By Emily Jaycox
For the Stettler Independent
2018 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts champions, Team Scheidegger of the Lethbridge Curling club, are ready to defend their title in Stettler this month.
Stettler will host the 2019 Alberta Scotties provincial women’s bonspiel from Jan. 23 to 27.
“Obviously, a repeat would be wonderful and that’s our goal,” said Cary-Anne McTaggart, third.
The team plans to play solid games and do their best to defend their championship, says McTaggart.
Team Scheidegger has played all the other qualifying teams already this season, so has a good idea of what to expect, she says.
The other top-seeded teams are Team Carey, Team Walker, and Team Roque.
“Those are definitely the names we’re looking out for.”
McTaggart, 32, has been with Team Scheidegger for five years. She joined the team in 2014, after previously curling with Renee Sonnenberg.
Other members are Skip Casey Scheidegger, Second Jessie Haughian and Lead Kristie Moore.
Scheidegger and her sister Jessie Haughian won the Alberta junior title in 2009 and were semi-finalists at junior nationals that year.
Moore served as the alternate for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, earning a silver medal.
Moore’s other accomplishments include winning the Canadian junior and world junior titles while playing second for Heather Nedohin. She started with Team Scheidegger at the 2017 Players’ Championship.
McTaggart, Haughian and Scheidegger were 2017 Olympic trial participants.
Team Scheidegger won three titles on the World Curling Tour at the start of the 2016-17 season.
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The wins got the team to the top-tier Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event at the Meridian Canadian Open where they took the title in a 5-4 victory in the eighth end in the final.
Last year at the Alberta Scotties, held in Medicine Hat, Team Scheidegger defeated the then-defending champs, Team Kleibrink in the provincial final.
Team Scheidegger went on to place fifth overall with a 7-4 record at nationals in Penticton, B.C.
They were first in their pool in the preliminaries, making it to the championship round, but were one game away from making it into the playoffs.
“We just missed it,” said McTaggart.
The Lethbridge team is anticipating a good time competing at the 2019 Alberta Scotties in Stettler.
“We’ve heard that Stettler is a great host,” said McTaggart, adding they’re looking forward to seeing the town and playing some good curling.
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