Stratton woman wins provincial curling title

Ken Johnston
Editor

One of Stratton’s own has won the provincial curling championships at the university level.
Over the weekend, Jackie (nee Bonot) McCormick, formerly of Stratton, skipped her University of Western Ontario (London, Ont.) to the provincial ladies championship.
McCormick’s foursome went undefeated in the playoffs defeating the University of Windsor, Queens University, University of Toronto, Wilfred Laurier University and the University of Waterloo. Jackie said that all but two of the games were blowouts. One game had her team down by one coming home without the hammer. They had to steal to win and did. Their last game went to an extra end, but they pulled off the win.
This is her second year at the U of W and her second year curling for them. Last year her team ended up 4th in the province. Her team members are Michelle Gray (third) of Orangeville, Ont., Amanda Watkinson (second) of Penatanguishine, Ont., and Moira Klein-Swormink(lead) of Winchester, Ont. Of those team members Jackie said she only had curling experience with the lead. “I curled against her when I went to Ofssa’s.”
Jackie skipped the first Rainy River High School rink in fourteen years to the All Ontario’s in 1996. The team finished fourth in the province that year.
Since then she has won countless area bonspiels and curled juniors in Thunder Bay while attending school there a couple of years ago.
Has the thought of trying to reach the Scott Tournament of Hearts and the World Championships ever entered her mind? Jackie says it definitely has, however other circumstances have prevented her from attempting to reach that goal yet... and she stresses yet.
Last year was her first year in London, Ont. and she did not know anyone. She joined a local curling club and began playing in a league there. Getting to know people that year, this year she and her teammates felt they have the skill level to challenge for zones, but due to the fact that the Scott Tournament playdowns took place in December right at exam time, they opted to let sleeping dogs lie. She has two years of school left and definitely does not rule out laying it all on the line at that time.
To reach the provincial university playoffs her team played in a west division. Teams played in an east division and then they played cross-divisional games. The top six teams from the two divisions went to provincials. Now that McCormick’s team has won the top spot in the province, there is no where to go. “Unfortunately, due to cuts, one of the first national championships cut was curling,” said McCormick.
However, she is happy with the win and is continuing to compete in a Monday night curling league at the curling club she belongs to. The league is mostly men and she said her ladies are doing quite well.