By Brady Lang

sliding through the house

Silvernagle sets sights on Sydney for Scotties supremacy

Feb 14, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Robyn Silvernagle’s North Battleford rink is ready for the bright lights of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Following their come-from-behind win in Humboldt just a few short weeks ago, the four-some has become a five-some and have been eager to get on the plane and head to Nova Scotia for the National stage. Silvernagle’s rink will take on Team Canada’s Jennifer Jones to kick everything off on Saturday at 5:30, and the Biggar-born skip says that it’s all finally starting to sink in.

“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “It’ll feel the most real when we finally get there, put on our jackets and see the ice.”

After falling short in the last two Provincial Scotties, Silvernagle mixed it up this year, adding Second Jessie Hunkin and Third Stephanie Lawton to the mix, while sticking with long-time teammate Kara Thevenot. Lawton, originally from Prince Albert, is a former skip with a long resume that has really helped the club reach that next level. This will be her fifth trip to the National stage at the Scotties, and Silvernagle says her experience has helped her rink reach the next level.

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Another addition that Lawton helped with was bringing in Marliese Kasner as the extra curler. Kasner is Lawton’s sister, and the two grew up playing together throughout their curling careers. Interestingly enough, Silvernagle believes that the addition of Kasner will make a huge difference, getting that added help from the sidelines.

“She’s been there the same amount of times as (Lawton). Being our fifth player, we’ll almost lean on (Kasner) a bit more because she doesn’t have to focus on playing or performing like (Lawton) does.”

Lawton was a big part of the addition of Kasner and Silvernagle did say on-ice, Lawton will continue to be a great asset for the rink.

The Tournament of Hearts is an eight-day-competition, which is a bit longer than the foursome has become accustomed to. The Viterra Scotties in Humboldt would be comparable, as it ran for six days, but as Silvernagle said, it’s all about being ready to compete.

“Provincials are a great prep for what’s coming up here. Resting when we need to rest, and being focused, ready and charged for every single game that we have,” she said.

The rink got quite the send off from the Twin Rivers Curling Club last Friday, as the community came together to wish the team luck on their trip to the Tournament of Hearts. Silvernagle has praised all of the support that she’s received throughout her year, and the send off they were presented with was just what they needed.

“It was so wonderful. It made it feel more real for myself,” she said. “Being so cold, so many people still came and showed their appreciation to us. It meant a lot for so many people to (come out and support us).”

Draw schedule for Silvernagle:

Draw 2 – Sat. 5:30 p.m. – vs. Canada

Draw 4 – Sun. 12:30 p.m.- vs. New Brunswick

Draw 6 – Mon. 7:30 a.m. – vs. Wild Card

Draw 8 – Mon. 5:30 p.m. – vs. Northwest Territories

Draw 10 – Tues. 12:30 p.m. – vs. Newfoundland & Labrabor

Draw 12 – Wed. 7:30 a.m. – vs. Yukon

Draw 14 – Wed. 5:30 p.m. – vs. P.E.I.

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brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangBFN