Another season has come and gone for Team Galusha, another busy campaign with bonspiels all over the place, and a near-repeat of the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts playoff performance.
Once again, we were glued to the TV or the interwebs to see and read about how things were proceeding, be it the PointsBet Invitational in New Brunswick, deep runs at World Curling Tour stops in Ontario, the Grand Slam circuit SA国际影视传媒� you name it. Oh, and Kerry Galusha played in her 150th game at the Scotties, only the eighth player to do that.
Plenty of good things to talk about this past season, but there was that lingering question: would this be the last time we saw Galusha and this present line-up of Jo-Ann Rizzo, Margot Flemming, Sarah Koltun, Megan Koehler and coach Shona Barbour?
That seemed to be the going story at the Scotties in Kamloops, B.C. What we have since learned is that there is no decision as of now, as Galusha mentioned in WednesdaySA国际影视传媒檚 Yellowknifer. SheSA国际影视传媒檚 going to talk to the team and see what the plans are.
If ISA国际影视传媒檓 a betting man SA国际影视传媒� and sometimes I do fancy a flutter from time to time SA国际影视传媒� Galusha wonSA国际影视传媒檛 want to start new. She likes what she has with her line-up right now and, from past conversations with some of her teammates, they like the set-up as well. TheySA国际影视传媒檙e friends and theySA国际影视传媒檝e meshed so well together as a unit. But good things canSA国际影视传媒檛 last forever and situations do change.
As the headline suggests, ISA国际影视传媒檓 a bit selfish and want this current line-up to return to the ice. I would wager ISA国际影视传媒檓 not alone. This team is one of the most popular rinks out there with a fan base that spreads across the country, even internationally, I would dare say. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 been a lot of fun covering the trips and the results over the past three years.
When it comes to being a competitive curler, ISA国际影视传媒檓 reminded of the words spoken by Ray Turnbull, the late, great TSN curling analyst, on what it takes: a very supportive family and a very understanding employer. It isnSA国际影视传媒檛 simply just get up and go SA国际影视传媒� the schedule needs to be planned and a lot of curlers take vacation time simply to go out and do what they love to do. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 no different in this situation, though ISA国际影视传媒檓 sure there would be an uprising if Galusha or Rizzo or Barbour or anyone else were to be told, SA国际影视传媒淪orry, you canSA国际影视传媒檛 go to the Scotties because you only have four days of vacation left.SA国际影视传媒�
This is, without question, the most successful iteration of Team Galusha thereSA国际影视传媒檚 been. The playoffs in 2022 would be good enough to back that up, but letSA国际影视传媒檚 not forget the Winter Olympic qualification run last season, plenty of cashes at tour stops, etc. As ISA国际影视传媒檝e said multiple times before, the Canadian curling world found out that the NWT is no longer the also-rans when it comes to womenSA国际影视传媒檚 curling.
I wrote this back in 2021 and it bears repeating now: Any group of people can become a team, but you have to be willing to work with each other in order to make it successful. Rizzo herself has said that Galusha is one of the most committed skips sheSA国际影视传媒檚 ever worked with. Galusha has called Rizzo and Koltun amazing teammates. FlemmingSA国际影视传媒檚 joining the team in 2019 was seamless, it would appear, Koehler is there if the situation calls for it and Barbour has made a rather good transition from player to coach.
If this is the last hurrah, it was a great one. ISA国际影视传媒檝e had the chance to report on the heartbreak, the close calls, the happiness, the success. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 been a blast, but maybe thereSA国际影视传媒檚 one more good year, eh?
