Jr girls push for top 8
Curling team sets goals in national competition
Elaine Anselmi
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, December 11, 2014
INUVIK
Under the bright lights at the Inuvik Curling Club, sheet one is taken up by the town's junior girls curling team as they prepare to defend their territorial championship title.
Hilary Charlie practices her throw while teammates Carina McKay-Saturnino, left, and Rayna Vittrekwa watch on during a practice at the Inuvik Curling Club recently. - Elaine Anselmi/NNSL photo
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"We're quite nervous because there are four teams altogether this year and that's the most we've played with in a long time," said team skip Carina McKay-Saturnino. "Last year, there were two of us, and the year before there was just one."
The team, comprised of Rayna Vittrekwa, Hilary Charlie and Karly King Simpson, along with McKay-Saturnino, will head down to Fort Smith from Dec. 28 to 30 to reclaim the title for a third time running and the right to represent the NWT at the 2015 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Junior Men's and Women's Curling Championships.
As they focus on their hits and draws at practice in Inuvik, McKay-Saturnino said they already have some goals set for if they make it to Corner Brook, N.L., in January.
The girls are the two-time reigning champions in the territory but this year, they hope to place in the top eight at nationals.
"For nationals, there is one team from every province and territory, so there are 14 teams and we finished 11th the first year and 13th last year," said McKay-Saturnino. "There are two pools and the top four in a pool go to (playoffs) and play the other top four (in the other pool), so we want to finish top eight."
As teams are all about working together, the girls are confident they'll improve moving forward - having curled together for eight years, they joke that they fit together just like a jigsaw puzzle.
"Especially last year, we improved a lot," said McKay-Saturnino. "We get along all the time on the ice and everything is good."
In Fort Smith, coach Nick Saturnino said the girls will be up against one team from Yellowknife, as well as two teams from Hay River. In the boys' division, one local player, Deklen Crocker, will curl on a team alongside players from Yellowknife and Hay River.
While the territorial match-up has much of the girls' attention, three members of the squad will join with a fourth player from Hay River for an under-18 girls tournament in Edmonton this week. Although Charlie has aged out for the U18 tournaments, her teammates and their fourth player from Hay River will represent the NWT at the 2015 Canada Winter Games this February in Prince George, B.C.
