If you needed something to help take your mind off of all the evacuation news, here鈥檚 something for you: Team Galusha鈥檚 2023-24 season is off and running.
Kerry Galusha and her rink of Jo-Ann Rizzo, Margot Flemming and Sarah Koltun kicked off the new campaign this past weekend in Leduc, Alta., in the Curling Stadium Alberta Tour Kick-off. The ladies managed to make it to the semifinals before dropping a 5-3 decision to Kayla Skrlik of Calgary on Sunday. Skrlik would go on to win it all in the final later in the day.
鈥淲e really would鈥檝e liked to have gotten to the final,鈥� said Galusha on Tuesday. 鈥淚 thought we played really well in the semi, but Kayla made some great shots to bail out her team and we just couldn鈥檛 score a deuce at all.鈥�
Skrlik opened the semifinal with the hammer and scored a single to go out in front, 1-0. Galusha answered with a single in the second end to tie it up, before Skrlik scored one in the third with the hammer and stole another in the fourth to go out in front 3-1 at the break. Galusha would get one of those back in the fifth to cut it to 3-2, but both teams traded singles right up to the eighth and final end.
It was a team of three that entered the semifinal as Flemming left to travel to Ontario following the team鈥檚 final round-robin game on Saturday.
The NWT ladies got to the playoffs by virtue of finishing second in their division with a record of two wins and one loss. Those victories came against Jessica Wytrychowski of Edmonton (10-3) and Emily Clark of Calgary (9-1). The loss came at the hands of Saskatoon鈥檚 Nancy Martin, a 6-5 extra-end defeat that determined where each team would end up in the playoff round.
鈥淭hat last game was a close one, but it wasn鈥檛 our best game,鈥� said Galusha. 鈥淭he emotions were running high because we were thinking about Hay River. We had a lot of friends from Hay River out watching that game, but we weren鈥檛 sharp and we weren鈥檛 at 100 per cent.鈥�
When it comes to the evacuation, Galusha said it did throw things off a little bit in that they had to leave the North earlier than planned, but as luck would have it, Leduc was where she was going to be in advance of the bonspiel.
鈥淚t was coincidence because we were going to be here with some of the girls doing a camp before the spiel,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were able to prepare more and get in some more practice, especially with it being an August tournament.鈥�
Next up for the ladies will be the Saville Shootout in Edmonton beginning on Sept. 8 with a purse of $25,000 on the line.
Galusha said she鈥檒l be staying in Edmonton, where she鈥檚 been living with her family since leaving Yellowknife.
鈥淲e鈥檙e taking this week off to relax and refresh,鈥� she said.
