Estevan Curling Club Manager, Pauline Zeihl-Grimsrud, reflects on the departure of Jennifer Jones as she bid farewell to team curling at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts over the weekend. 

Jones, who hails from Manitoba, had an illustrious career where she acquired an impressive collection of curling titles. She won an Olympic gold medal, two world championships, and six Canadian women’s curling titles.

“It is a remarkable career. And to stay on top and stay relevant for so long is a feat in itself,” said Grimsrud. “She has worked very hard at being a top-level competitive curler, and with the family and the travel, it's remarkable. I really respect her decision at this point, saying, ‘I'm ready to step back,’ and I'm sure that was a very difficult decision for her.”

Grimsrud said that even if you weren’t Jones’ biggest fan, you had to respect her tenacity and talent on the ice.

She noted that some of Jones’ biggest assets were her ability to read the ice, her precision, and the fact that she always had a game plan.

“It will be a dramatic change. And I know the young ladies she's curling with are very talented, and I'm sure they have many years of great curling ahead of them. But I think Jennifer's going to be missed in a significant way.”

Grimsrud said that it was a joy to watch Jones play curling for all these years. She said it will be strange to tune into Scotty’s or Pinty’s or even the Manitoba Finals and not see Jennifer Jones.

“She did have another gear when she wanted, to tune into that. It was remarkable. She's had a great career."