Strathmore’s Team Jones junior provincials bound

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore-based Team Jones, consisting of McKenna Jones, Krista Shortridge, Jessica Koch and Hannah Airey, is currently participating at the Junior Curling Provincials in Grande Prairie from Jan. 7-11.
Shortridge is hoping the team will lean on experience to have success in the tournament.
“I think we’re a pretty experienced team, this is our first year being together as a team,” said Shortridge. “I expect us to do well, I’m hoping we place in the top half.”
This the first time that the team has competed in the junior age division and the team has adjusted well.
“It’s our first year in this age division. So juniors are from ages 18 to 21, and three of us on the team are 18 and one member on the team is 13, she is playing well above her age category,” said Shortridge.
There will be a lot of familiar faces that the team is curling against and they know they will have to be on top of their game
Team Jones earned a spot in provincials two months ago by playing in a draw format against other teams at play downs in Calgary.
“There’s an event called Junior Southern Play Downs and it was held at the Calgary Winter Club. You compete against different teams and the Top 3 teams make it to junior provincials and there were about eight girls teams,” said Shortridge.
In the provincials, the team will play five other teams and place in the Top 3 if they have hope of going to the national championship
The girls want to play well but know that in order to that, they have to enjoy playing the sport.
“To play well, you have to make sure you’re having fun and the one thing I don’t want to do is look back and not be able to say I didn’t have fun,” said Shortridge.
If the girls can make it through provincials, then they will play in the National Junior Championships from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1 in Cornerbrook, NL.