1992 Sheila Rowan Team
Team (2004)
Curling
Canadian Senior Women's Curling Champions
The 1992 Canadian Senior Women's Curling Champions were from Saskatoon Nutana. Sheila, Donna, Doreen and Joyce marched to the Canadian championship in stirring fashion, finishing in a three-way tie for first place in the round-robin tournament and then winning two playoff games, including an extra-end thriller in the final held at Nipawin.
Vera Pezer skipped the team when it won the Saskatoon city title. Vera went to serve as a sports psychologist with the Canadian team at the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. In Vera's absence, Sheila became skip and Joyce joined the team as lead.
Sheila was presented with the Saskatchewan sweaters after the team defeated Florence Martin of Weyburn, 10-3, in the provincial final.
The chance to go to the Canadian championships was especially satisfying for Donna and Doreen, who had finished second at the nationals on a team skipped by Emily Farnham a year earlier.
At the nationals, the Rowan team won its first seven games in the round-robin tournament but as the final totals were posted on the scoreboard, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta finished in a three-way tie and two other teams were just a game back.
The Saskatoon team defeated Phyllis Raymond of Alberta, 8-1, in the semifinal playoff. The final game was a close one all the way, with Saskatchewan leading 3-2 after six ends and 5-4 after eight ends. After the ninth was blanked, British Columbia got a single on the 10th to tie the score.
A turning point in the game came during the 11th when Donna completed a raise triple-takeout to clear the house. Sheila made a hit-and-stick with her last shot to give Saskatchewan a 6-5 victory.
The scene at the Nipawin Evergreen Curling Club was a joyous one because Saskatchewan rallied under pressure to take the title in front of a hometown audience.
For Sheila and Joyce, the victory podium was familiar territory because each had curled on three straight Canadian women's championship teams, 1971, again in 1972 and again in 1973.