Ottawa Curling Club’s Rachel Homan and Rideau Curling Club’s Howard Rajala are Masters of their sport.
And they proved it at vastly different levels on Sunday.
By winning a record-extending 14th time on the Grand Slam of Curling tour, Homan guided her razor-sharp rink of third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes to the WFG Masters championship in Saskatoon’s Merlis Belsher Place arena.
It was the fourth time in the 11-year history of the Masters competition the Homan rink had emerged as champions. Homan also won in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
Meanwhile at the Quinte Curling Club, Rajala and his rink of third Phil Daniel, second Chris Fulton and lead Paul Madden captured the Men’s Masters Provincial Championship.
Team Rajala, which had Rich Moffatt at third last year, won the 2023 world men’s senior curling championship.
Homan was a masterful shot maker in her seven matches, leading all women’s skips with a 90-per-cent shooting average. She had a team-high 88-per-cent grade in the championship final, where Team Homan defeated Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 8-4.
Continuing to collect her points quickly with multi-point ends, Homan counted four in the third end and three in the match-ending seventh before shaking hands one end early.
Homan picked up points in 26 of her 50 ends of curling, but in 15 of those ends she managed two, three or four points. Only two of Homan’s round-robin and playoff matches went to eight ends, including one extra-end game.
“It just feels so good,” Homan said. “We’ve put in so much work and trying to get back really quick, after both had babies on the team. It feels phenomenal to capture that after you’ve worked so hard to come back, after having two kids on the team.
“It’s a lot of work and I’m really proud of my team.”
Homan and Wilkes had babies in the off season and they have made a seamless return to the sport this fall.
Read More: Rachel Homan returning as full-time skip, after delivering third child
Team Homan has played in six competitions this season, posting a 32-4 win-loss record, reaching five finals and winning four titles.
The Masters win also earned Team Homan $38,000.
“We just come into all of these events trying to win as many games as we can,” said Miskew, who has been with Homan for every season since the team’s inception in 2002-03. “There are so many amazing teams here and it has been a great event.
“Rachel’s bounce back this season, just having a two-month-old, is unbelievable and amazing. I’m really grateful I’ve been along on the ride for so many years with her. Fourteen Slams is pretty impressive.”
Homan reached the Masters final by defeating Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg 8-4 (seven ends) in the semifinals and Isabella Wrana of Sweden 8-3 (six ends) in the quarterfinals.
Although Homan didn’t have the hammer in the first end for any of her four round-robin matches, she posted a 3-1 record to finish in a four-way tie for first place.
In her opening match, Homan stole all her points in ends two through five for a 6-1 decision over Clancy Grandy of Vancouver. She also defeated Tirinzoni 7-3 and Anna Hasselborg of Sweden 6-5 before losing to Eunjung Kim of Korea 8-6 in an extra end.
Meanwhile, the Rajala rink wasted no time scoring points and completing the Ontario Men’s Masters Championship final. Rajala defeated Dan Cleurinx of the York Curling Club in Newmarket 8-1 in five ends.
Having the hammer in the first end, Rajala counted four before strengthening his lead with one in the third and stealing two in the fourth and a solo point in the fifth.
It was the 12th time an Ottawa team had won the provincial men’s masters title. Bruce Delaney of the Russell Curling Club won in 2017 and 2016, and Layne Noble also was a double winner in 2014 with the Rideau Curling Club and 2011 with the Ottawa Curling Club. Rod Matheson of the Ottawa Curling Club completed a double in 2005 and 1997.
ANNA STEWART SKIS TO 2 GOLD, 1 SILVER IN CANDY CANE CUP
Nakkertok Ski Club’s Anna Stewart of Thunder Bay, ON., came within 20 seconds of being a triple gold medallist on her home course during the FIS Eastern Cup/Candy Cane Cup.
After winning the women’s open and U23 skate sprint on Friday and the two-lap interval skating race, which covered just under five kilometres, on Saturday, Stewart finished second to clubmate Clara Hegan in Sunday’s 10-kilometre interval classic race.
Stewart’s overall performance over three days earned her a $1,000 cheque from the Hall Mark of Excellence Program, which is sponsored by former Canadian cross-country ski team coach Marty Hall and his wife Kathy.
“Today’s (Saturday’s) race was interesting, very short course and super fast snow with the icy conditions made for quick times and sketchy downhills,” said Stewart, who trains at the Alberta Insurance World Cup Academy in Calgary.
“My body is getting a little tired from a fairly heavy month of rac
