O'LEARY, P.E.I. — The opportunity to return to competitive curling with a driven and elite team lured Kathy O’Rourke out of retirement.
O’Rourke, who has not curled competitively for “three or four” years, joined skip Suzanne Birt, third stone Marie Christianson, second stone Meaghan Hughes and lead Michelle McQuaid.
“They called me in the summer to see if I would join the team as an alternate, and I said ‘yes’ to that,” said the 56-year-old O’Rourke, who retired from public accounting with Grant Thornton a year ago. “That gave me some time to spend with the team. The timing for me was good from that perspective.
“It’s been a really great experience so far. They are a great team, and I feel fortunate to be asked to join and be a part of it.”
Teammates
It marks the first time Birt and O’Rourke, both Summerside natives, have been teammates throughout their distinguished careers. Birt has won 12 provincial women’s championships, two Canadian junior women’s championships and a world junior title.
“Suzanne is a fantastic player," said O'Rourke. "Over the last couple of years, I’ve watched this team at the Scotties.
"I really liked their work ethic and the amount of effort they put into moving their game from winning the P.E.I. Scotties to competing at the national stage. I was impressed with how much they have grown over the last three years as a team, and I think that was the reason I said ‘yes’ when they called me to join them.”
“Suzanne is a fantastic player. Over the last couple of years, I’ve watched this team at the Scotties. I really liked their work ethic and the amount of effort they put into moving their game from winning the P.E.I. Scotties to competing at the national stage. I was impressed with how much they have grown over the last three years as a team, and I think that was the reason I said ‘yes’ when they called me to join them.”
- Kathy O’Rourke
O’Rourke also has a lengthy and impressive resumé, including experience playing every position at the Canadian women's curling championship. She threw second stones but called the game, and Erin Carmody handled skip stones for Team P.E.I.’s silver-medal performance at the 2010 national Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
“She was hard to play against, and I’m glad we are on the same side now,” said Birt, 39. “She is a great competitor, and we always had tough games playing against Kathy.”
More time
Birt and O’Rourke have had the opportunity to spend a lot more time together on the ice than anticipated. Christianson lives in Nova Scotia and has been unable to travel to P.E.I. due to COVID-19 restrictions at different times this season. It has resulted in O’Rourke stepping into the role of playing third when required, including last weekend as Team Birt defeated the Darlene London rink 3-0 in the best-of-five series to win the Scotties P.E.I. women’s curling championship.
“She had to step up her alternate role this season,” said Birt. “She is an extra sounding board and brings a lot of confidence to us. We love having her.”
O’Rourke admitted she has played “a lot more” this season than she expected. At the same time, she said it has been good for her to be on the ice, and that experience will help her in her mentorship role.
“I think I gained a lot of insight as to how they operate as a team,” said O’Rourke.
That knowledge may come in handy as Team Birt prepares for the national Scotties in Calgary from Feb. 20 to 28.
Jason Simmonds is the Journal Pioneer's sports reporter.
