As a consequence of getting a year older and graduating from the bantam to the junior level, the Elmira rink of Grade 12 students Deanna Johnson, Laura Daniel, and Jaime Jones found themselves without lead Emily Walsh, and looking for another player to join their rink for the 2011-2012 season. Coincidentally, Brenda Holloway of Mississauga, curling out of the Tam Heather club last year and who had considerable success at last year’s bantam provincial finals, found herself in a similar situation, but all by herself and looking for a team.
This past evening I had the opportunity to talk to Deanna about the changes this year.
As Deanna explained, “We only knew Brenda from curling against her at the bantam girls Provincials and the mixed Provincials. But we asked her if she would play with us, and after meeting in London this summer we got along really well. She’s a really nice person, and quiet like me, so we work together quite well.” So now the rink consists of Brenda at skip, Laura Daniel at third, Jaime Jones at second, and Deanna switching to lead, though holding the broom for Brenda’s fourth stones. Brenda’s father Rob Holloway is now their coach.
I asked Deanna about her perspective on the switch from skip to lead:
Well, playing lead is a lot different. It’s much more physical than mental, and much less stressful. But I’m really enjoying it. It took some time to work out how we were going to play as a team. Brenda had been skipping for some time, then had switched to third, and last year went back to skip. Laura really likes to sweep, so having her brush six stones each end is an advantage for us. Brenda and I have a similar way of thinking, and we worked together in the house really well, so we finally we settled on me holding the broom for her two stones.
The new Holloway foursome plan to compete out of the Beach Grove Golf and Country Club in Windsor (Laura Daniel’s home club) for Junior Women’s zone playdowns in 2011-2012. They are also playing regularly in the Ontario Junior Curling Tour, with their first event at the Galt Curling Club resulting in a 2-1 record in pool play on the Saturday. “We struggled in the first game and lost”, says Deanna, “because it was our first event of the season – the Galt bonspiel was the second weekend in September – and we were still getting used to Brenda skipping”. But their play improved after that, with two wins to get them into the playoffs Sunday. Unfortunately, Sunday’s games for the Holloway rink at Galt were a bit of a disappointment – two close losses in the quarter finals.
The girls plan to play in three forthcoming OJCT events before zone playdowns: in Brampton on October 15-16, in London on October 29-30, and at the K-W Granite Club for their three-day Junior Curling Classic beginning on Remembrance Day.
I asked Deanna about her goals for this year. She responded “Goals? Well, we’re hoping to do well at Regionals, but don’t necessarily expect to make it to Junior provincials. We don’t have a good idea of the competition we’ll be facing since this is our first year at Junior”.
All of us at Elmira wish the Holloway foursome well in their OJCT events and at Junior zones. If you have the opportunity, cheer them on at the K-W Granite club at the Junior Curling Classic that runs from November 11th through the 13th.