Nova Scotia curler Christina Black angling for a return trip to Tournament of Hearts

By Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press on November 28, 2024.

Nova Scotia third Jennifer Baxter, from left to right, skip Christina Black, second Karlee Everist and lead Shelley Barker come together before the start of the seventh end during their playoff match against Team Canada at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, in Kamloops, B.C., Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Christina Black’s laser-precise draws drew oohs and aahs at the 2023 national women’s curling championship.

The Nova Scotia skip wants to get back to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for more of that.

Her revamped team is making a case for a Hearts appearance February in Thunder Bay, Ont., and a berth in next year’s Olympic trials in its home province.

Currently ranked fifth in Curling Canada’s national women’s rankings this season, Black has won three bonspiels and finished second in another this season.

“When you win stuff, it makes it easier to win more when you understand ‘yeah, I can do that,'” Black said. “When everyone’s believing that you’re able to to win games and win tournaments, it makes a big difference.

“I always say it’s hard to win a final. It’s a big deal no matter what the event is. It’s tough to win that last game.”

Black was seeded 15th out of 16 women’s teams at the Grand Slam’s season-opening HearingLife Challenge.

Black, vice Jill Brothers and front end Karlee Everist and Marlee Powers won the international Tier 2 event in Charlottetown to gain entry into this week’s Tier 1 field in the Kioti National in St. John’s, N.L.

Grand Slams offer two-tiered fields to allow teams not ranked in the top eight in the world the chance to compete on arena ice and win money.

Black opened with an 11-3 loss to Kerri Einarson and a 6-3 loss to world champion Rachel Homan before defeating Sweden’s Isabella Wrana 6-3 on Thursday morning in St. John’s.

“I love being the underdog,” Black said before the event. “It’s a comfortable spot, and people cheer for you, and all you can do is surprise people.”

Black lost last January’s provincial final to Heather Smith and fell short of reaching 2024 Tournament of Hearts in Calgary.

Within days of its conclusion, Black contacted the woman who threw fourth stones for Smith.

Black felt it was high time to join forces with Brothers, who has seven Hearts appearances under her belt, including four as a skip.

“Playing here in Nova Scotia, she usually was our biggest competition for sure,” Black said. “For years, we were battling back and forth and it never worked out timing-wise to play together.

“I called up Jill and said ‘let’s try and make the best possible team for Nova Scotia. It’s time we stopped playing against one another. We should team up and see if we can put together a team that can really make a run at the Scotties.'”

The men’s and women’s winners of next year’s Olympic pre-trials in Wolfville, N.S., advance to the trials in Halifax, where the victors represent Canada in the 2026 Olympic Games.

“The trials and the pre-trials are both in Nova Scotia,” Black said. “I said ‘wouldn’t it be amazing to be the home team?'”

Brothers’ acceptance last spring allowed Black to get to work early with a revamped lineup that included Powers onboarding as an alternate.

“It just became very exciting, the thought of teaming up with someone that I know is highly competitive and loves to be in the limelight and can make those big shots,” Brothers said. “I’ve played against Christina, and I’ve seen her do awesome things.”

Black upset Homan in Kamloops, B.C., to advance to the 2023 Hearts final four in 2023. She was eliminated by eventual champion Einarson in the Page three-four playoff game.

Brothers, who was New Brunswick’s second that year, recalls stopping Black after games and asking her what her secret was on draw weight.

“I saw that all happening and was congratulating them,” Brothers said. “I asked ‘how is your draw weight so perfect because I’m heavy on everything?'”

Black and teammate Jenn Baxter, who is part of her five-woman rotation, helped Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell win a Canadian mixed championship in early November.

Claiming the Tier 2 crown in Charlottetown qualified Black for January’s Masters, but since the Masters conflicted provincial championships, and the Canadian mixed conflicted with the second Grand Slam, the Co-op Canadian Open, the Curling Group accommodated Black in St. John’s.

“We’ve still got so much season left,” Brothers said “To be able to play in the Tier 2 and now this one before even reaching a Scotties, for me, it’s not my typical trajectory of getting to the Scotties.

“Having more reps on arena ice is invaluable and then to play against Einarson and Homan, who we plan to see at the Scotties, these are teams we have to face to do well, to keep our points up to qualify next year for the trials.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2024.