It starts with the sights and sounds
It doesn’t come with the background music and images that tug at the heartstrings, nor is it delivered by one of curling’s iconic voices, but this is one of my favourite content items each season.
Here is a list of the 10 things I will remember about the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary.
1. I’ll remember what a Scotties at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary looks like—and sounds like—with a live, energetic crowd in attendance to support and cheer the players.
It was clearly different from the cardboard cutouts that filled the seats when the same building hosted the 2021 Scotties during the pandemic “curling bubble.”
That was an event that gave us a classic quote from veteran STOH competitor Sherry Anderson, who said in one post-game interview: “I was in the hack getting ready to throw, and it was so quiet in the arena that I heard a toilet flush … never had that at a Scotties before.”
The noises at the Markin MacPhail Centre last week were exactly what a Scotties should sound like.
2. I’ll remember Krysten Karwacki, who went from alternate to all-star when Team Canada’s Briane Harris was deemed ineligible before the event had even started. Only time will tell why Harris received that ruling, but what Karwacki accomplished in her stead was incredible.
To be fair, Karwacki is an experienced player who played for the team that lost in the Saskatchewan provincial final a month ago. She has been with Team Einarson for most of their Scotties wins and all of their world championship appearances.
However, as she confirms in the next From The Hack podcast episode, she didn’t think she would throw many rocks in Calgary—but she was ready, and she delivered.
3. I’ll remember the event coaching benches looking like a pre-Brier get-together for some of Canada’s best male curlers, past and present.
From Glenn Howard, Reid Carruthers, Kevin Koe and Connor Njegovan to Marcel Rocque and Don Bartlett, there was a lot of Brier firepower on the coach’s bench in Calgary.
This is a testament to the changes made by Curling Canada a few years ago, where they made it easier for experienced Canadian players to coach without having to go through the traditional coaching certification program.
4. I’ll remember Jamie Sinclair making her debut Scotties appearance after spending several years in the USA Curling high-performance program.
It’s been Sinclair’s childhood dream to compete in a Tournament of Hearts, and she embraced it to the fullest.
It was an uneven week for her and Team Quebec, but they certainly showed glimpses of what they are capable of.
5. I’ll remember Team Ackerman of Saskatchewan, who got off to a 3-0 start at their first Scotties, looking every bit like a team that could sneak their way into the playoffs.
The wind came out of the curling sails as the week progressed, but the youngest skip to ever represent Saskatchewan at a Scotties certainly showed that she has the game to compete against some of the world’s best curlers.
6. I’ll remember Team Sturmay of Alberta, who initially seemed hesitant to bask in the support they were receiving from the crowd as the home favourites.
With no prior Scotties experience, this young team played free of major mistakes for most of the week and was one of the surprises heading into playoff weekend.
The week ended with consecutive losses for them, but the experience gained and the memories they will take of the fans in Calgary cheering them on will likely stay with the squad for a long time.
7. I’ll remember the in-off for two points Jo-Ann Rizzo of Kerry Galusha’s Team NWT made to defeat Jennifer Jones with her last-ever throw at a Scotties.
It wasn’t the best of tournaments for Polar Power, but Rizzo and her teammates will always have that one last shot as a team, defeating a curling legend in the process.
8. I’ll remember Team Cameron and the grit they showed during Scotties week on their way to a semifinal appearance.
Playing with a new second—albeit a very good one—in Kelsey Rocque with regular second Taylor MacDonald expecting a child soon, Team Cameron looked, at least midweek, like they would finish middle of the pack.
Then, to make things worse, third Meghan Walter fell ill, and the team had to play three-legged in one of their most important games of the season.
Not only did they win that match against Nova Scotia but later that day—with Walter back in the lineup—they defeated British Columbia with a playoff spot on the line.
The team then ended the reign of four-time winners Team Einarson in the playoffs before bowing out to Jones in the semifinal.
Through it all, Kate Cameron provided more proof of her curling ability and also of her leadership skills as she led her team through the minefield that is Scotties week.
9. I’ll remember the champions, Ontario’s Team Homan, who played impeccably all week, going undefeated in earning their first national title since 2017. The lineup has changed since then, but the expectations were always there.
This time, the squad got over the hump after three recent losses in the Scotties final. We saw a Rachel Homan we all became familiar with several years ago, only with more tools at her disposal. These tools come with practice, persistence, and experience.
For third Tracy Fleury—another guest on the next podcast episode—her first STOH title was a well-deserved one. People forget that while skipping her own team, Fleury came this close to representing Canada at the 2022 Olympics, having gone undefeated all week at the trials before losing to Jennifer Jones in a wild final.
This was the seventh Scotties appearance for Fleury, and you could tell that the other members of Team Homan were eager to help her win—and celebrate.
10. This is probably no surprise, but I’ll remember Jennifer Jones … who came just short of ending her legendary women’s team career with a record seventh national title.
Jones was always going to be the story this week after she announced her impending retirement from the four-player game.
Jones and her young teammates were on a mission to give Jones an ending, the likes of which we haven’t seen since John Elway won the Super Bowl—and was named MVP—in his last-ever NFL game. The team were, after all, the silver medallists a year earlier.
Team Jones lost only one game all week to a team not named Homan. Jones herself managed to embrace the moment and her fellow competitors while remaining focused on the task at hand.
Her teammates showed resilience during what must have been a difficult week for them. They were losing their skip, and they now had to navigate how they would proceed in their careers halfway through an Olympic cycle. Not an easy task when entering the most gruelling and difficult event of the season.
Years from now, curling fans will understandably remember this year’s Scotties as the swan song for the best ever women’s curler. However, competitors such as Fleury, Sinclair, Ackerman, Rizzo, Sturmay and others will remember it for reasons all their own.
Here’s to the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts taking place in Thunder Bay, Ont., where Team Homan will defend their title … and many new stories will be written on the ice.