The Charles Jago Northern Sports Centre will house a Canadian curling icon.
Six-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts Champion and 2014 Winter Olympics gold medallist Jennifer Jones is touching down in Prince George on Wednesday for the 5th annual UNBC Timberwolves Legacy Breakfast, supporting athletic scholarships at the post-secondary institution.
The public speaking engagement will also mark the first time Jones has stepped foot in the northern capital.
“In my opinion, this is one of the best things about curling is the people you meet and share your stories and just see it from a different perspective so I’m absolutely thrilled to be coming.”
The 44-year-old from Winnipeg and her team from the St. Vital Curling Club, which includes Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer, Dawn McEwen as well as newcomer Jocelyn Peterman have been a model of consistency in the sport for nearly 15 years.
Even to this day, Jones still has to pinch herself at how successful her rink has been for so long.
“When I first started out I never even dreamed of winning one, even going to the Scotties is all I could ever imagine and to win six is just crazy to me and there is not really one that stands out more than the other and that’s what’s been great and is one of the reasons why we have had longevity, it’s still just as exciting now as it was 20 years ago.”
“I’ll never forget winning our first one, I’ll never forget standing on top of the podium winning Olympic Gold or winning a World Championship, which was in Vernon and it was unbelievable to stand up and hear the national anthem for the first time.”
— Jennifer Jones (@jjonescurl) February 22, 2019
Jones’ message at the breakfast is for everyone in attendance to enjoy every moment that comes along in their life.
“Every little moment that life has to offer, every little snippet in a day that you don’t want to take for granted, just be in the moment, be present and don’t let anyone knock you down or make you feel guilty about the choices that you’ve made and that anything is possible if you dream big.”
Like any high-level athlete, you learn to deal with the highs and lows of the sport, Jones is no different than anyone else her sport, but deals with it in a straightforward manner.
“I’ve always had a really good perspective. We play because we love it, I love being on the ice and love the feeling of competing so it’s never been the trophies or the accolades at the end of the day that give us our joy and excitement. Winning is a lot of fun don’t get me wrong but the experience is why we go to the rink every day.”
Jones was recently named the top skip at the recently completed Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where she shared the stage with Officer and McEwen who were also named best lead and second.
‘“It means the world to be honest, when you start playing you never think you are going to be named by your peers and people that you respect as the greatest of all time and it’s something I’m always going to be humbled by and thankful for.”
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it.”
She hopes to make a return visit to Prince George in 2020 where the Northern Capital will play host to the Women’s World Curling Championships (March 14-22) at CN Centre.
“It’s pretty much one of the best curling events we have ever been at and Vernon was the same thing, to be Team Canada in Canada in a community that’s just so excited to have the world championships is second to none so I’m hoping this is one of a couple of trips to Prince George and it’s definitely a goal of ours to get back again and Prince George would be unbelievable.”
Jones has appeared at the Scotties 14 times and has appeared at the Worlds on six different occasions.
The breakfast has raised more than $250,000 since its inception.
Other notable Canadian sports personalities and athletes that have made the trip to Prince George for the event include Michael Landsberg, Theo Fleury, Michael “Pinball” Clemons, and Hayley Wickenheiser.
#TeamCanada ready to go for the #STOH2019 Opening Ceremonies! pic.twitter.com/yexlVIZ7dK
— Team Jennifer Jones (@TeamJJonesCurl) February 16, 2019
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