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(Posted
8:30 a.m., Feb. 25)
Homan wins Canadian women's curling championship at age
23
By
Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
Orléans
native and Cairine Wilson grad Rachel Homan is the 2012
Scotties Canadian women's curling champion after leading
her Team Ontario foursome to a 9-6 win over Manitoba on
Sunday.
At
just 23 years of age, Homan is the second youngest skip
to win the Scotties tournament. Colleen Jones was 22 when
she won her first Scotties title in 1982.
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Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk
and Lisa Weagle are the first team from Ontario
to win the Scotties Tournament of Hearts since
1996 and the second youngest team ever to
win the Canadian Women's Curling Championship.
CP Photo
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The
Homan foursone of Rachel Homan, third Emma Miskew, second
Alison Kreviazuk and lead Lisa Weagle stuck to their game
plan to perfection against the veteran foursome of Jennifer
Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer and Dawn Askin. Weagle
made 13 of 14 wicks allowing Homan to open up the centre
of the ice and earning her the tournament MVP award.
Even
when Weagle made what appeared to be a crucial mistake
in burning Miskew's double takeout attempt in the fifth
end, Homan was able to salvage a point by drawing to the
button against three Manitoba counters on her final shot
of the end.
Homan
got off to a strong start in the first end when Jones
wrecked on the guard with her last shot to allow Homan
a wide open draw for three.
Manitoba
was able to rebound with a point in the second end and
a steal in the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2. After
Homan scored her point in the fifth end, Jones scored
a deuce in the sixth to even things up heading into the
seventh end.
Homan
blew the game wide open in the seventh end, making a spectacular
double takeout on her first shot thanks to some amazing
sweeping and line calling, and then drawing to the four
foot on her final shot after Jones last rock takeout rolled
wide.
Up
7-4, Homan kept the pressure on in the eighth end forcing
Jones to attempt a difficult triple takeout on her last
rock. Her shot missed the target stone and hit the back
rock removing it and her shooter as well, allowing Homan
to steal two and take an inusrmountable 9-4 lead.
Jones
was able to rebound to score two in the ninth end, but
it was too little too late as Homan forced her to run
out out of rocks in the 10th end to win the game.
It
was a tremendous win for Homan, Miskew, Kreviazuk and
Weagle who have been curling together for the past 10
years under the guidance of their coach Earle Morris.
After
the game Homan talked about the effort it took to win
their first Scotties title.
"It's
unbelievable. My team played so great. Can't ask for more
So happy I can't believe what happened roght now. We worked
so hard for this. Every shot was a team shot and no individual
sttod out tonight it was an amazing effort by every single
one of my players."
Homan
dedicated the win to her late grandfather Gerry Homan
who passed away in 2011 after seeing the team play in
their first Scotties championship. The elder Homan was
the team's number one fan and let everybody know it as
he could usually be seen sporting a T-shirt at their games
with the words “Team Homan #1 Fan.” printed
on it.
Having
won the Scotties, the foursome has assured themselves
of a spot in the Olympic trials next fall, but first they
must take on the world at the Ford Women's World Championships
in Riga, Latvia next month.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support
of our local business partners.)
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