Lawes excited for ‘bright future’ after first Scotties with new rink

KAMLOOPS, B.C. - Kaitlyn Lawes was one of the biggest newsmakers this past off-season in curling, announcing she would be skipping her own team following 12 years as a vice for Jennifer Jones.

Year 1 for Team Lawes is almost in the books now after their elimination from the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, losing a close-fought battle with Nova Scotia’s Team Christina Black in a tiebreaker Friday morning at Sandman Centre.

Lawes had the hammer in the extra end but couldn’t connect on a very difficult in-off with the last throw of the contest, giving up a steal of one to Nova Scotia in the 7-6 loss.

“They played fantastic. I can’t think of a shot their back end missed,” Lawes said of Black, who shot a game-leading 88 per cent.

Lawes had a shooting percentage of 81 per cent in the game, with the team – featuring third Laura Walker, second Jocelyn Peterman and lead Kristin MacCuish – shooting a collective 83 per cent.

“We’re close. I feel really confident in our team that we can learn from this,” Lawes said after the loss. “It’s year one of the quad. We’re a new team. I’m in a new position and, big picture, we’re all starting families.”

Team Lawes have had a bunch of different lineups during the 2022-23 season with three members of their regular foursome dealing with pregnancies.

Walker, an out-of-province spare for this team, filled in at numerous events during the bonspiel portion of the campaign before Lawes gave birth to her first child in December.

Six-time Canadian champion Jill Officer replaced Selena Njegovan, who has a March due date, at Manitoba playdowns last month, while Walker was back in the fold for Njegovan this week in Kamloops.

Peterman is pregnant as well and has a June due date.

“It’s been a lot of fun. Getting to play with different players I think gives you a different perspective and you can learn a lot,” Lawes said. “It hasn’t been tough; it’s just been a thrill for us to able to play.”

Team Lawes, representing Wild Card 1 as the fourth-ranked team in the nation, opened the Scotties with two straight wins before dropping three of their next four. They capped the round robin with wins over Nunavut and Prince Edward Island to secure a tiebreaker.

Lawes won a Canadian, world and Olympic title during her time with Jones, and would have clashed with her former skip in the playoffs if she had slipped by Nova Scotia.

The 34-year-old says the change of pace this season has been enjoyable and a breath of fresh air.

 “I’ve played the same position for a long time, so it’s just nice to mix things up and try something different,” she said. “I’ve always been someone who likes to challenge myself. I know it’s not going to be perfect right away and I’m glad that we’re having these bumps in the road so we can learn from it and try to find ways to get better.”

The first Tournament of Hearts for Team Lawes may have not ended the way they had planned, but the skipper knows this is just the beginning with the Olympics not taking place until 2026.

“I’m really pumped for this team. We have a lot of fun together, on and off the ice. I think the future is really bright for us,” she said.