New face going to the STOH

Kayla Skrlik called it, made it and might have ushered in a new era of Alberta women’s curling.

Skrlik’s second-year Calgary squad scored a stunning deuce in the 10th end to defeat Casey Scheidegger’s Lethbridge foursome in the final of the 2023 Alberta championship at Wetaskawin.

The entire championship was streamed by Curling Alberta, in partnership with the Curling Stadium platform and CurlingZone. What viewers saw on Skrlik’s final throw was a come-around double takeout for two and the win, which had to miss a guard by a whisker in order to succeed.

The call, throw and resulting celebration impressed observers of the sport, including the group staffing Team Kevin Koe’s social accounts.

Skrlik dominated the week, going 8-0 including the 9-8 championship victory over Scheidegger as well as a 9-3 win in the round robin.

Scheidegger’s Lethbridge outfit went 6-1 before thumping Edmonton’s Selena Sturmay 11-3 in the semifinal. Sturmay went 5-3 overall, while Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque finished 4-3.

Sturmay played third for Skrlik during the 2020-21 season.

Skrlik will now represent Alberta at the Tournament of Hearts along with teammates Geri-Lynn Ramsay, Brittany Tran, Ashton Skrlik and alternate Crystal Webster. The skip is 25 while Ramsay, the veteran at age 34, won silver at her only previous Tournament of Hearts in 2010, representing Prince Edward Island.