Christina Black's curling team, based in Halifax, had a strong motivation heading into the season after reaching the final of the Olympic Trials the previous fall. However, their aspirations were further ignited after they missed selection for Curling Canada's national team program, driving the team to demonstrate their capabilities without the official designation.
“We'll just go out there and win on our own and just show them what we can do,” Black expressed, highlighting her team's determination despite the setback. The teams skipped by Rachel Homan and Kerri Einarson were obvious choices for the National Team Program (NTP) women’s team, which was announced in May and made public in August. However, the inclusion of teams skipped by Taylor Reese-Hansen and Serena Gray-Withers raised questions, as neither of these teams had competed at the Olympic Trials.
This situation left Black and fellow skip Selena Sturmay just outside the cut, resulting in the loss of high-performance support and funding that NTP teams receive. “They decided other teams were better suited with what they wanted moving forward,” said Jill Brothers, the third for Team Black. “So we kind of got left behind and it was definitely a disappointing, upsetting time. We have put in so much work over these past three years to prove that we belong there and belong in an area to have that support.”
The Black and Sturmay teams came together to appeal the Curling Canada decision through the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, but on August 31, an arbitrator sided with the national sport organization. “None of us had ever experienced anything like this before,” Black remarked. “We didn't really know what to expect at all, but learned a lot.” She went on to reflect on the intricate nature of the appeal process, saying, “I felt like I became a bit of a lawyer over a couple months there, trying to figure out how to do all of it.”
In the 23-page ruling, it was noted that Curling Canada's selection panel had the discretion to choose Reese-Hansen’s team outside the standard eligibility requirements. Notably, Laura Walker of Team Gray-Withers was deemed a competitor at the Trials despite not playing, as she was a non-playing alternate on Team Kaitlyn Lawes. David Murdoch, Curling Canada’s executive director of high performance, explained that “Team Gray-Withers met the eligibility criteria through having a team member who did compete in the Olympic Trials,” while the Reese-Hansen team was selected under additional provisions outlined in the published selection policy.
Team Kayla MacMillan was named a development team in the Curling Canada roster, while other men’s teams, including those skipped by Brad Jacobs, Matt Dunstone, Tyler Tardi, and Brendan Bottcher, were also recognized. Brothers noted, “We felt we had a very strong application. We had the credentials to back it up. We are ready to compete with the rest of the world. We’ve proven that.”
Black, who finished third at the national championships in both the previous year and in 2018, has maintained an impressive record, going undefeated in her last two tour events. Her upcoming challenge is the HearingLife National, part of the Grand Slam of Curling, taking place from November 17-22 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. “We’re capable of winning every game when we go out there,” Black emphasized. “We’re good. We love curling and we’re a great team. So I think we’ve proven it enough over and over again.”
Sturmay is also having a productive season, recently defeating Homan to reach the semifinals at the P&H Masters in Medicine Hat, Alberta. While her team qualifies for next-gen funding, she has moved past the lost appeal. “I wouldn’t really say it’s necessarily a motivator,” Sturmay said. “All of those teams that they picked are great teams. They’re really strong individual athletes. So I think going into this season, we just really wanted to improve.”
