Team Chelsea Carey's promising curling season has come to a sudden and disappointing end. The team has disbanded following Karlee Burgess's departure to join Team Kerri Einarson, leaving Carey, Emily Zacharias, and Lauren Lenentine without a team and uncertain about their future.
Team Chelsea Carey began the curling season as one of the top rinks in Canada, with a spot in the national championship seemingly assured. However, the team has experienced a rapid decline in rankings, no longer qualifying for the sport's premier events. The future for its remaining three players is uncertain as their campaign, which started with such promise, effectively ends in just four months. 'There's nothing left to play for,' said coach Glenn Howard. 'So it's really unfortunate.
I guess it is what it is in today's curling world.' The team has disbanded, and I'm no longer coaching them because there's no team.' The departure of third Karlee Burgess on January 2nd for a position on Team Kerri Einarson sealed the team's fate. Burgess's exit left the team short of the minimum required for pre-qualification at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. With the deadline for provincial playdowns passed, any avenues to the February 14-23 national playdowns were closed. In a social media post confirming Burgess's news, the team stated it would 'make announcements in the near future on our team's plans,' but none have materialized. Carey has declined media interviews, including a request made on Wednesday night. The team page on X, formerly known as Twitter, still displays a picture of Carey, Burgess, second Emily Zacharias, and lead Lauren Lenentine. The page has been inactive for nearly three weeks. Howard, who is coaching his son, Scott, and daughter, Carly, at the Ontario playdowns this week, said he spoke with Burgess before her decision. 'It does affect a bunch of us,' Howard said. 'Obviously Chelsea, Emily, Lauren and (I), it does affect quite a bit. That's the unfortunate part of making this type of decision. Karlee by no means took this lightly, but she knew there would be repercussions as a result of it, and that's the hardest part you've got to deal with.' Burgess, who is filling in for injured Team Einarson second Shannon Birchard for the remainder of the season, made her debut with the squad last week at the WFG Masters in Guelph, Ontario. Burgess stated it was a great opportunity, and she was excited about a fresh start. Einarson, a four-time Scotties champion, is ranked second in Canada. Carey, who succeeded Jennifer Jones as skip, began the season at No. 2 but has dropped to 11th. Team Einarson reached the playoffs in its first competition with Burgess in the lineup before losing in the quarterfinals. 'This is the problem with curling: you don't have an owner or a manager or anybody to make these decisions,' Howard said. 'You make them as a player, and it's difficult. But that's the way curling is. There seems to be a lot of changes in curling these days that I'm not used to. It did come as a shock to me.' Team Carey participated in seven events this season but failed to reach a semifinal. The poor results also placed the Winnipeg-based team outside the qualification standard for the 2025 Grand Slam of Curling events. The squad also lost its pre-qualified berth in the Canadian Curling Trials. Zacharias played a limited schedule this season due to work and school commitments. This forced the team to either play as a trio or use substitute players. 'It's really hard,' Howard said of the lineup adjustments. 'You can play it off like it isn't, but it's hard.' TSN reported that Lenentine was joining Team Einarson as an alternate at the Scotties. The Winnipeg-based team, which learned last week that lead Briane Harris was eligible to return from a provisional suspension, is yet to announce its full roster plans. This is the first year that Curling Canada named all three pre-qualified Scotties entries before the start of the season. Last year, the final wild-card team was named on the eve of nationals once the provincial/territorial playdowns were complete. Edmonton's Selena Sturmay — next in line on the 2023-24 rankings list that determines early entry — claimed the vacated Scotties berth while Einarson secured the spot for the trials. 'Karlee is a very flexible curler, she can play any position,' Howard said. 'She's obviously going to be a really good fit for them. Upbeat, outgoing, great teammate.'
CURLING TEAM CAREY KARLEE BURGESS TEAM EINARSON SPORTS NEWS CANADIAN CURLING
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Einarson Adds Burgess, Carey's Team Loses SpotsTeam Kerri Einarson welcomes Karlee Burgess, while Team Chelsea Carey loses qualification spots following Burgess' departure.
Read more »
Team Einarson Adds Burgess, Carey's Team Loses BerthsKarlee Burgess joins Team Einarson replacing injured Shannon Birchard. Chelsea Carey's team loses Scotties and Trials berths due to roster changes.
Read more »
Team Einarson adds Karlee Burgess to lineup after her departure from Team CareyWhen Shannon Birchard's knee injury flared up last month, it set in motion a series of events that changed the look of two teams and impacted the biggest Canadian women's curling championships of the year.
Read more »
Karlee Burgess Joins Team Einarson, Leaving Team Carey in Uncertain FutureKarlee Burgess, a three-time world junior champion curler, makes a surprising move to join Team Kerri Einarson as an injury replacement, leaving her long-time team, Team Chelsea Carey, in a state of uncertainty.
Read more »
Karlee Burgess Joins Team Einarson After Leaving Chelsea CareyKarlee Burgess made a bold move in women's curling, leaving Team Chelsea Carey to join Team Kerri Einarson as an injury replacement. This switch has significant implications for both teams, with Burgess aiming for a fresh start and potential success with a championship-winning team.
Read more »
Burgess Leaves Carey Team for EinarsonKarlee Burgess, a three-time world junior curling champion, has left Team Chelsea Carey to join Team Kerri Einarson as an injury replacement for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Read more »