Jennifer Jones to retire from women’s curling at end of season
Jennifer Jones, one of the greatest skips of all time, will retire from women’s curling at the end of the season.
The 10-time Grand Slam of Curling title winner made the announcement Tuesday on social media.
Jones said she will continue to play mixed doubles with her husband, Brent Laing.
“I have been so privileged to play thousands of games — the Olympics, national and world championships, Grand Slams, and so much more — domestically and internationally,” Jones said in her post. “Curling has challenged me, changed me and called me to be a better person, and I will be forever grateful.”
“I have a deep appreciation for my teammates, who have shared so much more than the time on the ice,” she added. “We have shared in the electricity of arenas and fans, and in the quiet times of planning, training, and thinking about our lives. The team I now play with is very special to me. I am grateful to end this part of my career with these friends, and I can’t wait to see what their future holds.”
Jones captured gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games as her team became the first women’s club to go undefeated through the Olympic tournament. She has also won two world championships and six Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles.
Jones skipped the Canadian women’s team for a second time at the Winter Olympics during the 2022 Beijing Games.
Jones will compete in her 18th Scotties Tournament of Hearts starting this Friday in Calgary with her Manitoba-based team featuring third Karlee Burgess, second Emily Zacharias and lead Lauren Lenentine. The winner of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts will represent Canada on home ice at the world women’s curling championship, March 16-24, in Sydney, N.S.
The season wraps up with the Princess Auto Players’ Championship, April 9-14, at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. The top 12 teams in the men’s and women’s divisions based on the world rankings as of March 11 are invited to the Grand Slam of Curling finale. Jones is currently No. 5 in the women’s rankings.