Former Muskies curler Jenna Enge is headed to the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay with Team Saskatchewan.
Enge earned a slot at the national women’s curling championship along with Team Penny Barker with a 7-5 finals win in the Saskatchewan provincial championship Jan. 9. Barker’s team beat former national champion Chelsea Carey.
Enge says despite the pedigree of the other teams in the tournament, they played each game not looking at the teams, but just as if it was any other game.
“We have a pretty strong field in Saskatchewan,” Enge said. “But playing against these teams we try not to think about who we’re playing. We’re playing against granite; if you put the hard work in, you’re gonna win.”
This is Enge’s second season curling with Barker’s team out of Moose Jaw. Enge works there as a letter carrier with Canada Post. She started working as a letter carrier in Fort Frances.
Enge says it’s taken a lot of work to get to this point and she’s happy to finally reach this point.
“It’s been a grind, I’m not gonna lie,” She said. “It’s just like any sport; you have to put in the work and practice, in order to achieve these goals, but it does feel pretty good reminiscing back on high school memories and looking back on my athletic journey.”
Enge says she owes a lot to the coaches she had in Fort Frances, who helped her get to the point of being able to curl at such a high level. She started curling because she had followed her dad to the rink one night and was doing homework while watching. Her dad’s team needed a spare and they asked her to jump in.
“I’d like to thank the high school curling coaches that really got me on track for the rest of my curling career,” Enge said. “Tom Fry and Dave Bondett were my coaches and I’d like to thank my dad who curls in Fort Frances and just everybody at the Fort Frances Curling club.”
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is scheduled to be played in Thunder Bay from Jan. 28-Feb. 6. However, the tournament still needs to be approved by the Ministry of Health. There is speculation that the tournament will have to be held in a bubble environment, and without any spectators inside Thunder Bay’s Fort Williams Gardens. Despite the uncertainty, Enge says she’s excited for the opportunity to perform on the national stage.
“It feels amazing getting to any Scotties, no matter what the conditions are,” Enge said. “It’s always been a dream of every little kid growing up in Little Rocks to make it to a Brier or Scotties. It’s a dream come true for so many. It’s nice having fans in the stands, having your parents, your spouse, your kids come to watch, but as long as they’re safe at home, it’s worth the conditions.”
