t feel that strange.”

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What likely will feel strange is playing games after only three practices (on Thursday and Friday). Most teams have not played together in months, if that recently.

Team Homan third, Emma Miskew, summed things up when asked how things were looking for her foursome.

“I don’t even how to answer that question because we have nothing to base the answer off of,” she said.

“You’ve got to go into the event and try to embrace it. We’re just lucky we have the opportunity to be there. A lot of teams are sitting at home wishing they’d had this opportunity. We’re just gonna have to figure it out game by game. We didn’t have the training that we’d normally go into the event with, but we’re all in the same boat and we’ll do our best.”

The Homan team has played one game all year. The team has a new second, in Sarah Wilkes, this year and Homan is eight months pregnant. Ontario skip Danielle Inglis is on hand as fifth player in case she needs to fill in for Homan.

“Hopefully it’s like riding a bike,” Miskew said of playing with little on-ice preparation.

The Jones team has barely played at all with Weagle, who was cut by Homan’s team after last season. Carey and her teammates have never played together. Wild Card No. 2 skip Mackenzie Zacharias, 21, and her teammates will be playing for the first time since winning the world junior women’s championship last year.

“We’re definitely going there to compete,” Zacharias said. “We’re a little bit nervous but we’re very excited to get out there and play some good games against the best teams in our country.”

All of the teams have got to be ready for some twists and turns in the road. There could be changes in the schedule or other disruptions related to the COVID-19 testing.

“You’ve got to stop being surprised by stuff at this point because it’s just so constant that things are changing and moving and all kinds of weird stuff,” Carey said.

Twyman@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman