2016 For The Love of Curling Scholarship winners announced

Athletic and scholastic dreams will be furthered for 10 deserving young curlers, winners of the 2016 Curling Canada Foundation For The Love of Curling scholarships, it was announced today by Curling Canada.

2016 Curling Canada For the Love of Curling Scholarship Winners, from left, front: Hayden Forrester, Jessica Humphries, Sterling Middleton, Tyler Tardi, Daniel Wenzek. Back, from left, Maxime Blais. Karlee Burgess, Kristin Clarke, Megan Daniels, Krista Fesser.

The $1,000 scholarships — funded by donations from curling fans and supporters of the Curling Canada Foundation — were introduced to help young university or college students cover a portion of their education and curling costs during the 2016-17 school year.

“Picking these 10 winners was both difficult and gratifying at the same time,” said Kathy Henderson, Curling Canada’s Chief Executive Officer and a member of the selection committee. “There was an abundance of deep and diverse talent — student-athletes who excel not only on the ice and in the classroom, but also in their respective communities. Not that I had any doubt, but this process re-affirmed my belief that we have an amazing next generation of curlers coming up in our country.”

Nearly 50 applications were received from across the country.

The 2016-17 scholarship winners are:

• Karlee Burgess, Brookfield, N.S. (Dalhousie University)
• Kristin Clarke, Hammonds Plains, N.S. (Dalhousie University)
• Megan Daniels, Delta, B.C. (Simon Fraser University)
• Krista Fesser, Saskatoon (University of Saskatchewan)
• Jessica Humphries, Bobcaygeon, Ont. (Brock University)
• Sterling Middleton, Fort St. John, B.C. (Douglas College)
• Tyler Tardi, Surrey, B.C. (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)
• Maxime Blais, Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. (University of Ottawa)
• Daniel Wenzek, Burnaby, B.C. (Douglas College)
• Hayden Forrester, Winnipeg (L’Université de Saint Boniface)

The scholarship winners were decided by a panel, who looked at both academic and curling achievements, while showing a commitment to building the sport of curling through coaching/instructing and/or volunteer activities. Applicants needed to be enrolled full-time for at least two semesters at a Canadian university or college, in addition to being registered to compete for Canadian Team Ranking System points during the 2016-17 curling season.

“The quality of these applications never ceases to amaze me, and it was truly challenging to narrow it down to 10 winners,” said selection panel member Emma Miskew, vice-skip for Team Rachel Homan. “But it really is an enjoyable process, and it’s so gratifying to see what these young curlers are contributing to our sport and to our communities across Canada.”

The Curling Canada Foundation philanthropic program was introduced during the 2013-14 season to help junior curling and to support curling centres in Canada. Last season, donors invested almost $400,000 in the sport of curling through Curling Canada’s Rocks & Rings programs, scholarships and grants to curling clubs.