'It's time': Part of N.S. curling dynasty taking a step back

Mary-Anne Arsenault isn't done with curling completely, but her days of chasing women's curling championships at the national and international level are over, she says.

Arsenault, 53, moved from Halifax to British Columbia two years ago, ending a legendary run in Nova Scotia curling.

"It's time," she said this week.

She thought she might stay on for one more year in hopes of playing in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Kamloops, B.C. But it wasn't enough to sway her decision.

She will always be linked to Nova Scotia teammates Colleen Jones, Kim Kelly and Nancy Delahunt. That foursome skipped by Jones won five Canadian women's championships from 1999-2004, including four in a row, and won the world championship in 2001 in Switzerland and 2004 in Sweden.

Arsenault has had some success in B.C. curling.

Her women's team out of the Kelowna Curling Club won the provincial women's championship and went on to play in the Scotties in Thunder Bay, Ont. They had three wins and five losses, missing the playoffs.

She also represented B.C. in the Canadian senior women's championship, losing in the final.

She arrived in B.C. in 2020 only weeks ahead of COVID-19 restrictions, effectively shutting down her first season.

This year was different.

"We had a nice finish, winning provincials," she said this week. "But we finished 3-5 at nationals and that stung a little.

"So I really had to think about what I'm willing to put into getting any better results, and then what my team might be able to put in."

She said she still enjoys the game, and plans to play some at the senior women's level, but she's had knee trouble all season and she's unsure how much that knee will allow her to play.

"So that's a problem, too," she said. "And I want