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SeeWhatSheCanDo

January 15, 2025

A Mid-Season Check In with Team Artichuk - Elite Women's Curling

 

Team Artichuk's Journey to the Northern Ontario Scotties

For Team Artichuk, the 2024-2025 elite curling season marks the inaugural season this Northern Ontario Curling Association (NOCA) team has curled together.  Based out of Sudbury's Northern Credit Union Community Centre (NCUCC), it's lead by skip Emma Artichuk and includes sisters Megan and Jamie Smith at third and second positions respectively, along with Lauren Rajala at lead.

 

More SWSCD Coverage of Team Artichuk:
Be in the Know With SWSCD: Meet Elite Canadian Curlers Team Artichuk

 

To date, the team has competed in seven events and they feel confident in how they've come out of the gate as a newly created team. The team also leans heavily on their collective and extensive experience in provincial, national and international curling competitions.

Together with their coach Sean Turriff, they will head to this year's NOCA's Women's Provincial Championships - the Northern Ontario Scotties - during the last week in January where they are hoping to earn the right to be called Team Northern Ontario. As the NOCA Women's Ontario Champion, they would also earn the right to represent NOCA at Curling Canada's 2025 National Women's Championship - Scotties Tournament of Hearts (STOH) to be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario in February.  

 

Connect and Learn More From Team Artichuk
Head to Team Artichuk's SWSCD page to follow along with them throughout their 2024 - 2025 curling season journey.
You can also follow them on their Facebook and Instagram social media pages.

 

Team Artichuk September/October Recap
Team Artichuk Summer Recap

 

For this year's Northern Ontario Scotties, Team Artichuk will be one of seven* teams (direct entry) that will compete to be Northern Ontario's 2025 Women's Curling Provincial Champion. 

*As of January 15, 2025, there are now 7 teams competing in the Northern Ontario Scotties because of the late withdrawl of Team Burns.

 

 

SWSCD enjoyed the chance to check in with Team Artichuk to learn more about what the team's biggest challenges have been to date; what they think of their successes so far; their thoughts on how the season's events have worked out for the team; and some insight into how each player manages their compete/work/home life balance. 

 

SWSCD: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a team so far? How have you chosen to work through it as a team?

 

TA:  Our biggest challenge as a team has been working with our busy schedules and finding time to practice all together. We all have a variety of commitments including school, careers and even other curling disciplines including university curling and mixed doubles. Geography also poses an additional challenge as Lauren lives in Sudbury. With a full schedule of events, it can be challenging to carve out time to practice as a full team. To help combat this challenge, we keep a training log to keep our individual training purposeful. In addition, for those of us who live in the same city, we prioritize weeknight practice sessions, even if that means late night practices after leagues are over.

 

 

SWSCD: What’s been your biggest success to date as a team? How do you help each other experience the small wins too as you’ve progressed through the season this year?

 

TA:  Our biggest success to date came at the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard. This event had a number of tier 1 slam teams. We qualified for the playoffs in the triple knockout A-side by winning our first 3 games in a row. This involved two wins against strong international teams including 2018 Olympic Champion Anna Hasselborg from Sweden and 2024 World Junior Champion Xenia Schwaller from Switzerland. Even though we came up short in the quarterfinal rematch vs. Schwaller, it was a close game and the opposing skip had to draw the button to win. It was exciting as a new team to show that we can compete with the top teams in our sport.

 

 

SWSCD: With a number of bonspiels under your belt as a team, would you have any recommendations to the organizers in terms of how to make your experience competing at them better/more enjoyable/rewarding for you and your teammates? 

 

TA:  We believe transparency with teams from event organizers is extremely important in hosting high level quality events. This can be achieved by sending out schedules, clear rules, practice routines and prize purse distributions a couple weeks before the event.

In addition, it is important to highlight for teams what dated rankings you are using to seed teams. It is especially important that updated rankings are followed as teams work hard to climb the rankings and deserve to be seeded appropriately based on their points and performance throughout the year.

 

 

SWSCD: Switching gears, we would love to know one thing each of you do to manage the hectic pace that the season brings and what you do to create a little bit of balance to your compete/work/home commitments? Is it something you would recommend other elite athletes try for themselves too?

 

Lauren:  I make sure to carve out time for myself when planning my schedule.

Jamie: I prioritize self-care by putting it into my schedule.

Megan: I focus on being present, in the moment and enjoying the process. It’s easy to be consumed by the big picture results, but it’s important to enjoy the day to day.

Emma: I keep a really organized schedule to help me stay on track.

 

 

SWSCD: Our last question is completely unrelated to curling but still an important one for each player to answer -  do you have a favourite flavour of ice cream? If so, what is it?

 

Lauren:  Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Jamie:  Cookie Dough

Megan:  Strawberry Cheesecake

Emma:  Candy Cane

 

 

 

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