SCOTTIES: Major events huge for Zacharias’ development

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This article was published 15/12/2021 (1632 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CARBERRY — Since her last trip to the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2018, Mackenzie Zacharias has put together a resume that many curlers can only dream of. 

Heading into this week’s women’s provincial playdowns in Carberry, the 22-year-old from Altona has captured two Manitoba junior titles, won a Canadian and world junior championship, and competed at both the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Olympic Pre-Trials during this calendar year. 

“The first time that I was here at the provincials (2016) was when I was 16 and there’s so much that I’ve learned between then and now,” Zacharias said following an 8-6 win over Terry Ursel’s Neepawa Curling Club-based rink Wednesday afternoon.

“There are so many things that you learn from playing those older teams and competing in those big time events that we’re applying here in our return to the Scotties, which I think is going to be a big advantage for us this week.”

With the Canadian Juniors traditionally taking place during the Manitoba Scotties, Zacharias and her younger sister Emily (who throws second stones for the rink) have only made two trips to the provincials.

They finished well back of the playoff picture in 2016 and were tied for third in their pool two years later. 

While lead Lauren Lenentine skipped her Prince Edward Island rink to a provincial final back in 2018, the team’s third Karlee Burgess (a three-time Canadian and World Junior champion) is competing in her first women’s provincial championship this week. 

“I really wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Burgess, who won three Canadian and world junior titles. 

“Growing up in Nova Scotia, you’d usually have around eight teams or so competing at the event, so this is totally different. With the bagpipes playing before each draw and the decorations all around the building, it almost feels like a national event.” 

The formation of the Zacharias rink started at the 2019 Canadian juniors in Prince Albert, Sask., where Burgess was the third on Kaitlyn Jones’ Nova Scotia squad.

After meeting the sisters during the competition, she got in touch with Mackenzie shortly after the season, thanks to a connection she had through her boyfriend and fellow curler Jacques Gauthier. 

“I had one year left in juniors and I knew that I wanted to make another run at going to the worlds,” said Burgess, who won a gold medal in 2018 with Jones and in 2016 with Mary Fay. 

“I knew that I wanted to move West at some point, but I didn’t think it would be that quickly, but once I started messaging Mackenzie to see if she was interested, she was on board. We knew that we needed another player if we wanted to reach our goal of reaching the Olympic Trials, so we contacted Lauren and she was in right away.”

The group was successful right out of the gates as they ran the table at the Canadian juniors in 2020 before capturing the world title ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also earned enough Canadian Trials Ranking System (CTRS) points during that season to earn one of the three wild cards in the Calgary bubble Scotties, where they posted a 3-5 record.

Their goal of reaching the Olympic Trials in Saskatoon came up short, however, as they lost to Corryn Brown in a quarterfinal contest at the Pre-Trials two months ago in Liverpool, N.S.

“Those events really taught us how to handle different situations and how to bounce back from tough losses,” Zacharias said. “We learned how to be determined in those competitions, especially at the world juniors and the Scotties, where you had to grind out wins and never give up if you wanted to stay in the hunt.”

“It really is a grind when you get to those big events, especially with how close these top teams are,” Burgess added. “It’s not just a weekend competition when you get to a provincial or a national event. It’s a whole week of curling, so we’ve made sure that we are prepared and in a good routine once we get there.”

With the entire rink in their early twenties, Zacharias and Burgess are excited to see what the future has in store for the team.

“It’s pretty cool to think of all the major events we’ve been to over the last three years, especially in the middle of the pandemic,” Burgess said. “We all have the same goals and I think being able to play at the Scotties and the Pre-Trials is huge for us moving forward.

“We have a lot of fun together and I get to play with three of my best friends,” Zacharias added. “What else could you ask for.”

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