There's one spot available for Canada's Olympic curling competition, and Winnipeg captain Beth Peterson and her team are hoping to fill it this week – with four babies in tow.
Peterson, third Kelsey Calvert, second Katherine Remillard and leader Melissa Gordon Kurtz are the only teams in the eight-team pre-Olympic qualifying event in Nova Scotia who will be accompanied by that many babies, ranging in age from six weeks (Gordon Kurtz's son, Grayson) to seven months (Peterson's daughter, Addison).
“We expect them all to sleep like a dream,” Peterson says of Grayson, Leo, Luella and Addison with a laugh. “They will all be angels.”
Well, that's all settled.
However, the location for the Olympic trials is still anything but. And it is Peterson, 31, who skips the top women's team competing Oct. 20-26 at Andrew H. McCain Arena in Wolfville, with the winners earning the eighth and final spot at next month's Trials in Halifax and a chance to win a ticket to the 2026 Winter Games.
Peterson's team is coming off a season in which they climbed to No. 8 in their best-ever CTRS rankings. They will now have their sights set on a place in the Trials and will need to progress from the eight-team round-robin system, in which the top team goes straight through to Sunday's final, playing the winner of numbers 2 and 3.
Before Peterson, her teammates and all their children boarded the flight to Nova Scotia, Sportsnet spoke with the longtime captain about the competition they face, the incredible depth of field in her home province and what it's like to lock down that spot with this team.
SPORTSNET: How does your team feel ahead of this tournament?
PETERSON: We are very excited. This event has been circled on the calendar for a long time. It will be a really good competition, teams that we know very well. It's sure to be a long week, but we have a really good support system, not only for our kids but for our team, which is why we have a fifth person and a coach.
How would you rate the team's level of trust?
Last year was a really good year for us career-wise. We had a lot of playoff matches. We got the opportunity to beat some of the really good teams, the best teams in the world. This gave us a lot of confidence.
And we are really proud of our results that we have achieved in this short season. We feel confident, but I think you can say that any team has a chance to win. We have such depth, especially in the women's area. It will be a very busy week, but we are confident that we can definitely be there on Sunday.
Which teams do you expect difficult matches from?
I mean you have [Krista] A scarf that looks like a team that is always at the end of Scotty. It will be very difficult for them [out of Thunder Bay, Ont.]. [Kayla] Macmillan have had a very busy season so they have a well-oiled machine. [from Victoria, B.C.]. And then I think you'll see teams like Team Plett. [from Edmonton] — This is a young team, but very experienced, especially at the international level. So this is the game we have circled and it is sure to be very difficult.
What does your team need to do to achieve good results?
We definitely have the added advantage of having played together for so long, so there's a natural chemistry on the team that we've been working on for years. There are other teams that have made changes to their roster where they have to sort of navigate tight situations. And we're in this situation as a team, so that's definitely an advantage. But also just take what we've been working on for the last few months – technical, strategic, sports psychology. We really did a lot of work behind the scenes for this team and for this event. And then leaning on Chelsea [Carey, a two-time Scotties champion]. We are very happy to be coached by Chelsea.
We got the opportunity to work with her in [Curling Canada’s] Pointsbet Invitational, and we kind of hit it off and we had calls. [with her] With. We're really just putting our all into this event and feeling very confident and happy with everyone who came with us to help us achieve this goal.
Three teams from Manitoba are already competing in the women's Olympic trials. [rinks skipped by Kerri Einarson, Kaitlyn Lawes and Kate Cameron]. You will be fourth. How tough is the competition in this province?
I mean, you can see it in our two losses. [in provincial finals the last two years]. It was hard many years ago, and with Jennifer [Jones] and Kerry and Tracy Fleury. We took our losses in those years, and then a whole bunch of other teams came on the scene…
I'm just looking forward to the day when we win. Knowing that we have failed will make victory that much sweeter.
Has the team thought about moving to another province?
Oh, of course. And don't get me wrong, after two provincial defeats it's tempting. [laughs]but you want to represent the province you grew up in. This is also a big goal for us.
What makes your team work so well together?
Obviously we have a big family situation on this team. And there are some sacrifices when, for example, I don't spend a whole week with two other children, taking up their time. So, we are all aware of this, we all accept this and we know that family is really important to each of us. Having these common goals is very important and makes our team stronger.
We were very lucky to have Kelsey join our team when our other teammate Jenna Loder had to leave a few years ago, and we were so lucky that Kelsey was able to play with us. She brings so much to the game from all her experiences. Katherine is the light of our team. She has such a vibrant personality, such an outgoing and cheerful person, and we really depend on her in those moments when things get a little tough or stressful.
And I have the added bonus of playing opposite Melissa, our main character, who is my cousin. We've never been apart together, so it's just a natural chemistry between me and her. It would be hard for me not to curl up with her at any moment. That would mean the world had to win these preliminaries with her—my best friend and my cousin.
When did you and Melissa start curling together?
We started with the Little Rocks program at Assiniboine Memorial. [Curling Club in Winnipeg] when we were five.
Wow, and this is still your home club. Are there photos of your team everywhere?
No, they don't have many photos of us, honestly. [laughs]. When we won the junior provincial championship [in 2015]Provincials was at the Assiniboine Memorial, so it was a really special moment when we won it together there at that club. But our photographs are not enough there. That reminds me – I have to let them know [laughs].
Absolutely. What would qualifying for the Olympic Trials mean for your team?
It will mean everything. Being able to play for the chance to represent your country is one of the most important moments in your life. So, we want to be in a situation in November where we're playing and not watching on TV. And we really think we have the skills and mindset to be there. It will take a lot of determination, concentration and good play throughout the week. But it will mean the world to us.
And then you head to Halifax and that Olympic Trials site is just a piece of cake, right?
Yes, exactly [laughs]. It's an easy walk. I mean, obviously this is the first step, and then hopefully we can deal with this monster when it comes.
