In the beginning 35 teams entered the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.The event featured the best curlers from across Canada including Kerri Einarson and Brad Gushue. South East Saskatchewan was represented at the event by Oxbow’s Chaelynn Kitz and Maryfield’s Val Sweeting.
Chaelynn Kitz of Oxbow along with partner Kyler Kleibrink started off with two consecutive wins before dropping their final four contests and finished with a record of two wins and four losses. The duo was in a group which included Laura Walker/Kirk Muyers and Kitz’s teammate from the Scotties Nancy Martin.
“To play not once but twice in the bubble in this crazy season, I can say nothing but that I am blessed!” Chaylynn Kitz says, “Mixed Doubles Nationals is always so much fun and that this year I got to spend it with a different partner which was a whole different game. Our record didn’t show how well we played and how much we got to know one another, but it was still a blast. Being able to curl along Canada’s best is always amazing. Looking over the sheets and seeing all of the athletes from high ranked world teams is a dream come true!”
Val Sweeting of Maryfield competed with partner Marc Kennedy. Finished the round robin with five wins and one loss. They qualified for the playoffs but lost to John Epping and Lisa Weagle.
“Mixed doubles is such a good discipline to play,” Sweeting says. “It’s fast, it’s demanding both physically and strategically and it makes you a better player overall. It demands precision when you’re running off less resources than you’re used to. I had such a good time playing with Marc. He’s been a huge asset to our women’s team and being able to practice and now play with him, I’m super grateful.”
Epping and Weagle were knocked out in the next round and failed to advance to the championship page playoff round. In the 1v2 page playoff game Kadriana Sahaidak along with Colton Lott defeated John Morris and Danielle Schmiemann. Sahaidak and Lott earned a direct bye to the championship game, Morris and Schmiemann were still alive but they had to play in the semifinal against the winner of the 3 vs 4 page playoff game between Brad Gushue/Kerri Einarson and Laura Walker/Kirk Muyers.
The game was a back and forth affair Einarson/Gushue scored one in the first before the teams exchanged deuces in ends two and three. Gushue/Einarson stole a point in four to take a 4-2 lead after four ends. In the fifth end Morris and Schmiemann tied the contest at four. Einarson/Gushue scored three in the sixth to take a 7-4 lead. That proved to be the beginning of the end of the match. Einarson/Gushue hold on to win 8-6 to advance to the championship against Sahaidak/Lott.
In the championship match it was close until Einarson/Gushue scored two in the third and stole four in the fourth to take a commanding 7-1 lead which was too much for Sahaidak/Lott to come back from. Einarson and Gushue win 9-6.
Despite the score it could have gone either way had it not been for a few key shots. “The triple I made was the more challenging and one of the turning points in that game I think,” Einarson says. “Brad played so well also. He made a lot of big shots.”
With the win Einarson and Gushue will now represent Canada at the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Aberdeen Scotland starting May 17. Einarson will also be Canada’s representative at the Women’s World Championship that take place from April 30-May 9 in Calgary.