Amanda Power, skip of the Summerside Curling Club-based Team P.E.I., is set to make her debut at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The 2026 Canadian women’s curling championship runs from January 23 to February 1 in Mississauga, Ontario. Power and her teammates express thrill and preparation for the national event.
Amanda Power has long admired the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the premier women’s curling event in Canada. Now, as skip of Team P.E.I., she will experience it firsthand. “I’ve been there as a spectator; I’ve watched it on TV many times, and I think every young female curler grows up watching the Scotties, and just dreams of going there one day,” Power said in a January 20 phone interview. “It’s pretty surreal to say that I’m going. I’m very excited.”
Her team includes third Veronica Mayne, second Emily Best, and lead Sabrina Smith. This marks the first Scotties for Power and Best, while Mayne and Smith return for their third appearance. The group won the P.E.I. women’s curling championship in Montague with a 5-1 record on January 5, securing their national spot after a close 2024 provincial final loss to the Jane DiCarlo rink in an extra end.
Best, who served as alternate for P.E.I. at the 2024 Scotties, described the shift from spectator to player. “It’s so different playing, and there’s nothing harder than being the fifth (player),” she said. The team also earned silver in the Women’s Division of the 2024 Everest Canadian curling club championship. Power and Best, who were pregnant last year and skipped the 2025 P.E.I. championship, have leaned on their experienced teammates and coach Peter Gallant, father of Olympic curler Brett Gallant.
Preparation has been intense, focusing on arena ice differences from club ice. “We’ve had a lot of practices, where we’re just focussing on the skills that we know we will be using when we’re at the Scotties,” Power noted. Team P.E.I. opens against Alberta’s Selena Sturmay on January 24 at 3 p.m., followed by matches against Nunavut, New Brunswick, and others through January 28.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” Power added, highlighting the blend of newcomers and veterans.
