STOH berth believed up for grabs
Chelsea Carey’s squad announced the departure of Karlee Burgess today.
“With mixed emotions, we’re announcing that Karlee Burgess will be leaving our team to pursue other opportunities,” read a team statement.
“While it’s sad to lose a valued teammate and friend, we wish Karlee the best in her future endeavours.”
It’s the first in-season departure for a Canadian women’s fours team, following a wild season of men’s team lineup changes.
The announcement threatens Team Carey’s wild card berth in next month’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts. As the former Team Jennifer Jones prior to that skip’s retirement, Team Carey is down to only two members from the original Jones squad—Emily Zacharias and Lauren Lenentine—and three are theoretically needed to claim the STOH spot.
It’s believed Edmonton’s Team Selena Sturmay would be next in line to get the Scotties berth—which would throw a loop into the Alberta women’s provincial, where Sturmay is slated to compete.
Team Carey has struggled this season, with recent team results failing to qualify them for the upcoming Grand Slam tour stop in Guelph, Ont. Jan. 14-19.
“At this time we will have no further comment, and will make announcement’s in the near future on our team’s plans,” stated Team Carey.
Burgess is the girlfriend of men’s competitor Jacques Gauthier, who was ousted from Team Koe amid the frenzy of men’s changes in the fall.
Burgess is also the cover model for the 2025 Curling Cares Fundraising Calendar, a charity project directing donations to good causes selected by the participating athletes.