Young area curler dreaming big

Adelle Ellis
Times Reporter

 

At 17 years of age, Wheatland County native Cheryl Damen is dreaming big and curling at a level that should be above what someone of her age can do.
Several weeks ago, Damen’s competitive curling team – Team Wytrychowski – pulled off what most curlers will never even witness: a perfect eight-ender. During the second end in a bonspiel in Airdrie, Team Wytrychowski had a steal of eight points – eight rocks sitting perfectly in the house, all counting.
“I didn’t really think it would happen until it did and it was such a good feeling. I’ve never seen it happen before and definitely didn’t think it could happen to us,” said Damen, the team’s second.
Team Wytrychowski, which practices at the Calgary Winter Club, is made up of lead Clair Sutcliffe, 17, from Calgary; second Damen; third Emily Plett, 17, from Carstairs; and Jessica Wytrychowski, 16, from Calgary.
The team has been curling together for two years, and although they had a fair season last year and won two bonspiels, this year seems to be their year.
“We’ve been working so hard, it’s nice to see it all pay off. It feels so good,” said Damen.
This year the team has already won three bonspiels and are headed to the Junior Provincials (U21) in Edmonton from Jan. 3-8.
This is a big accomplishment for the team as their youngest player is only 16 and they will be playing 19-21 year olds at the junior level.
“I think we can keep up with (the older teams). We’ve had good games against junior teams before and we’ve even beat some of them,” said Damen. “We feel lucky and fortunate to be able to go to an event like this. It’s such a big deal. We definitely stand a chance against a lot, if not all, of the other teams.”
If the team wins at provincials, then they will attend Nationals in Victoria from Jan. 21-29.
Damen’s dad, Paul Damen – himself a curler for over 35 years – saw the potential in his daughter’s team and took his level two coaching course to help coach the girls, along with Andy Jones and Moe Sonier, the girls’ high performance coaches at the Calgary Winter Club.
“I’m very proud,” said Paul Damen. “I knew the girls would do well but I didn’t think too much about them making it to junior provincials. Realistically, I think making it to nationals (at this level) is a pretty lofty dream. I don’t think they’re there right now but in a couple years it will definitely be possible.”
It won’t be too big of a blow if the team doesn’t make it to nationals at the junior level. Although they are ranked fourth on the Alberta Junior Curling Tour, they are also ranked first at the Juvenile level (U18) in Alberta.
“Making it to Juvenile Nationals is definitely within reach. But who knows, it’s a long road to get there, and they don’t just hand it to you,” said Damen.
The road to juvenile nationals is a long one. First the team must win in district playdowns from Jan. 20-22. From there they will attend Southerns from Feb. 10-12 where they must win to make it to provincials on Mar. 3-5. If the team can make it this far and win, then they will be on their way to Juvenile Nationals in Moncton N.B., from April 17-22. The team is selling Super Bowl tickets for $5 to pay their way to nationals and to cover associated costs.
Competing at this high level is a huge time commitment, especially for a 17-year-old high school student.
“I don’t get to spend as much time with my friends and there’s less time I have to spend on schoolwork. I just had to learn to balance everything out. It’s difficult, but it’s possible,” said the younger Damen, who practices and plays every Wednesday and has games nearly every weekend.
It’s funny to think that someone who curls like a professional had to be pushed into the sport.
“We pushed her a little at first to curl. She didn’t want to because of that stigma that only old people and nerdy kids curl,” said dad Paul. “But she picked it up so fast and is doing very well. Our whole family curls, so I think it’s probably somewhat genetic, if that’s possible.”
Cheryl, who has been curling since she was 11, marks it as a reason she is who she is today.
“I love curling. It’s made me meet a lot of new people, I’ve made new friendships through it,” she said. “My teammates are also my best friends so it makes going to curling really fun. Not just because it’s the sport I love, but I’m curling with people who have impacted me so much.”
Cheryl Damen is dreaming big, and if she keeps playing as well as she is, then nothing seems far-fetched.
“I would love to represent Alberta or even Canada. Going to the Olympics would be my ultimate dream. Even a Grand Slam, to play in the Masters, like you see with the curlers on TV would be amazing,” she said. “I’m feeling pretty good.”