All good things must come to an end, right? No matter how much we want things to go on because we like them, everything is finite.

That goes for the now-former edition of Team Galusha: Kerry Galusha, Sarah Koltun, Margot Flemming, Jo-Ann Rizzo, Shona Barbour and coach Kevin Koe. The curtain call came at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary on Feb. 22 when Galusha and company beat Jennifer Jones of Manitoba in their final contest, 8-4.

Rather fitting that Galusha and Jones met in that last pool game SA国际影视传媒� in what was the final game for Team Galusha, it was the last competitive Scotties for Jones, who played in her final Canadian womenSA国际影视传媒檚 curling championship. SheSA国际影视传媒檒l keep on playing mixed doubles with her husband, Brent Laing.

This yearSA国际影视传媒檚 record wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 good enough to see Team Galusha get into the playoffs; they finished fifth in their pool with a record of 3-5, and five losses was too many. They were in every single one of their games, but it was one bad shot or one bad end that was the culprit every time. Every rink goes through that and it throws everything right off.

Despite that, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 no question this version of Team Galusha was the most successful in terms of results. All you need to do is take a look at what they were able to do.

The first accomplishment SA国际影视传媒� and perhaps biggest one of all SA国际影视传媒� was making the playoffs at the Scotties in 2022, the first team from the NWT to do so. So many years of SA国际影视传媒榓lmostSA国际影视传媒� and SA国际影视传媒榦n the brinkSA国际影视传媒� were gone that one afternoon in Thunder Bay, Ont. One of the most popular rinks in the country had finally done it and the tears were joyful this time.

They were able to savour it for a grand total of one hour as the playoffs started right away.

The ladies won multiple times on tour, which built their ranking to the point that were invited to play in the inaugural PointsBet Invitational in 2022. The key word in there is SA国际影视传媒榠nvitationalSA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒� you donSA国际影视传媒檛 just slap down an entry fee, roll up and play. The top 12 teams on the World Curling Team Ranking System at the time were invited and thatSA国际影视传媒檚 how Galusha and company got their spot.

It was a 16-team, single-knockout tournament and being the first event of the new season, upsets were there for the taking. Team Galusha went up against Casey Scheidegger of Alberta and lost in the first round, 8-7, a game they lost on the last rock.

And lest we forget that the ladies became the first rink based in the North to take a crack at qualifying for the Winter Olympics. That happened in the 2021-22 season right around the time they ran an 11-game winning streak while on tour. They won the first qualifier, colloquially called the pre-pre-qualifier, in Ottawa, which got them into the actual Home Hardware Pre-Trials in Nova Scotia.

It didnSA国际影视传媒檛 work out (I blamed the fact that they were wearing Yukon colours and not those of the NWT) as Galusha said they SA国际影视传媒渄ipped,SA国际影视传媒� but it was something to see a team from the NWT battle it out for the Olympics.

Those are just the highlights of what was quite the run of one of the best sporting exports the NWT has ever had. They ensured the territory was part of the discussion when it came to winning. You knew when these ladies showed up that you were going to get a battle and not a sixth-end handshake, much to the chagrin of some.

Understanding and support

These NWT ladies essentially crafted their lives around curling, like so many others around the country who play in the upper echelon. 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.

Imagine the uprising if any of these ladies were to be told, SA国际影视传媒淪orry, no Scotties this year. You only have 26.8 hours of vacation left.SA国际影视传媒�

I wrote this back in 2021 and it still rings true: 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, Megan Koehler was there if the situation called for it and Barbour has made a rather good transition from player to coach, though she still jumped in to play when the need arose.

Galusha has said she isnSA国际影视传媒檛 retiring, contrary to what you may have seen published by other outlets. She has hinted that if she were to do it again, it would probably be with a local team. She did say, however, that one of her dreams is to play at a Scotties with her daughter, Sydney. Sydney is just 14 and is already a very good curler (helps when your mom is on the mentoring side). That would be something to behold and would only be a natural progression.

With Team Galusha shutting down the shop, things have opened up quite a bit in terms of who could step in. Sharon Cormier and her senior womenSA国际影视传媒檚 team could easily jump in and become the NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 representative. Cormier has plenty of Scotties experience already, as does Kelly Kaylo, who plays with Cormier. Kaylo has played at five Scotties, so she knows what itSA国际影视传媒檚 all about.

ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 Betti Delorey out of Hay River, who has participated in the Canadian Club Championships previously. Same goes for YellowknifeSA国际影视传媒檚 Sarah Stroeder, another player who has been to the club nationals and someone who ISA国际影视传媒檝e always thought could do quite well at the Scotties if she ever won the NWT womenSA国际影视传媒檚 championship.

The best junior girls team in the NWT right now, without question, is Team Wainman out of Inuvik. Could they jump into a Scotties? It would be a leap right now, for sure, but they will be one to watch for the future.

One thing I hope doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 happen is for the NWT to become the next Nunavut. If you hadnSA国际影视传媒檛 heard, Nunavut didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have a team at this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 Scotties because they couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 send one. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 something which made waves around the curling community and brought up talk of whether the territories should each have one spot. Yes, I do think they should because the Scotties is a national championship and every jurisdiction deserves a place.

But this is about the here and now. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 about what Team Galusha did on the ice and the success they had. This was the most successful edition of the outfit, and ISA国际影视传媒檝e had the privilege to report on all the heartbreak, the close calls, the happiness, the success and now the end. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 been a blast.

For all of that, we say farewell to this version of Team Galusha and we thank you for everything.