Former Liverpool resident has Hearts

“It’s still kind of surreal, but super exciting,” says Crouse. “We were the underdogs to win. We were considered a contender, but not the favourite to win just because Mary-Anne (Arsenault, last year’s champion) was there.”

Her team is comprised of Skip Nancy McConnery, Lead Jill Thomas, Second Sheena Gilman and Crouse plays Third.

Crouse says the last game was tight, with more misses than usual on both sides during the first five ends. “Both teams got a bit caught up with the ice. It hadn’t been doing what it had done earlier in the week.”

At intermission after the fifth end, Crouse’s team was down by two with the hammer. Their coach, Carol MacLean came out and told them ‘regardless if you take two, just score’.

During the sixth end they tied the game, and Crouse says after that they were going on momentum.

After blanking the eighth end, Crouse and her team were up 5-4. The ninth end however sealed the deal. “In the 9th end, Jill our lead - her first shot was right on the pin. She just put it beautifully.”

Arsenault’s team, looking to score two points, put up a guard. The other team also tried to freeze it, but it hit and rolled off.

Crouse’s team by then had a few good hit and rolls, with lots of ‘junk’ around protecting their stones.

The final stone from Mary-Anne Arsenault was a risky one, trying to make an in-off to reach the pin and steal two. The shot didn’t go as planned, and Crouse’s team kept their lead. “At that point I realized we were up three without hammer, and that we’re going to win this. Then you have to settle yourself down and throw your last shot.”

With teammate Sheena Gilman, they peeled their shots, in order to run the other team out of rocks. The final score was 7-4.

This victory is especially sweet for both Crouse and Gilman, since both had never made it to the nationals before. “She has a record much like me. We’ve both lost a couple provincial finals, and a couple of semis,” says Crouse. “We both felt the pain of never getting to the nationals before now.”

The crowds were thrilled too, since they knew she was the only player in the finals from the South Shore. “At the final game, because of my South Shore roots, I’d say about 75 per cent of the people were cheering for us.”

Now her team heads off to the nationals, to face the likes of defending champion Jennifer Jones. “We certainly have our work cut out for us at the National Level.”

The winner of the nationals will then be eligible to head to the worlds, taking place in South Korea in March.