One of the most successful and tenured partnerships in the Canadian women’s curling community has come to an end leading to a shake up for an Okotoks bronze medalists’ rink.
Okotoks resident Shannon Kleibrink’s long-time third Amy Nixon has jumped ship to skip her own team and has been replaced with a 23-year-old curler with an impressive resume in the Junior ranks.
“We knew it was going to come eventually,” Kleibrink said of Nixon’s departure. “Of course we’ll miss (Amy) and we wish her well with her new team. I think she wanted to start a team that will qualify for the next Olympics (in 2018), which I am not going to do so the split had to come eventually.”
Kleibrink and Nixon formed quite the dynamic duo in the house for nine seasons. Their career accomplishments are expansive, highlighted by a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino as well as a pair of Canada Cup victories in 2005 and 2009.
“She’s just such a fiery player and I think we’ll miss that a lot and obviously I’d say one of the best thirds in the world and that’s tough to replace,” Kleibrink said. “Most of all I’ll just miss her off the ice, she’s a great friend and a great teammate.”
Kleibrink didn’t waste anytime filling the vacancy on her foursome, adding Edmonton resident Kalynn Park as the team’s new second. Park is a two-time winner of the Alberta Junior women’s championships and has experience playing a variety of positions. She won the Junior title as a skip in 2007 and as the third for the Casey Scheidegger rink in 2009.
“The curling community is a small one so we’ve known Kalynn for a long time and played against her. She was a great competitor and one of the up-and-coming young people in the game.”
Kleibrink said her team independently reviewed all the candidates and came up with a unanimous decision to add Park.
“We all went away and made a list of our top five players that we thought might fit in well at the second position and all of us came up with Kalynn as our number one.”
“She’s a great athlete and a very tall girl and a very good sweeper and can really throw a lot of weight which was what we were looking for at the second position,” Kleibrink said. “She also brings a lot of youthful enthusiasm so we think that will bring something to the mix.”
Park’s arrival will push Bronwen Webster from second to third while Chelsea Matson will remain at lead.
Kleibrink said Webster will have no issues with the position switch.
“It won’t even be an adjustment for (Webster)” Kleibrink said. “She’s played a lot of back end, she’s played a lot of third, she’ll just be great.
“She’s experienced in the house and really it won’t make any difference to her.”
Kleibrink will get her first opportunity to play with her new second at the upcoming Victoria Curling Classic, March 29 to April 1 in B.C.’s picturesque capital city.
Carolyn Darbyshire will continue to fill in for Webster, who recently gave birth, and Carrie Anne Sallows will play lead in place of Chelsea Matson at the Victoria bonspiel.
Meanwhile, Nixon, who served as the fifth for Heather Nedohin’s Canadian entry at the Women’s World Championships in Lethbridge, has completed her new rink. Nixon will skip a foursome featuring Nadine Chyz at third, Whitney More at second and Tracy Bush at lead.
