Actual Reasons 2-time Olympic curler Lisa Weagle joined Quebec’s St-Georges rink as lead
Two-time Olympian Lisa Weagle will return to the four-player game next season as the lead for the Laval, Que.,-based team skipped by Laurie St-Georges.
Weagle, who won a world title in 2017 on a team skipped by Rachel Homan, represented Canada at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She was also a member of the five-player team skipped by Jennifer Jones that wore the Maple Leaf at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Weagle stepped away from competitive team curling for the first half of the quadrennial but was still active in mixed doubles with John Epping. Her new four-player rink also includes Jamie Sinclair at third and Emily Riley at second.
“I think the test for me the last couple of years is if I say yes to something, I need to feel excited about it,” Weagle said from Ottawa. “To me, this is a team that’s already really good and they are ready to take the step to the next level.
“It’s something that got me excited and I’m hoping that I can contribute and see what we can accomplish together.”
St-Georges, who’s currently ranked 20th in Canada, made her fourth career appearance as Quebec skip at the national championship last February in Calgary.
She missed the playoffs at 4-4.
“[Lisa] is such a skilled athlete and she understands the game so well,” St-Georges said from Laval. “We were looking for a player who can bring some experience but also skills and be a sweeping asset to the team.
“Playing mixed doubles against her, I saw her making critical shots and obviously her background is just incredible.
“I still really love the game,” Weagle said. “So when this opportunity came … I felt like this was the right fit at the right time.”
She added that getting more reps in a competitive setting would also complement her mixed doubles game. The Olympic trials in that discipline are set to begin Dec. 30 in Liverpool, N.S.
St-Georges posted a 32-19 record last season. A vacancy at the lead position was created when the team parted ways with Kelly Middaugh last month.
