n the end, staying off the ice in 2014-15 wasn’t really an option for Kelly Scott.
With longtime teammates and friends Jeanna Schraeder and Sasha Carter stepping aside at the end of last season to spend more time with family, the two-time Canadian championship skip was without any definite plans.
But it didn’t take long for Scott to find other like-minded curlers who were keen to merge their skills for a serious, yet not overly intensive season of curling.
“It took me some time, but personally I knew I wasn’t done with the game,” said Scott. “I just didn’t know what was next. But at the first point of contact with the new players, we were all on the same page on what level of commitment we wanted to make. I decided then that I really was ready to come back and play.”
Joining Scott at the third position for the new season is Shannon Aleksic, a former member of Kelly Law’s B.C. team.
Karla Thompson of Kamloops, the other newcomer, will play at second on there Scott team, while Sarah (Wazney) Pyke returns for her third season as lead.
The newly-configured foursome will play its second event of the cash circuit season this weekend in Kamloops.
The Scott rink showed some promise in its first event earlier this month at the Vernon Prestige Hotel Classic, reaching the semifinals and earning $4,400.
Unlike many past seasons where the Scott team played a full schedule of events from October to early spring, this year’s rink will have a much quieter agenda.
Scott and her rink will play in just three World Curling Tour events in B.C., then will look to qualify for the B.C. Scotties Tournament of Hearts in January—a lineup that seems to suit all involved.
“We’re basically all playing because we love the game, but we’re not interested in a situation where there’s a ton of travel and commitment,” she said. “We all want to have a little more time for family, so it’s a good fit.
“We want to be easy and natural, and it’s been quite fun. At the same time, we still want to be intense and competitive. We’re looking for a nice mix.”
With no Olympic Games on the horizon until 2018, Scott’s goals are more moderate and on a much shorter term.
The six-time B.C. Scotties champ hopes to contend this winter for a seventh provincial women’s title and, in turn, another trip to the national championship.
This weekend, Scott’s rink is competing at the Crown of Curling in Kamloops.
The 24-rink event, which begins Thursday, features $40,000 in prize money.
