By Laurie St-Georges, Curling Day in Canada Influencer
Throwing stones and sweeping ice since the age of five – Laval, Quebec’s Laurie St-Georges is no stranger to curling. With her family by her side, she is on the fast track to making a name for herself in the sport and inspiring the next generation of curlers to discover how curling can take them a lot more places than just bonspiels.
At only 24 years of age, Laurie still considers herself to be a rookie, but the curling club is where she did much of her growing up.
“I am still just a baby curler,” explains Laurie. “I grew up at the curling club with my parents playing in the league. I was sleeping on the couches, and everyone at the club would help take care of me.”
Today, both her younger sister Cynthia St-Georges and her father, Michel St-Georges act as her lead and their team’s coach, respectively.
“When we were younger we used to call him ‘Dad’ on the ice; at first it was hard to talk to him as a ‘coach’.”
This difficulty, however, quickly transformed into an advantage upon which the team from Quebec now capitalizes. Spending more time together as a group, both on and off the ice, coach Michel St-Georges emphasizes areas of communication and mental focus amongst the entire team, and those elements continue to progress in all kinds of positive ways.
“My dad compares curling to a train,” Laurie said.
“He is often saying, ‘Curling is a train that will take you where you want to go.’ It’s about how the game, the strategy, and the teamwork elements all help to make you a better person in life.”
Being a great teammate and competitor is a big part of Laurie’s focus in the game, and that was never more recognizable than in her being named as the 2021 Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award recipient – a sportsmanship award, voted on by all competitors, at the annual Scotties Tournament of Hearts, held to crown the Canadian women’s curling championship team.
Always keen to inspire or support others, Laurie felt the award really changed her perspective of her place amongst the best in the world.
“I realized at the Scotties when I won the sportsmanship award – that it was a gift – you are part of the community and a big welcome to the curling family.”
Most recently, the steely-eyed, Laurie St-Georges was compared to Disney’s Frozen character, Elsa – and journalists referred to her game-play as containing elements of “no fear”, but while she loved the levity and positive vibes of the moment, it also sparked a connection to her inner strength that she is working very hard to hone.
“I am not a princess. I have my issues and know that everyone needs to work on something […] I work on my confidence with my sports psychologist. […]I looked like I had no fear because I was playing the game and I wanted to be there!”
For Laurie, team unity is the key, “You win as a team and lose as a team.”
So, what is Laurie St-Georges’ biggest piece of advice to other athletes who are getting into the game (which, of note, she reminds herself of every single event)?
“Don’t rush it and trust the process – enjoy the moment and take the shots!”
There are entertaining, accomplished, and inspirational stories happening throughout the Canada-wide curling community, all year long — share yours for the chance to win a 2023 Tim Hortons Brier prize package!
Story submission deadline 11:59 PM (ET) on January 23, 2022. Full contest details, here
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