Changes in the import rules in curling have drastically altered the landscape within the competitive ranks in recent years, with many a team across the country dealing with distances between teammates that would have been completely unimaginable just a decade or so ago.
That said, even within this context, a catch-up chat with 27 year-old Marymount Academy graduate Sara Guy Wednesday evening at the Northern Credit Union Community Centre (NCUCC) that came just two days after the L.U. nursing product had returned from her latest work stint in Yellowknife is more than a little drastic, even by the standards of 2025.
Consider, for a moment, that her regular work-related jaunts in the far north not only features various outposts in the Northwest Territories, but also visits to Cambridge Bay (Nunavut).
Unfamiliar with that part of the country, are you?
The hamlet of less than 2000 is one of only two settlements on Victoria Island – and is home to the Canadian High Artic Research Station. It is also the largest stop for passenger and research vessels traversing the Artic Ocean’s Northwest Passage.
Yes, it’s a long, long way from there to Sudbury.
So for as much as Guy and skip Krysta Burns have been joined at the hip in curling circles dating back to their time as half of an Idylwylde Bantam Girls formation that also included Monica Graham and Michela Nero (2011-2012), connecting these days with the current Team Burns’ lineup that features Sault Ste Marie native Laura Masters and newcomer Maddy Warriner is never easy.
Thankfully, the very nature of far north nursing in Canada does allow Sara Guy to return home to Sudbury every couple of weeks, spending as much time as possible making up for lost time. “It just sucks because the distances are a little bit hard to overcome,” said Guy, her women’s competitive team part of the 15 rink field entered in the Swiss Chalet Women’s Curling Stadium Spiel in North Bay, beginning on Friday.
“Life is so much crazier now that we have jobs and careers,” she added.
This week, she was busy warming up for the event that will feature a pair of rinks from Switzerland (Zoe Schwaller and Jana Hoffman), defending champion Laurie St-Georges from Quebec and several teams with Sudbury ties, taking to the ice at NCUCC with her father (Rodney) as skip, along with Guy, Burns and Kendra Carriere.
“I think he (her dad) secretly likes it,” Guy suggested with a smile, alluding to a near full fledged female foursome that takes part in the Wednesday Night League. “Don’t get me wrong; I love competitive curling. But this is just a different kind of competitive curling.”
Given the travel involved just to make those games, Sara Guy is fine with that.
Along with Team Burns, other locals participating in North Bay include siblings Amanda and Jennifer Gates (Team Mann with Lauren Mann and Oye Sem Won), Abby Deschene (skipping her team of Mackenzie Daley, Mia Toner and Emma Acres) and the Bella Croisier rink (with Piper Croisier, Mya Smith and Valerie Ouimet).
Reminiscent of the environment where the likes of Sara Guy and Krysta Burns cut their teeth in curling, the Idylwylde Golf & Country Club will be hosting a Junior Curling Fun Day on (Saturday) November 15th from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
Open to youngsters ages six to 15, the fun-filled half-day comes at a cost of just $30, will be the first 40 registrants being accepted. In addition to learning from the likes of Amanda and Jennifer Gates (seven Scotties appearances between them – on resumes that also include Mixed Nationals, World University Games and a half-dozen Junior Nationals), the newcomers to curling will have off-ice treats (pizza, homemade cookies, hot chocolate) waiting for them on the sidelines.
Anyone interested in registering their child should contact Mike Assad either via email (massad@idylwylde.com) or by phone at 705-522-8580 (ext 226).
