Young Alberta skips Kayla Skrlik and Selena Sturmay are making their mark at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, leveraging youth and experience to challenge top teams. Both squads sit at 1-1 and 2-1 respectively after Day 3, drawing confidence from recent performances at Olympic trials and provincials. With time on their side, they aim for playoffs in the Greater Toronto Area event.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts, underway at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, features promising Alberta rinks led by skips Kayla Skrlik of Calgary and Selena Sturmay of Edmonton. Both teams are in their third national appearance, a notable achievement given their ages—Sturmay at 27 and Skrlik in her late 20s.
Skrlik's crew from the Garrison Curling Club rebounded on Sunday with a 9-3 victory over New Brunswick's Melanie Forsythe, following an opening loss to Northern Ontario's Krista Scharf. Earlier in the season, they upset Rachel Homan 8-7 at the Olympic trials despite a 2-5 round-robin finish. "We’re still young on the national stage," Skrlik said. "It’s nice to still be young in the circuit on that level, and we’re still learning a ton."
Sturmay's team, representing the Saville Community Sports Centre, secured a 2-1 record with a dominant 15-5 win over Scharf, a victory over Prince Edward Island's Amanda Power, and a loss to Nova Scotia's Christina Black. Their fourth-place showing at the Olympic trials boosted confidence heading into provincials, where they clinched the Alberta title with a 9-5 win over Serena Gray-Withers. Third Danielle Schmiemann noted, "After the trials, I think that’s the most confident we’ve come out of any event."
Both rinks emphasize consistency after mixed results last year—Skrlik's 6-2 round-robin and playoff win, Sturmay's 7-1 pool finish. Sturmay added, "We’ve made the changes that we’ve needed to—technically and tactically—to play more consistently at a higher level."
Looking ahead, the teams focus on execution rather than outcomes, with playoffs as a goal. Sunday also raised over $1.3 million for the Sandra Schmirler Foundation. Draws continue through next Sunday on TSN.