Lisa Weagle and Dawn McEwen are participating in their second Olympics
The Canadian women’s curling team won its first match of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics this morning defeating South Korea 12-7.
The team features Lisa Weagle and Dawn McEwen, two University of Ottawa alumnae who are participating in their second Olympic Games.
Part of the Jennifer Jones team since 2020, this morning’s game marked the first time they played on the same team at the Olympics.
Before leaving for Beijing, both McEwen and Weagle sat down with the Fulcrum to discuss their Olympic dream.
“It will be very special to have this experience with Lisa. It will be great and she is a wonderful addition to the team,” said McEwen.
At her first Olympics in Sochi in 2014, McEwen and her team won the gold medal against Sweden.
Lisa Weagle’s first Olympics were in 2018 in Pyeongchang, although her team finished off the podium, she cherished every moment.
“It was incredible to get the chance to be an Olympian. It was also a dream come true to participate in the Olympics and to wear the maple leaf was special,” said the Ottawa native.
Canada’s sixth-place finish was marred in controversy due to an incident that occurred in their game against Denmark.
“The Danish team burned a stone, so they touched a stone [in motion] which you’re not allowed to do in curling. So my skip decided to remove the stone, basically the way the rules work. This puts the decision making on the team that it happened against instead of the officials,” said the class of 2008 graduate.
For the Beijing Olympics, some local fans will be allowed to attend the matches. For Weagle, it will be special to play in front of some local fans. The Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, their last major tournament held in Calgary, was played behind closed doors due to the pandemic.
“We’re used to that scenario, too. We’re excited to play and we know that Canada’s back at home cheering and watching on TV.”
The goal for the pair remains to bring home a gold medal for Canada
“We’re all going there to try and win. I feel like we’re really prepared, we’re practicing and throwing really well and with confidence. We’ll go out there and lay it all out in the line and see what happens,” said McEwen, who graduated from the U of O in 2004.
For night owls, the women’s curling team will be back in action at 1 a.m. tomorrow morning.
