Fresh off one of the greatest seasons ever posted by a female curling rink, the defending world championhip foursome skipped by Rachel Homan with Sudburian Tracy Fleury at vice are already showing signs that 2024-2025 might simply follow in lockstep from their previous campaign.
Along with the front end tandem of Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes, Team Homan reeled off eight straight wins last week to capture top spot at the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic in Cornwall, an impressive run capped off by a dramatic 6-5 win over Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland.
Trailing 5-3 heading to the seventh end, the Ottawa-based foursome halved the deficit with the hammer but then needed a steal of two in the eighth and final end to secure the win. An unbelievable freeze by Fleury in the eighth to set up the steal of two was one the key shots in this well-contested affair.
The game marked one of the rare times that the Homan crew were pushed to the brink, looking fully in control in registering wins over Rebecca Morrison of Scotland (6-3), Jennifer Harvey from Cornwall (7-2), Montreal skip Laurie St Georges and company (5-3), Corrie Huerlimann of Switzerland (8-2), Ottawa's Danielle Inglis (7-4), St-Georges again in quarter-final play (5-2) and Albertan Kayla Skrlik in the semis (7-2).
The curling juggernaut are back in action at the end of the month, looking to defend their title at the PointsBet Invitational in Calgary before crossing the country to compete at the Tour Challenge Slam from October 1st to the 6th in Charlottetown (P.E.I.).