Another shooting star!

Team Cameron adds to Manitoba strength at Scotties

There are four Manitoba-based teams fighting it out at the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, but skip Kate Cameron and her Buffalo women’s outfit may have the smallest profile among them.

But all that may change this week if the very early going at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary is any indication.

Team Manitoba-Cameron (2-0, Winnipeg) is among the early undefeated teams and serving notice that there is more to Manitoba curling than Jennifer Jones, Kerri Einarson and Kaitlyn Lawes.

“So far, so good,” said Cameron, who guided her Winnipeg-Granite Curling Club team to a gut-wrenching 6-5 win over Team Yukon (0-2, Whitehorse) skipped by fan-favourite Bayly Scoffin in Sunday evening’s Pool B action.

Team Cameron had one of the early byes in the 18-team, week-long competition, and is one game behind others in her pool, but that doesn’t diminish what she’s done so far, or her potential.

Cameron has been a gun-for-hire up to this point in her career, throwing third stones for either Manitoba’s Michelle Englot (with whom she won a Scotties silver medal in 2017) or Alberta’s Laura Walker or Casey Scheidegger, but she’s made the move to the T-line this year with a lineup that includes vice-skip Meghan Walter, second Kelsey Rocque, lead Mackenzie Elias, and alternate Taylor McDonald. The team played well enough to earn a spot in the Scotties through the Canadian Team Ranking System.

“I’m enjoying it,” said Cameron, who is playing in her seventh Scotties, and first as skip. “It’s different but it’s brought back a good spark for me.

“I just did a whole stint somewhere else so I felt for me, and my life right now, I wanted to stay home. I was sick of being on the road. I felt like being able to train and practise with the girls in my hometown is huge.”

The Yukoners gave as good as they got in the game, and heading home tied 5-5 without last rock, Scoffin made Cameron draw the eight-foot for the win. It was a bit of a knee-knocker but Cameron calmly drew the button.

“Last rock — it feels good when you make them,” said Cameron. “We’re really close to where we want to be. We’re still learning the ice a little bit right now.

“Those girls really tested us, played a great game against us but we put ourselves in position that we’re going to have control coming home. Although it was close we felt pretty comfortable.”

Cameron’s win was overshadowed, though, by Jones, who is playing in her final Scotties during which she has a chance to become the winningest women’s skip in Canadian history as she eyes a record seventh title.

Jones had a fairly easy time of things, skipping Team Manitoba-Jones (3-0, Winnipeg) to a 10-3 win over Team British Columbia-Grandy (2-1, Vancouver), skipped by Clancy Grandy.

The game was expected to be much closer, but Jones seemed to grasp the ice earlier and took advantage. Tied 2-2 after four ends, Jones and Co. scored eight points over the next three ends — including a steal of four — to blow things open.

“Those are the wins you want sometimes,” said Jones. “It’s a hard week, it’s nice to have those wins sometimes. We got fortunate on that steal of four but I felt we played a really good game.”

In the other Pool B slate of games, Team Ontario-Inglis (1-2, Ottawa) skipped by Danielle Inglis, scored four in the fifth end to roll to an 11-6 win over Team Nova Scotia (1-2, Halifax) skipped by Heather Smith, while skip Melissa Adams and Team New Brunswick (1-2, Fredericton) posted a 7-5 win over Team Northwest Territories (0-2, Yellowknife), skipped by Kerry Galusha.

Team Ontario-Homan, skipped by Rachel Homan (2-0, Ottawa), had the Pool B bye.

The 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts continues with a draws Monday at 8:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (all times Mountain).

Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts are available at www.curling.ca/scoreboard/.

TSN and RDS2 will provide complete coverage of the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule.

Broadcast coverage for viewers outside of Canada is available on TSN’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@TSN_Sports.

For ticket information for the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, go to www.curling.ca/2024scotties/tickets/.

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/2024scotties/nouvelles/?lang=fr