St-Georges trying to carve historic path for Quebec at Scotties
23-year-old and her team are having a lot of fun along the way
They came into the Scotties with no expectations and now they lead the way in Pool B.
Five games into the women's national curling championship, the young team out of Quebec has won four of their first five games and have quickly become rock stars across the country.
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"We had no expectations. We're just coming here, playing our games and having fun," said team skip, Laurie St-Georges. "Soak it all in and hey, we're actually playing really good."
St-Georges was the lead guest Monday night on That Curling Show, basking in the spotlight after yet another victory, an 8-7 win over Wild Card One's Chelsea Carey. This is the team's first time competing at the Scotties and they seem unfazed by the big moment.
"I'm actually playing my best event and my only event of the year. So it's pretty amazing," St-Georges said.
It's a family affair for St-Georges, who's playing alongside her sister Cynthia. Her dad, Michel, is the coach. The St-Georges family practised on a curling rink Michel created on their backyard pool.
"That was amazing. The ice was great," St-Georges said during the show. "Thanks to Michel."
Do you see the resemblance? <br><br>Laurie St-Georges has been told she looks like a certain movie character who is very comfortable with ice ❄️ <a href="https://twitter.com/CurlRockStars?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CurlRockStars</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBCCurl?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CBCCurl</a><br><br>Watch along live: <a href="https://t.co/Afe1UvPMcu">https://t.co/Afe1UvPMcu</a> <a href="https://t.co/KLmUnBx4S5">pic.twitter.com/KLmUnBx4S5</a>
—@CBCOlympicsSt-Georges and her team are capturing the hearts and minds of curling fans across the country; their Twitter handle, @CurlRockStars, seems fitting.
Some have said St-Georges, 23, looks like Elsa from the movie Frozen or Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.
"I look like Frozen. Do you think?" she said, laughing.
"We're just here having fun, enjoying the moment and I think that's why we're performing right now."
Quebec has never won a Scotties title. The closest it has come is when Marie-France Larouche lost in the championship game to Colleen Jones in 2004. Larouche also finished third in 2009.
St-Georges says Larouche was her idol growing up. Now she's trying to carve her own historic path for her province.
WATCH | That Curling Show: Quebec team making their mark:
"I think the key is to enjoy. For our team, enjoy. Keep calm. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe," she said.
With no fans in the crowd, St-Georges says the team is able to stay calm under pressure, or at least try to stay calm.
"It's more calm on the ice. Well, I"m not calm. I'm pretty intense. I'm making a lot of noise," she said. "We can actually hear each other. We can communicate well. So I think it's an advantage for us not to have a big crowd."
Quebec will play Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick to finish out their preliminary play. The top four teams from each pool advance to the playoffs. And right now it seems as though Quebec is poised to make it, smiling along the way.
"It's such a beautiful game, curling. Isn't it?" St-Georges said. "It's such a good feeling being at the Scotties."
