Dan Falloon
We all know the old expression that too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the broth.
But how about too many skips in the curling rings?
Former Muskie skip Jenna Enge, who hails from Devlin, doesn’t anticipate the dynamic will be an issue with her new team, skipped by Tracy Horgan, in Sudbury.
“We all know the game fairly well,” said Enge. “We know strategy and whenever somebody needs help with something, we all just pitch in and collaborate.”
The rink was doing well before Enge joined, losing 7-4 to Krista McCarville at the Ontario Scotties in Thunder Bay back in January.
Enge said she had to turn down a chance to be on last year’s crew, which is holding over third Jennifer Horgan and lead Amanda Gates for this season, but is thrilled to be a part of the rink for the coming year.
“It feels awesome,” she enthused. “They actually asked me last year but I’d already committed to a team in Thunder Bay.”
Enge has known Tracy Horgan and Gates since 2006, competing against them at junior provincials before teaming up with Gates as part of a mixed team.
She thinks she’ll fit in well with the group, pointing out that the Horgans are also quiet and reserved, with Gates as the gregarious member to keep things interesting.
“I’m more of a quiet player, but I’m very competitive, very serious on the ice,” Enge described.
“I’m not a diehard, not mean on the ice,” she added. “The other girls are like that, too.”
Enge has been pencilled in as the rink’s second—a position she’s played for the last three seasons in Thunder Bay.
But the competition is going to heat up as the Horgan rink will participate in the Asham World Curling Tour, which schedules the bulk of its events in Canada but throws in a few European dates for some variety.
Enge said the foursome already has been invited to a bonspiel in Switzerland, but still needs to collect sponsorship dollars before it will confirm its attendance.
Still, the former Lakehead University curler is pumped for the opportunity to compete on some of the world’s biggest stages.
“It’s going to be a lot more curling, a lot more practising,” she conceded. “I’m not really too sure what to expect.
“We’re all pretty experienced, we’re going to learn along the way,” she reasoned.
The tour also will help Enge on the road to another goal: qualifying for the Canadian Olympic trials, where the rink can compete to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
“Every World Curling Tour [event] you go to, you get Canadian trials points,” she explained. “You have to accumulate so many to make it to the ‘Roar of the Rings.’
“That’s what our goal is for the next few years.”
This year is going to be the beginning of the steps to reach that goal, as Enge first will attempt to topple McCarville and the other top women’s rinks Ontario has to offer.
“Hopefully our team will make it to the Ontario Scotties this year and that experience will only help us get better,” she remarked. “Our goal this year is to do well at provincials and possibly win it to go to the [national] Scotties.
“We have to beat out Krista McCarville and they’re a pretty hard team to beat,” Enge admitted.
