‘Don’t write yourself off’: Cori Morris on lessons behind Girls Rock

By: Jolene Latimer

Cori Morris’ path into sport started unusually. As a child in Lanigan, Saskatchewan, she was pigeon-toed and faced a choice: wear a metal bar with corrective shoes or learn to skate. “It looked horrific,” she said of the brace. “Fortunately, my parents opted for skating. You can’t possibly skate pigeon-toed.”

From there, sport became her outlet. She joined figure skating in the small-town rink, fell in love with the rhythm of skating figures, and chased the thrill of landing her first axel. At recess, she played soccer with the boys until organized girls’ teams became available, later joining volleyball despite admitting she “wasn’t very good, but loved it.” She practiced running on the roads of her family farm, where her dad measured out distances so she could sprint back and forth. “The beauty of sport is that when you put work into it, you can fairly quickly see the results,” she said. “That was huge for me.”

Morris didn’t see herself as the standout athlete at school—more academic than all-star—but she chased every opportunity. “School came pretty easy to me, so I was probably known more as an academic than an athlete,” she said. “I was never the first one picked for a team, but I was solid, and I participated in a ton of sports.”

By the end of high school her effort was noticed when she was nominated for Senior Athlete of the Year. She didn’t win, but the recognition stuck with her. “The award that absolutely meant the most to me,” she said. “I had to work so hard for it. It was wonderful to be recognized for my efforts.”

For Morris, sport was never just about medals or championships. “Sport was about persistence, about seeing what you could do if you pushed yourself. That’s what mattered,” she said.

Curling entered the picture as the family sport, picked up around age 10, but Morris didn’t take it seriously until much later. After university in Ottawa, she curled casually with friends from her soccer team, then joined a local club. By her late 20s she was competing, qualifying for provincials, and eventually moving to Calgary, where her career took off. “Not your typical curling pathway,” she said. Still, that late start didn’t stop her from reaching the pinnacle: standing on the podium with Team Cheryl Bernard after winning silver at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Now based in Calgary, Morris is focused on shaping opportunities for others. Through Girls Rock, a program led by Women in Curling, she’s encouraging young girls to discover the joy of sport—and the courage to try something new—through curling.

Q: Why are you so passionate about Girls Rock?

Morris: We often see girls come in who don’t see themselves as athletic, or they haven’t yet found a sport that resonates. Curling has elements from all the other sports I loved—the teamwork of soccer, the individual challenge of figure skating—and it shows girls there are many ways to belong. My story wasn’t about being the most talented kid. I was the one who had to work hard. I want girls to know not to write themselves off.

Girls Rock is a national program that introduces girls to the sport in a fun, confidence-building environment. The program provides resources and guidance for clubs to host events where girls can learn curling basics, meet role-model instructors, and connect with peers. But more than technical skills, the emphasis is on confidence-building by helping participants try something new, overcome nerves, and leave with a sense of belonging.

Q: Is there a story of a participant that stays with you?

Morris: A mom once reached out before an event in Calgary to cancel because her daughter was too shy. She said, “I don’t think she’s comfortable, I don’t think she can do it.” And I asked her, “What would make her more comfortable? What can we do together to help her take that step?” We came up with a plan. I sent her photos of the curling club so she and her daughter could see exactly what the front door looked like, where they would walk in. I told her we’d meet them at the registration table, that she could stay with her daughter as long as she needed, and that I would personally ensure she was paired with the friendliest instructor I knew.

Her daughter did come—nervous at first. By the end of that session, she was smiling, laughing, and high fiving. Her mom came up to me and said, “Cori, you’ve changed her life.” She’d had the best time, and she wanted to sign up again. Those are the moments that remind me why this program matters—it’s not just about curling; it’s about helping girls find the courage to show up and discover that they belong.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you hope the girls take away—even if they don’t stick with curling?

Morris: Courage. I hope they remember: I was strong enough to try something new. So, the next time they’re faced with something scary or uncomfortable, they’ll think, “I’ve been brave before, I can do it again.” Curling is the bonus.

Q: You’ve said one of your favourite messages is, ‘If you think you can’t do it, just add the word yet.’ Why?

Morris: We really stress this with coaches. It doesn’t matter what their technical delivery looks like. This is about trying something new and realizing your body can do things you didn’t expect. If a girl says, “I can’t do this,” we encourage her to add “yet.” That little word changes everything.

Q: What’s it like to watch that transformation unfold in real time?

Morris: It’s the best feeling. Girls come in looking at their toes, clinging to a parent’s hand. By the end, they’re high fiving, cheering each other on, asking how they can do it again. That’s when you know you’ve made an impact.

Q: How is Girls Rock growing nationally?

Morris: Thanks to Kruger Products’ sponsorship, every member association now has resources and funding to support events, in addition to the Girls Rock event we run annually during the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. That means we can reach that many more girls and hopefully spark that same transformation from nervousness to courage right across the country.

Q: What do you hope Girls Rock means for the future of women’s curling?

Morris: Selfishly, of course, I hope they fall in love with curling like I did. But really, it’s bigger than that. I hope they leave knowing they were courageous enough to try something new, that they can carry that lesson into anything else they do. If we’ve planted even a small seed of confidence, then we’ve done our job.

This story will be posted in French as soon as possible at https://www.curling.ca/fr/nouvelles-media/#