With their backs against the wall, Einarson's Gimli curling team surged to 3rd straight Scotties victory

Less than two weeks after losing the Canadian women's curling championship final to rival Manitoba skip Jennifer Jones in Penticton, B.C., Kerri Einarson shocked the curling world by forming a new team featuring a quartet of skips — a decision met with plenty of skepticism.

It's safe to say the decision, which was Birchard's brainchild, has paid off. Just shy of the four-year anniversary of Einarson — along with third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Briane Meilleur — announcing their fearsome foursome, the Gimli Curling Club team celebrated a third successive title at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The team clinched a 9-6 victory over Northern Ontario's Krista McCarville in her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont., on Sunday evening.

With this latest triumph, Einarson becomes just the fourth skip to capture at least three consecutive national women's curling titles. Saskatchewan's Vera Pezer was the first to accomplish the feat from 1971 to 1973, with Jones' St. Vital Curling Club squad victorious between 2008 and 2010. Colleen Jones of Nova Scotia strung together four straight championships beginning in 2001.

"That's pretty amazing to be in the record books with all of those other amazing athletes. It's definitely something pretty special and I wouldn't have been there without my teammates because they definitely make our jobs easy," Einarson said Monday afternoon on CBC's Up to Speed. 

Entering the Scotties, the team from Gimli was the odds-on favourite to bring home the title.

Einarson's rink completed round-robin play with a perfect 8-0 record before suffering their only blemish of the week, an 8-6 loss to Andrea Crawford of New Brunswick in the playoff round, forcing her into the Page playoff 3 versus 4 game. 

Einarson said she and her teammates were still confident despite the loss.

"We had a great week and we played phenomenal. We had one loss where we weren't as sharp as we have been, and we ended up paying for it and taking a loss," she said. "We were totally fine with that. Our backs were totally against the wall and we came back firing."

The reigning champs rebounded by ousting the world's top-ranked women's team from the East St. Paul Curling Club squad, skipped by Tracy Fleury, in an 11-6 game, and following that up by doubling up Crawford 8-4 in Sunday's semifinal to earn the right to play for a third straight championship.

Leading 6-2 at the fifth-end break and 7-4 after seven ends, Einarson and company were on the verge of history. 

But a questionable decision by Einarson in the ninth end handed the the hammer back to McCarville in the 10th end.

"I was a little nervous," Einarson said about playing in the final end. "To be honest, I was actually more nervous in the 8th end when there could have been a shot there for three, possibly four [for McCarville]. That was a little nerve-wracking."

Fortunately for Einarson, McCarville was unable to pull off the hero shot in the 10th end to secure a fairytale ending for the hometown skip.

Einarson said she is going to take a week off to rest and rejuvenate before the team resumes training in anticipation of the world women's curling championship in Prince George, B.C. from March 19 to 27.

Prince George was scheduled to host women's worlds in 2020 before COVID-19 forced the event to be cancelled.

Gimli beaming with 'pure joy'

The success of Einarson's team has put the small community of Gimli, Man., on the map.

Della Magnusson, a friend of Einarson's, went to the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials in Saskatoon in November with a handful of other supporters. She was watching Sunday's final with a handful of close friends.

"Pure joy and beaming pride for Kerri and what she's accomplished with her team and what she has done to bring the sport to the community. It's just been wonderful," Magnusson told CBC News Monday in Gimli.

She says having a big-time champion like Einarson, who also captured the 2021 Canadian mixed double curling title with Brad Gushue, is providing local kids someone to look up to.

"To see her opening doors for these kids and showing them that hard work and dedication to your dreams can help them come true is just so wonderful," Magnusson said. "We're just so proud of what she's accomplished and the inspiration that she has created for us."

Fellow Gimli curler Steen Sigurdson also watched Sunday's final.

"It was good to see them win for the third time in a row. It means a lot to the town," Sigurdson said. "It's nice to have a champion in your town … and she's a good representative for our curling rink."