With three members of Team Lawes trying to balance pregnancy with curling at times this season, Selena Njegovan was pleased her squad received an exemption to add an out-of-province replacement player for the national championship.
What was disappointing, Njegovan said, was that only the top five teams in the national rankings were allowed to apply. The Curling Canada decision to limit eligibility for a pregnancy exemption at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts was a hot topic in the sport's circles after details were released with Tuesday's draw. "It's just not fair to the other women and the other teams," Njegovan said from Winnipeg.
After sticking to its decision for three days despite mounting pressure, a Curling Canada about-face finally came Friday afternoon.
In a one-line post on its Twitter account, the organization said all 18 teams would now be eligible. Teams were given about 48 hours to advise Curling Canada of their interest.