Reprinted from today’s edition of HeartChart, the daily newspaper at the 2014 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Montreal, Quebec, and an Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association
Click to read the daily editions.
(by HeartChart staff)
Look who’s back from Spud Island!
Veteran Kim Dolan, 55, who professed to be retiring from competitive curling two years
ago following her last Scotties appearance at Red Deer, skipped her Charlottetown team to a seventh provincial title last month.
She’ll be playing at the Maurice Richard Arena in her 12th Scotties. She has played third in three and alternate in three others. It took an extra end, but Dolan won another provincial title in her home rink, defeating previously undefeated Kathy O’Rourke’s entry 6-4 in the final match.
“I’m pretty ecstatic,” Dolan said after the contest which climaxed a five-team event.
“I have a great group of girls, my daughter being one of them. I feel very fortunate I can
go to another nationals with her.” Third Rebecca Jean (MacPhee) MacDonald, (daughter) Sinead Dolan and Michala Robison played for Dolan. Alternate player was Jackie Reid.
Performing in front of a standing room only crowd at the Charlottetown Curling
Complex, Dolan’s first shot in the extra end narrowly squeezed by a guard to sit two.
Robyn (MacPhee) Green, throwing skip rocks for the O’Rourke team, was heavy with
her last rock, clinching the victory for the Dolan foursome which was counting a pair.
Last rock was not required. “You always feel for the skip when that shot is not made,” Dolan said. The game was a defensive battle and scoreless through five ends.
“We didn’t have that many rocks in play,” said Dolan. “I think that there was a little bit
of tentativeness on both sides. Everybody is looking for that deuce. Until you’re set up to
get that deuce, then you’re blanking.” But deuces were wild thereafter as Dolan
scored two in seventh, ninth and 11th ends, while giving up singles in the sixth and
eighth. Green’s final rock of the 10th was a hit for two that forced the extra end.
“The rule of thumb is you’re playing just like you would be playing the 10th with
hammer,” Dolan said. “You block (out) the fact that you’re actually into an extra end.”
Dolan’s best national Scotties finish was in 1995 with MacDonald skipping, when they finished fourth with an 8-5 record. O’Rourke, who skipped and threw second rocks while Green issued the final pair of bricks, Meaghan Hughes threw third rocks and Tricia Affleck played lead stones, advanced to the final after going undefeated in round-robin play. Dolan was 2-2 and defeated veteran Shirley Berry of Cornwall 8-4 in nine ends in the semifinal. The loss was a heartbreaker for O’Rourke who skipped the same lineup arrangement — Erin Carmody throwing last, Geri-Lynn Ramsay throwing and Affleck leading in 2010 and made it all the way to the Canadian Scotties final at Sault Ste. Marie against Jennifer Jones.
Dolan was inducted into the P.E.I. Curling Hall Of Fame in October, 2012, and
announced her retirement in a video posted on the Canadian Curling Association website.
Seldom, however, does the curling bug not fly around for a second bite and Dolan,
a Charlottetown restaurateur, soon was coaxed out of retirement.
Her team lost its first two round-robin games — 7-4 to Berry and 8-4 to O’Rourke. It
then proceeded to reel off two straight wins — 8-6 over defending champion Suzanne
Birt of Charlottetown, 7-2 over Lisa Jackson of Charlottetown, thereby reaching the
semi-final against Berry.
Dolan finished 4-2, O’Rourke 4-1, Berry 2-3, Jackson and Birt each 1-3.