Female representation in focus as Newfoundland and Labrador starts 2–0 at the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship

There is only one team on the ice at the 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship with three female curlers and one male, and Tuesday afternoon saw the squad from St. John’s N.L. pick up its second win of the tournament.

Team Newfoundland and Labrador (2-0; St. John’s) put on a dominant performance at the Boucherville Curling Club in Boucherville, Que., with a 14-1 win over Team New Brunswick (0-2; Saint John).

Skip Cecilia Carroll is no stranger to having a female-dominant team with her on the ice, as Newfoundland and Labrador frequently sends a team to the Canadian championship with plenty of female representation.

“When I started 14 years ago, we also had three women and one male, and then, for a while, we had two of each,” said Carroll. “I’m also one of four female skips. It’s so great to see so many women involved, especially because for years, we’ve been the only team that had three women and one man. It’s usually the opposite.”

Carroll credits her coach, Leslie Anne Walsh, for playing a huge role in getting women involved in curling and for her expertise in the game.

“[Walsh] does a lot of work getting more women in the sport,” said Carroll. “And she’s been with the wheelchair curling program since before I started. She’s a fabulous coach. I mean, she knows the game inside and out.”

Walsh has become a leader in introducing women to curling, especially evident in her role in launching a program called Women on the Rock in 2022 to encourage more participation in curling regardless of age or ability.

“I’m always trying to be an advocate for women, and I’m always trying to give people opportunities to play,” said Walsh. “Now, in Newfoundland, we have over 100 women curling and volunteering. We’ve begun to overgrow our women’s programs.”

Carroll and Walsh hope to see more equal representation in wheelchair curling going forward. Their momentum has translated to success on the ice as well, where Carroll and Walsh are joined by third Felix Green, second/vice-skip Katie Hubbard, and lead Christine Lavallée.

In the second end of Tuesday afternoon’s game, Carroll’s crew picked up a 7-0 lead heading into the third end. A miss by New Brunswick skip Sarah Benevides promoted an opposing stone, helping Newfoundland and Labrador sit four with only the skips’ last rocks to come. Carroll drew to the button to make it five, and Benevides’ final draw attempt for a single point slid through the house, resulting in a steal of five.

The fall for Team New Brunswick was surprising considering its solid showing Tuesday morning against a strong Team Saskatchewan (3-0; Moose Jaw). The game had come down to the last couple of rocks in the eighth end and only ended in Saskatchewan’s favour by one point.

In other Draw 3 action, Team Saskatchewan beat Team Nova Scotia (0-2; Sackville) 8-5, Team Ontario (2-0; Schomberg) bested Team British Columbia #2 (0-2; Victoria) 7-3, and Team Manitoba (1-2; Winnipeg) recorded its first win of the week, overpowering Team British Columbia #1 (1-1; Delta/Kelowna) 10-4.

Tuesday morning’s draw also featured Team Northern Ontario (1-1; Thunder Bay) delivering an 11-0 shutout over Team Nova Scotia and Team Quebec #1 (2-0; Magog) dominating Team Manitoba 12-1.

The 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship continues Tuesday with a draw at 7 p.m. (all times Eastern).

The playoffs begin on Thursday, April 30, at 3 p.m. and conclude on Saturday, May 2.

For the second year in a row, the championship is taking place alongside the Défi sportif AlterGo, an event that hosts nearly 6000 athletes with disabilities.

For live scores, team lineups, and schedule information, click here.

Tickets to the 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship are free of charge. For directions to the venue, click here.

Live streaming is available on Wheelchair Curling Canada’s Facebook page.