The Suzanne Birt rink, reigning provincial Scotties women’s champions, announced today via their Facebook page that second Sarah Fullerton is leaving the team to study Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Last month they announced that lead stone Leslie MacDougall was retiring from competitive curling, and that Michelle McQuaid and Susan McInnis would be joining the team, which also includes Shelly Bradley at third stone, and is coached by Peter Gallant. McQuaid played third for skip Fullerton when their team won three consecutive Pepsi Junior championships in 2010 through 2012. McInnis played on seven provincial women’s championship teams, including three with Birt – playing lead in 2003, and third in 2004 and 2006.
The new Team Birt will be in action September 12-15 at Charlottetown’s CARI Complex in the Curl Atlantic Championship, the premiere annual curling event for the region. The highly competitive event is comprised of twelve men’s teams and twelve women’s teams vying for their respective divisional titles. Both the men’s and women’s divisions will have two pools of six teams and a round-robin style prior to play-off rounds.
The team rosters for that event also indicate lineup changes for the four other Island rinks competing. The Kathy O’Rourke rink, which includes Meaghan Hughes throwing fourth stones, and Tricia Affleck at lead, sees Robyn Green (formerly MacPhee) returning to curling after a year off, and replacing Jackie Read at second stone.
On the men’s side, the Rod MacDonald team, last year’s PEI Tankard runners-up, have substituted Mark Victor for Andrew Robinson at lead stone. Other team members are third Kevin Champion, and second Mark O’Rourke.
Last year’s Tankard champs, the Eddie MacKenzie team, will see a second MacKenzie, Tyler, join the team at third, Anson Carmody move from third to second stone, and Sean Ledgerwood remaining at lead, with last season’s second stone Alex MacFadyen no longer on the team.
Finally, Jamie Newson’s team will see two new members, with Robinson joining the rink at third, replacing Pat Lynch, and Sean Clarey at second, in place of Jeff Gallant. John Desrosiers returns at lead stone.