Scotties begins with special moment; Jenkins to be honoured Sunday

The 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts began with a touching moment Saturday in Moose Jaw.

Sara and Jenna England, the daughters of Saskatchewan curling icon Sandra Schmirler, stepped on to the ice at Mosaic Place and held the broom as the ceremonial first rock was thrown during the opening ceremonies.

The sisters were joined by Schmirler’s former teammates Jan Betker, Joan McKusker and Marcia Gudereit on the ice.

It was Sara’s second time taking part in a national championship’s opening ceremony — she threw the first rock at the Brier in Regina last year.

Being surrounded by their mom’s former teammates, in addition to a loud and supportive crowd, made the moment special for Sara.

“It was really cool, especially just being on the ice at the Scotties,” Sara said.

“It’s different than being on the ice at the Brier knowing I’ll never be at the Brier but I could potentially be playing at the Scotties one day.”

Jenna used the support in the building to ease her nerves.

“It could have been stressful and nerve-wracking, but the team is so fun. We’ve just been laughing for the past hour, so really, it was exciting,” she said.

Schmirler, a three-time Scotties champion and skip of the 1998 Winter Olympics gold medal rink, died of cancer in 2000 when she was 36 years old.

Jenna, 22, is still amazed to see the reach of Schmirler’s impact 20 years after her mom’s death.

“Her legacy is living on, even though it’s been 20 years, which is crazy right now,” Jenna said. “It’s important. Such an icon of curling for Canada, and keeping her active and her team active in the support is really important.”

The Sandra Schmirler Foundation, a charity that has raised millions of dollars to purchase life-saving equipment for newborn intensive care units (NICU)in every province, is promimently featured annually at the Scotties.

Scotties to honour Aly Jenkins

The annual telethon to raise money takes place on Sunday, but has added meaning to the England sisters after the death of Saskatoon curler Aly Jenkins last year.

Jenkins, a lead for Sherry Anderson’s rink, died from a rare amniotic fluid embolism while giving birth to her third child.

“Especially because her daughter needed the NICU help for a while, it is really important,” Sara, 20, said of the foundation’s outreach.

Jenkins’ surviving family members are in Moose Jaw for the Scotties and will be front and centre Sunday for a moment of silence to honour the curler and former CurlSask chief umpire Deanna Rindal before the afternoon draw.

“It’s really hard talking about it because you never want to think about it. Jenna and I obviously know the pain the kids might feel when they grow up, especially if they get in to curling,” Sara, who was eight months old when Schmirler died, said.

“Having (Jenkins’) spirit around is just one of the best feelings because that’s how we’ve gotten to know our mom – through the spirit and the legacy that lives on, and I think it’s important to keep hers going, too.”

– With files from 650 CKOM’s Britton Gray.