Last “normal” events of the Olympic quad
Three years ago this morning, Mackenzie Zacharias woke up as a provincial women’s champion.
In December.
If you recall, the 2022 Manitoba Scotties shootout was held unseasonably early in Carberry, Dec. 15-19 in 2021.
The 2020 world junior champs defeated Kristy Watling’s team in the final. An early shocker of that shootout was the Tracy Fleury foursome which—perhaps still recovering from their devastating loss to Jennifer Jones in the Olympic Trials final—failed to make the playoffs.
That was an Olympic season, and almost every curling championship comes early in an Olympic year. That means next season’s 2025-26 calendar will be crammed as everyone seeks to avoid February’s Milano-Cortina Games.
Today, both Mackenzie and her sister Emily Zacharias seem to be out of the sport, while teammates Karlee Burgess and Lauren Lenentine are having an unremarkable season with Chelsea Carey.
But back to provincial championships.
Fans can expect early women’s and men’s shootouts one year from now, as the Tournament of Hearts will run Jan. 23-Feb. 1 (bid cities include Cornwall, Ont. and Estevan, Sask.) while the men’s Brier will take place a week early, Feb. 27-Mar 8.
Next month marks the kickoff of the final “normally” scheduled provincials of the quadrennial. Most are combined events; only Alberta, Manitoba and New Brunswick are hosting separate women’s and men’s championships.
Here’s the schedule for the 2025 Canadian women’s and men’s provincial championships:
Nunavut • Women/Men • Jan. 9-12 • TBC
Yukon • Women/Men • Jan. 9-12 • Whitehorse
Quebec • Women/Men • Jan. 13-19 • Alma
Nova Scotia • Women/Men • Jan. 15-19 • Halifax
New Brunswick • Women • Jan. 15-19 • Saint Andrews
Northwest Territories • Women/Men • Jan. 15-20 • Yellowknife
Newfoundland and Labrador • Women/Men • Jan. 16-21 • St. John’s
British Columbia • Women/Men • Jan. 20-26 • Langley
Saskatchewan • Women/Men • Jan. 20-26 • Kindersley
Manitoba • Women • Jan. 21-26 • Pilot Mound
Northern Ontario • Women/Men • Jan. 21-26 • Thunder Bay
Ontario • Women/Men • Jan. 21-26 • Cobourg
Prince Edward Island • Women/Men • Jan. 22-26 • Bloomfield
Alberta • Women • Jan. 22-26 • Rimbey
New Brunswick • Men • Jan. 29-Feb. 2 • Fredericton
Manitoba • Men • Feb. 4-9 • Portage la Prairie
Alberta • Men • Feb. 5-9 • Stettler