It was their first year curling together as a foursome and their goal was to advance to the Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME) provincial championships that concluded over the weekend in Pilot Mound.
Their spot wasn't guaranteed as they needed to qualify and had the opportunity to do so early in December. In a back-and-forth opening game at their qualifier, they scored a four in the seventh end and held off Team Panagapko, 10-9.
They followed that up by stealing a point in the 11th end to down Team Calvert, 8-7, and with a provincial berth on the line in their next game, it was more of the same. Leading 6-5 heading into the 10th without the last rock, they manufactured a steal of three to earn a 9-5 win and with it, Team McFarlane was heading to the big dance. Featuring a 26-year-old star from Gilbert Plains, the foursome had only played a few events before the qualifier.
Stacy Sime delivered three great performances to help the team consisting of Sime, Hailey McFarlane, Janelle Lach, and Hallie McCannell, qualify for the RME provincials, giving Sime her third chance to compete in the women's provincial championships.
"It felt amazing to qualify, it's always such an incredible feeling to get that chance to play in the provincials," said Sime. "We played two very good teams and came together. We stuck it out and rallied to win the qualifier."
Sime of Gilbert Plains and her team arrived in Pilot Mound early last week alongside 11 other rinks. Team Kerri Einarson and Team Lawes, both powerhouses from Manitoba, did not have to play in the event as they had already qualified for the national championships later this year.
Sime and her team opened the event with a 7-5 loss against Team McLeod. That loss fired the team up and they caught fire, winning five straight games and scoring 44 points. They had jumped atop the standings in their pool and clinched a spot in the championship round, something only five other teams were able to achieve.
"We came out on a little bit of a slow start," commented Sime. "It was a great accomplishment for the group to go on that winning streak and qualify for the championship round. It felt really good, we executed our shots and got on a roll."
Entering the event as the ninth seed, the week's highlight for Sime and her team was beating the top two seeds. They downed the top-ranked Team Cameron, 9-5, and the second-ranked Team Peterson, 9-8.
With a spot in the semi-finals on the line, Team McFarlane opened up a 2-1 lead after two ends in a tiebreaker and rematch against Team Peterson. Down 6-5 entering the 10th without hammer, Sime and her team came up short in a 7-5 defeat.
It ended the team's tournament and while it wasn't the ending they were hoping for, Sime has so many reasons to be extremely proud of herself.
"We were very proud of our fourth-place finish, we were underdogs entering the event," commented Sime. "It was a great feeling for the group and we look forward to getting the chance to qualify for next year's event and improving on this year."
Sime also wants to give a big shoutout to her family and friends back home in the Parkland for their support. The Dauphin Curling Club made several posts on Facebook and Sime was feeling the love.
"It's amazing to have all that support, they were proud of me for even making the provincials," ended Sime. "It's a special feeling knowing everyone was supporting me. Thank you to everyone for your messages and love."
Team Cameron beat Team Peterson in the final to earn their spot in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which will be played from February 14-23 in Thunder Bay.
