Lacombe U18 curlers Team Whitbread are thrilled to be competing as Team Alberta 2 for the U18 Curling Championships next month in Ottawa.
Another Central Alberta group, Team DeSchiffart (which includes Morgan and Emma DeSchiffart of Ponoka County) is also heading to Ottawa as Team Alberta 1.
Both recently took part in the Curling Alberta U18 Provincials which were held at Sylvan Lake.
“We knew that it was going to be a tough competition there,” said Abby Whitbread, the team’s skip, of the Sylvan Lake event.
“But we had a pretty successful season overall so we knew that we could do it if we played our best, and that the results would come.”
Rounding out Team Whitbread are Anna Bakos, Hayley Adams, and Faith Thomas. They are also coached by Rory Whitbread.
As for the exciting realization that Ottawa is just around the corner, Abby said the group was thrilled with how things have shaped up.
“At the start of this season, we were all kind of on our own. We came together with the main goal of wanting to have fun through the season, and then to be able to go to nationals would be the cherry on top,” she said.
Initially, Abby, who also plays out of the Lacombe Curling Club, and Adams paired up, and they soon joined forces with Thomas and Bakos.
“Hayley is out of Edmonton, Anna is out of St. Albert and Faith is out of Okotoks,” she said.
“We are kind of all over the map,” he added with a laugh.
All are also in Grade 12 this year.
As mentioned, they’ve had a successful season to boot.
“We finished as semi-finalists at a women’s event in Beaumont — against some of the top ladies’ teams — so that was a big confidence booster for us,” she explained.
Other highlights have included landing as Northhill U18 finalists, Banff U18 champions, Cochrane U20 champions, Red Deer U18 finalists, and Ray Kingsmith and U18 semifinalists.
“So going into Ottawa, we know that if we play like we did (in Beaumont), we have a pretty good chance of doing well,” she said.
For Abby, a passion for curling was sparked pretty early on.
“I’ve been curling for just over 10 years. My dad took me and my sister out for a practice one night, and I had a lot of fun with it,” she recalled.
“Over the years, it’s become a little more competitive — I started playing in bonspiels at around the age of 10. From there, I was having a lot of fun doing it, so I started playing on a more competitive scale when I was about 13.”
From then on, she said she just continued to fall in love with the sport with all of the joys and challenges it brings, and the sheer focus that it demands.
“The strategy is a lot of fun. Also, the precision that is needed for it — it can be frustrating, but most of the time it’s pretty fun.”
Abby said there are misconceptions out there about the sport, but ultimately, it’s something that is pretty much suitable for any age.
“It’s hard; it requires a lot of practice,” she said, adding that she also enjoys working with her dad Rory.
He served as coach for a past team she was on as well.
For his part, Rory couldn’t be more proud of the team.
“As Abby has mentioned, this is the first year of these four girls playing together as a team, and going into a season like that, you never know quite what that is going to mean. But they hit it off right away, and played very well right out of the gate,” he said.
“As a coach, it’s a dream to see all of those things happening.
“We won our very first bonspiel in Beaumont, and that was a U18 bonspiel. That’s where we thought, hey, we might have something here! We went on to win the Banff bonspiel as well, the Cochrone U20 bonspiel, and took out some very good teams there,” he said.
That winning momentum only continued as the season unfolded, as did the passing of all expectations by many who came in contact with them, he added.
“In all sports, but especially in curling, you get these intangibles that just work. You can’t quite put your finger always on why it all works, but holy cow — does it work,” he said of the team.
“It’s been a pleasure coaching them, and I’m sure looking forward to seeing them play on the national stage in Ottawa.”
Seeing two local teams head to nationals is also something to be proud of, he said.
“It speaks to our local talent,” he said. “I have to think it’s pretty unprecedented to have two local teams going off to nationals together. It is amazing.”
In the meantime, Abby would encourage folks to give curling a try.
“Every club, and especially here in Lacombe, we have a great junior program. We even have some great meets that you can try out as an adult,” she said.
“The clubs are also supportive. We have Darren Moulding here in Lacombe — he’s so good with both new and experienced curlers. So find a super supportive club, and it’s just a lot of fun once you get going with it.”
