THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Kerry Galusha's last Canadian women's curling championship is about the next generation in Northwest Territories.
Her 18 appearances at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts is tied for second all-time with Jennifer Jones behind leader Colleen Jones (21).
Galusha, 47, thought she would retire last year. The chance to play a Tournament of Hearts with her 15-year-old daughter Sydney as a teammate kept the mother playing to 2025.
"It's pretty special," Galusha said. "I've heard a lot of people say that I'm passing the torch off to the younger generation, and I think that's how it should be.
"There's not a lot of curlers up in the north and N.W.T. and I'm not sure who's going to follow in my footsteps, even Sydney. She probably won't move on to ladies right away, so we'll see what happens."
Curling Canada states that Sydney is believed to be the youngest competitor ever at a Tournament of Hearts.
She's accustomed to "playing up." Sydney was 13 at the 2023 Canadian under-18 championship. She was 14 last year in the national under-20 tournament.
Sydney and Galusha's 16-year-old alternate Ella Skauge, who will get ice time rotating in for lead Shona Barbour, will represent N.W.T. in next month's under-20 championship in Summerside, P.E.I.
"I'm super-excited to compete against the best curlers in Canada, and it'll help me get experience for the U-20s that I'm going to in March," Sydney said.
Sydney throws second stones, but is her mother's vice in Thunder Bay, Ont.
"Sydney is pretty young. She doesn't always listen to me, so it's interesting, but she holds the broom for me and we work really well in the house together," Galusha said.
"Playing second, it's a bit less pressure for her than throwing last rock or playing third. And at 15, she's an amazing curler. She's going to be a way better curler than I ever was, and I'm excited to be on the ice with her."
The teenager said she wasn't nervous in her debut Saturday, which was an 8-4 loss to Manitoba's Kate Cameron.
"It was intense, but it was good," Sydney said. "There's less misses than in juniors. If a team misses, you really have to capitalize on their miss."
Curling Canada doesn't count the years of the play-in tournament from 2015 to 2017, nor times as an alternate as official appearances.
Add those in and Galusha's been in on 22 national championships over a span of 27 years.
Sydney's first memory of her mother competing in the Hearts was at age seven, when she was in Penticton, B.C. to watch her compete.
"She's such a good leader and I can't wait to learn from her," Sydney said. "During games, it goes pretty smoothly. During practice, I don't always listen, but during games, it's good."
Galusha's brother Kevin Koe has won four Canadian men's championships curling out of Alberta and her other brother Jamie has played in 17 Briers. The Koe family is synonymous with curling in N.W.T.
But the travel, time and expense of competing on the tour in southern provinces are hurdles for northern teams. They arrive at national championships with less experience on arena ice.
Yellowknife's Galusha has lost more games than she's won at the Hearts, but only a handful of women have played more.
She's been a tough competitor too, with upsets of Rachel Homan (2021), Jennifer Jones (2009), Amber Holland (2012) and Heather Nedohin (2012, 2013) along the way.
Her team won a tiebreaker to reach the championship round of six in Thunder Bay in 2022.
Galusha's expectations in Thunder Bay are more modest this time. She's back to throwing fourth stones after three years at lead rocks.
"It's going to be different. I've had a team where the last few years, our goal was playoffs," Galusha said. "We're just here to help Ella and Sydney learn."
Sydney's other sport is basketball. She'll be a shooting guard for N.W.T. in the Canada Summer Games in August.
If her daughter wants to take on the mantle of women's curling in N.W.T., the mother is ready to mentor her from the coach's bench.
"I'm content to retire and maybe moving onto coaching and pass my knowledge on there," Galusha said. "You'll see me again. Just in a different capacity."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2025.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
