Kayla Skrlik and her Garrison Curling Club rink in Calgary earned their first win of the season a couple of weeks ago at the Martensville International in Saskatchewan.

Team Skrlik defeated Amber Holland’s rink 9-1 in the championship match.

Skrlik says the victory was important for the team’s confidence.

“Honestly, it was huge,” he said.

“It was nice to go into the playoffs undefeated and then keep it up. We’ve had a couple of second-place finishes this season that have hurt us, and it was huge for our points and for us.” “We are tracking the Olympic trials in the two years in total, and also the slams to break through.”

New teammate

After struggling last season, Team Skrlik made a change to their lineup.

Brittany Tran is out, replaced by Margot Flemming, who was curling with Kerry Galusha and her rink in Yellowknife.

Flemming was looking for a new opportunity and says he found it in Calgary with the Skrlik team.

So far, he has contributed a lot to the team.

“It’s useful to bring that experience to the team at the national level,” he said.

“And also, just being the sounding board, and I feel like with the team and being the new face and helping the team with the dynamic and just getting us to where we want to be.”

Good fit

Flemming joins second Ashton Skrlik and leads Geri-Lynn Ramsay to form the rest of Team Skrlik.

Kayla Skrlik says Flemming has fit in well on and off the ice.

“Margot has been great for our team dynamic,” the skip said.

“She’s a powerhouse at third. She throws very hard and heavy, so she’s given a lot of depth to our game and we’re able to play different styles of play this year, which has helped us a lot.”

Good work ethic

Shannon Kleibrink, who helps coach Team Skrlik, says she loves the team’s chemistry and work ethic.

“They are very talented from top to bottom and, most importantly, they work very hard,” Kleibrink said.

“They’re really focused on their goals and they have a lot of practice time every week and yeah, they keep me busy.”

Hoping to return to the Scots.

One of the big goals is to return to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Team Skrlik represented Alberta in 2023 and Skrlik says they would love to return there in 2025.

“It would be huge,” he said.

“That’s our common goal for this year: to get back to the Scots.”