A Legend Retires

Jennifer Jones announces decision to retire from four-player curling

One of the most accomplished skips in the history of the sport will be stepping away from four-player curling at the conclusion of this season.

2014 Olympic gold-medallist and six-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Jennifer Jones announced today that the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which kicks off Feb. 16 at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary, will be one of the final four-player team events she plays, as she will focus solely on mixed doubles with husband Brent Laing beginning next season.

“I have such mixed emotions right now and this truly was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make,” said Jones, who has the most career wins in Scotties Tournament of Hearts history. “I truly love this sport — I love everything about it, from practising to playing in front of huge crowds. And I’ve been so blessed to have shared this experience with my incredible teammates over the years.”

“But I have decided to lessen my curling commitments so that I can focus more on my family, the next phases of my life and mixed doubles with Brent. The Scotties in Calgary will be amazing and I feel like it’s going to be a great way to celebrate with my fellow curlers and the fans who’ve made the Scotties such a special part of my life and my curling career.”

Team Jones will play its first game in the 2024 Scotties Saturday at 1 p.m. (all times Mountain) against Nova Scotia’s Team Heather Smith.

It is the Scotties Tournament of Hearts that catapulted Jones to stardom. The Calgary Scotties will be her 18th, and it will be her final opportunity to win a record seventh Scotties championship — she shares the record of six Scotties wins with her longtime teammate Jill Officer and Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones.

Jennifer Jones made her Scotties debut in 2002 at Brandon, Man., and wouldn’t play another until 2005 at St. John’s, N.L. There, she would make arguably the finest shot to win a championship — that stunning in-off in the 10th end to score four in the 10th end and defeat Ontario’s Team Jenn Hanna 8-6 with teammates Cathy Overton-Clapham, Officer and Cathy Gauthier.

Jones, accompanied by Overton-Clapham, Officer and Dawn McEwen would win three more Scotties titles in succession — 2008 in Regina, 2009 in Victoria and 2010 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont, — and often did it the hard way, coming out of tiebreakers in 2008 and 2009 (the latter tiebreaker with steals in the 10th and 11th ends to advance).

Her fifth Scotties win came in 2015 at Moose Jaw, Sask., with Kaitlyn Lawes, Officer and McEwen, and then her record-tying sixth happened in 2018 at Penticton, B.C., with Shannon Birchard, Officer and McEwen (Lawes missed that Scotties to play mixed doubles at the Winter Olympics).

In six trips to the World Women’s Curling Championship, Jones would skip gold-medal teams in 2008 at Vernon, B.C., and 2018 (unbeaten) at North Bay, Ont., and collected silver in 2015 at Sapporo, Japan, and bronze in 2010 at Swift Current, Sask.

Jones also achieved a lifelong dream by claiming Olympic gold, along with Lawes, Officer and McEwen, with an unbeaten record at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Jones would make a second trip as Canadian skip to the Olympics in 2022 at Beijing, barely missing the playoffs.

Jones would also capture 17 Grand Slam titles, most recently the Tour Challenge earlier this season with her current team of third Karlee Burgess, second/vice-skip Emily Zacharias and lead Lauren Lenentine, with whom she also captured silver at the 2023 Scotties in Kamloops, B.C.

“This sport has given me so many opportunities to not only achieve success on the ice, but also to meet so many fans and hear their stories,” said Jones. “I will always be humbled by the privilege I had to wear the Maple Leaf on my back and represent my country, and it’s something I never took for granted, and I really look forward to cheering on our future Canadian teams.”