Female Athlete of the Week: Sherri Singler

This week’s female Athlete of the Week is Sherri Singler of Harris, Saskatchewan. Birthdate: Feb. 19, 1974 Birthplace: Saskatoon Hometown: Harris, Sask. Curling Club: Granite Curling Club, Saskatoon Current Team: Team Lawton Position: Second Delivery: Right Nickname: None Getting to know Sherri Singler It’s a testament to both Sherri Singler’s love of curling, and her ability to play the game, that she is still competing at the very highest levels. The long-time second for Stefanie Lawton’s Saskatoon-based team has been sidelined on and off in recent seasons with back problems, but when she’s able to play, she leaves little doubt that she’s one of the best front-enders in the game. She added more strength to that argument earlier this season at The Arena in Medicine Hat, as she teamed up with Lawton, third Sherry Anderson and lead Marliese Kasner to win a second Canada Cup championship, beating Olympic silver-medallist Cheryl Bernard of Calgary 7-3 in the final. In that game, Singler curled a blistering 89 per cent, the highest of the eight players on the ice. But that’s nothing new; Singler has always been a sharp-shooter, having made the second all-star team in both of her appearances at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, in 2005 and 2009 when she and her Saskatchewan teammates finished fourth. Singler also competed with Lawton at the 2005 and 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials, making the semifinal in ’05 at Halifax and finishing fourth in ’09 at Edmonton. Singler also puts in volunteer time working with young curlers, as she helps coach kids at a local elementary school. Interestingly, Singler got a late start in curling; her passion growing up was track and field, earning a dozen provincial high school championships along the way, and she still holds a provincial age-group record for the discus. Her achievements earned her a full-ride scholarship to the University of New Mexico, but an arm injury ended one throwing career and, eventually, started another. Quick Hits with Sherri Singler Do you have any superstitions? “We change the order of which day we wear our team shirts on at bonspiels.” Three people, living or not, whom you would invite to a dinner party. “The cast of Entourage.” If you could be a star any other sport, what would it be, and why? “Beach volleyball, because it is so hot, and you don’t have to worry about much equipment!” If you could change any rule in curling, which one would it be, and why? “Can’t think of any right now.” What music do you like to listen to before a game? “Rock, mostly.” Favourite: — Website? “Saskcurl.com.” — Order from Tim Hortons? “Large coffee with milk.” — Vacation destination? “Any place with a beach.” — Junk food? “Chips.” Do you have any pet peeves? “Procrastinators.” Three things you always travel with? “BlackBerry, iPod and a book.” First thing on your Bucket List? “Travel to Italy.” Favourite pastime between draws at cashspiels? “Watching TV, or reading a book/magazine.” One thing most people don’t know about you? “I love animals.” What is the biggest misconception about curlers? “That we aren’t athletes.” Your ideal shot to win an Olympic gold medal: “Inturn peel.”