Team Northern Ontario skipped by former Stratton resident Trevor Bonot will take to the ice in Swift Current, SK starting next Sunday.
Bonot and his sister Jackie McCormick have seen success as a mixed team, and won the event in 2017 with then team mates Kory and Megan Carr. Now curling with Amanda Gates at Lead and Mike McCarville at Second for a while now.
With McCormick Living in the Rainy River District and the rest of the team in Thunder Bay they don’t always get a lot of practice in before a big, early-season event like the Mixed Nationals but this year they have a bonspiel under their belts.
“We were actually able to practice as a team before we go this time,” McCormick said. “We did the Oktoberfest Bonspiel last weekend [at the Port Arthur Curling Centre in Thunder Bay] and played really well together, so we’re feeling a little more prepared.”
They actually won the spiel as well.
The trouble with the tournament as early as it is in the year is that some rinks, like the one in Stratton where McCormick curls, often doesn’t even have ice down before the tournament. So McCormick has taken some time to throw stones at the Fort Frances Curling Community Centre during lunch breaks from her audiology practice in Fort Frances.
“I usually get a chance to throw here for practice a couple of lunch hours, before I go,” McCormick said. “This time I think I’ll be on the ice practicing four times by myself, we had that weekend together, so a little more ice time before we get to Swift Current. The boys play a lot. They’ve started their league (in Thunder Bay) So they’ll have quite a few games under their belts.”
When they get to Swift Current they’ll be in against a tough field but McCormick likes their prospects.
“There’s a tough field, and it seems to get tougher every year,” McCormick said. “There’s lots of great curlers representing their province, so as you look at it you think ‘wow that’s a difficult field to get through.’ But we’re confident we’re a good team. We’re seasoned, if you look at some of the other teams we probably have the most experience in mixed as a team together out of the field that’s there, maybe minus Jamie Koe (of the Northwest Territories) they’ve got a lot of years as a foursome as well. So I’m feeling pretty comfortable, and confident in our ability to play well. I think, better than last year, that’s for sure as far as being prepared and ready to play.”
Saying she feels better than last year is positive, given they finished second place last year. They’ll be looking to break a three-year streak of teams from Quebec winning the right to represent Canada at the Mixed Curling World Championship. Next year’s event will be in Aberdeen, Scotland next October.
The event kicks off next Sunday at the Swift Current InnovationPlex. Team Northern Ontario kicks the tournament off with a round-robin game against Team PEI. For a full schedule and results visit curling.ca/2023mixed.
