Kerri Einarson chases curling history in Tournament of Hearts with substitute lead
![Krysten Karwacki, Team Canada curling Team Canada alternate Krysten Karwacki delivers a stone as they play Team Newfoundland and Labrador at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/2/23/krysten-karwacki--team-canada-curling-1-6780607-1708699198347.jpg)
Krysten Karwacki is in a spotlight not of her own making at the Canadian women's curling championship.
Kerri Einarson's alternate, or fifth, has played every end for four-time champion Einarson at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary.
Regular lead Briane Harris was declared ineligible just hours before the team's opening draw on Feb. 16 at WinSport Event Centre.
Curling Canada said in a statement that day it had been "made aware" of Harris's ineligibility and has refused further comment.
Neither the national governing body of the sport nor Einarson had provided an explanation by the start of playoffs Friday.
While a question mark hangs over Einarson's team in its quest for quintuple crowns, Karwacki is now a key participant in it.
"As an alternate, I've always been ready," Karwacki said. "I've got really big shoes to fill with Briane. She's a very talented player, so I've just been really focused on my shots and helping the team win."
Einarson (7-1) was among the six playoff teams in Calgary. At the conclusion of pool play Thursday, Karwacki was tied with Ontario's Sarah Wilkes and Northern Ontario's Sarah Potts for the top shotmaking percentage among leads at 89 per cent.
"She's been amazing," Einarson said. "She's getting those rocks in some really great spots and setting up those ends for us and that's key. She's been sweeping her butt off. She's been a great teammate."
Familiarity greased Karwacki's integration into the team.
The 32-year-old from Winnipeg was a Hearts alternate in four previous appearances -- three with victorious Einarson from 2021 to 2023 and once with runner-up Michelle Englot in 2017.
Einarson also retained Karwacki as her alternate in three world championships.
Karwacki said she'd played eight ends for Einarson at the Hearts between 2021 and 2023, but none in world championships.
Alternates are most often activated because of a regular position player's illness or injury. Pregnant players will sometimes take a breather. Karwacki spelled Harris for that reason last year in Kamloops, B.C., in a couple ends.
Karwacki's also worked as the Einarson team's social-media marketer since the foursome's inception in 2019, so she knows the skip, third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and Harris on a personal level too.
Team coach Reid Carruthers is also her brother-in-law.
Karwacki was a win away from representing Saskatchewan at this year's Hearts in Calgary, and thus wouldn't have been available to Einarson.
Karwacki played lead for Nancy Martin this season. Martin lost in an extra end in the provincial final to Skylar Ackerman, who went 4-4 in Calgary.
"Last rock and an extra end, so it was very, very close," Karwacki said.
While Karwacki would have loved to become a provincial champion for the first time in her career, she believes that experience helps her handle the pressure of throwing first stones for a woman chasing history.
"Every big game that you play in is extremely helpful and there was a ton of fans in the crowd," Karwacki said. "It was streamed on YouTube and lots of people were watching it.
"Having that pressure is always good to experience and is always helpful."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978649.1722015109!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump's near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president's ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former president's injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Powerful cartel leader 'El Mayo' Zambada was lured onto airplane before arrest in U.S., AP source says
A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.