Kevin Martin isn’t the only prominent Edmonton curling team making a lineup change for next season.
Laura Crocker announced on Friday that Sarah Wilkes, the third on her talented young women’s rink, has decided to reduce her curling commitment for academic reasons and will be replaced by Erin Carmody.
Carmody, 24, recently became available when Crystal Webster’s Calgary rink added veteran Cathy Overton-Clapham, a five-time Canadian women’s champion out of Winnipeg, at third.
Both teams have berths in the Capital One Road to the Roar pre-trials Nov. 5-10 at Kitchener, Ont. Two teams will advance from that event to the Olympic trials in Winnipeg from Dec. 1-8.
“We couldn’t be happier to find a replacement of Erin’s calibre. She is a proven top-level player and we expect her to fit right into the lineup as we attempt to win the right to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.”
Carmody, who threw skip rocks for the Prince Edward Island team that lost the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts final, moved to Calgary in 2011 and spent the past two seasons playing third for Webster.
Mark Johnson, who coaches the Webster team, said that Carmody “is a great player and has a bright future. I can say that I have never played with or coached a more dedicated player than Erin. I will miss coaching her.”
Carmody has applied to the U of A to continue her education.