Three teams who represented Manitoba in the 2026 Olympic qualifying process are the top
three seeds in CurlManitoba’s RME Women of the Rings Championship presented by Case IH.

The three are all ranked in Canada’s top 12 on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS).

The top seeded team in the event which takes place at the Riverview Community Centre in
Rivers, beginning December 30, is skipped by Kaitlyn Lawes-Heather. The five-time Manitoba Women’s champion is supported by Selena Njegovan, Jocelyn Peterman, Kristin Gordon and Coach Marcel Roque.

The Lawes team qualified for the championship based on their 2024-25 CTRS ranking. They
started this season strong, winning an early season Edmonton event, they have qualified in two other events since and are ranked #6 on CTRS.

The second seed, as determined by the competing teams, is the defending champion Kate
Cameron-Ste. Adolphe team. Cameron returns with Brianne Harris added to the line-up along with returning Taylor McDonald and Mackenzie Elias. They are coached by Derek Samagalski.

Team Cameron has qualified in five events this season with two finalist finishes. They are the11 th ranked CTRS team.

The top two seeds both competed in the Canadian Curling Trials while the third seed was a Pre-Trials competitor team.

The third seed is last year’s finalist Beth Peterson-Assiniboine Memorial returning with the same line-up (Kelsey Calvert, Katherine Remillard, Melissa Gordon-Kurz). A year ago, Team Peterson lost the RME Women’s final 7-6, tied coming home with Team Cameron. The year previous, Team Peterson had lost 9-8 to Kaitlyn Lawes in the final.

Team Peterson won a CurlManitoba Bonspiel Berth to qualify for this year’s championship and are currently ranked #12 on CTRS. They have a championship, a finalist finish and a semi- finalist finish on their records this year.

The next two seeds are #4 Lisa McLeod – Pembina (Christine MacKay, Emily Cerwinski, Jolene Callum, Coach Lyall Hudson), winners of an MCT Berth and #5 Kristy Watling – East St. Paul (Laura Burtnyk, Emily Deschenes, Sarah Pyke), winners of a CurlManitoba Bonspiel Berth.

McLeod’s team is ranked #20 and Watling is #21 on the CTRS.

Hailey McFarlane’s Rivers team will be the home-town favourite in the Riverview Community
Centre Arena while rural teams from Carberry (Alyssa Calvert) and Manitou (Cheyenne Ehnes) will also attract Westman curling fans.

Along with the teams from Pembina and Assiniboine Memorial, there is a single entry from
Winnipeg’s Granite Club (Lane Prokopowich). With Watling from East St. Paul is the Rachel
Kaatz entry. With Lawes from the Heather are the Sarah Jane Sass and Darcy Robertson
teams.

Robertson will be competing in her record 29th Manitoba Women’s Championship. The three-time champion (2009, 2003, 1986) and 6-time finalist (most recently in 2018) has played more provincial championship games (211) and won more games (136) than any other Manitoba Women’s competitor.

<><><><>Ticket information<><><><>
Event Pass – $125 Early Bird until December 20, 2025 ($150 after December 20)
Day Pass – $40
Last Draw of the day – $20
Children 12 and under are free
Contact riversmbcurlingclub@gmail.com