Shannon Birchard

Shannon Birchard
Curler ♀
Born (1994-05-11) May 11, 1994
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Team
Curling club Thistle CC[1],
Winnipeg, MB
Skip Kerri Einarson
Third Val Sweeting
Second Shannon Birchard
Lead Briane Meilleur
Career
Hearts appearances 1 (2018)
World Championship
appearances		 1 (2018)
Top CTRS ranking 13th (2017-18)
Medal record
Representing  Canada
World Championships
2018 North Bay
Representing  Manitoba
Scotties Tournament of Hearts
2018 Penticton
Canadian Junior Curling Championships
2012 Napanee
2013 Fort McMurray

Shannon Birchard (born May 11, 1994 in Winnipeg, Manitoba[2]) is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She currently plays second on Kerri Einarson's team in Gimli, Manitoba.

Junior career

Birchard won two provincial junior championships in her junior career, in 2012 and 2013 as a skip.[3] At the 2012 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, Birchard led her team of Selena Kaatz, Kristin MacCuish and Mariah Mondor to a 10-2 round robin record, giving her rink a bye to the finals, where she lost to Alberta's Jocelyn Peterman. At the 2013 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, she led her team of Nicole Sigvaldason, Sheyna Andries and Mondor to a 9-1 record before the playoffs. There, she won the semifinal game against Ontario's Jamie Sinclair before losing in the final to Corryn Brown's British Columbia rink. She was not able to defend her Manitoba title in 2014 or in 2015, when she lost in the final.

Women's career

After failing to win a third provincial junior title, Birchard played in her first women's provincial championship (the Manitoba Scotties) in 2014 with Nicole Sigvaldason, Kelsey Boettcher and Megan Sigvaldason. The team finished the tournament with a 1-6 record.

Birchard returned to the Manitoba Scotties in 2016 with her 2013 junior team. There, she found more success, making the playoffs after posting a 6-1 record. In the playoffs she beat Cathy Overton-Clapham, but then lost in the semifinal to Kerri Einarson.

Her team played in the 2017 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts, again making the playoffs after winning a tiebreaker game after a 4-3 record. However, she would lose to Darcy Robertson in their only playoff game. Birchard won the Manitoba Mixed doubles title that year[4] and played in the 2017 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship with partner Jason Gunnlaugson. They went 5-2 after group play, but were eliminated in the round of 12 against Marliese Kasner and Dustin Kalthoff.

Birchard and her team began the 2017-18 curling season by winning the 2017 Colonial Square Ladies Classic, after beating defending Olympic champion Jennifer Jones in the final. She played vice for Jones on Team Manitoba at the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, with Jones' regular vice Kaitlyn Lawes absent in preparation for the mixed doubles tournament of the 2018 Winter Olympics.[5] They would go on to win the Scotties after defeating fellow Manitoban, Kerri Einarson in the final. After the win Birchard said that "It's pretty unbelievable. I don't even have words right now, I'm speechless. I'm so overjoyed and so happy that they chose me to come along. This has been a dream of mine for a really long time."[6] With Lawes returning to the team following the Olympics, Birchard became the alternate for Team Canada at the 2018 World Women's Curling Championship. In their matches against the Czech and Italian teams, Birchard had a chance to play in the second half, replacing Lawes and Jill Officer in each of their games well under control.[7][8] She had a chance to play a full game, replacing Officer in their match against Japan.[8] The team went undefeated through the whole tournament, winning the extra-end final against the reigning Olympic champions, Team Hasselborg of Sweden.[9]

For the 2018-19 curling season, Birchard joined a new team with Kerri Einarson, Valerie Sweeting, and Briane Meilleur, all former skips.[10]

Personal life

Birchard attended the University of Winnipeg. She is employed as an administrative assistant with River City Ford.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Shannon Birchard profile". Curling Canada. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  2. ↑ 2017 Home Hardware RTTR Media Guide
  3. ↑ http://23009-presscdn.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Manitoba-Honour-Roll.pdf
  4. ↑ "Gunnlaugson, Birchard win mixed doubles provincials". Interlake Spectator. February 9, 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  5. ↑ "Jennifer Jones recruits Shannon Birchard to play national curling championship". CBC News. January 16, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Jennifer Jones claims record-tying 6th Scotties championship". CBC Sports. February 4, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Alternate Shannon Birchard makes surprise appearance as Jones wins twice at worlds | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  8. 1 2 "Minus Jill Officer, Canada clinches top spot at World Women's Curling Championships". Ottawa Sun. 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  9. ↑ "Jennifer Jones leads Canada to world women's curling championship title | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  10. ↑ Spencer, Donna (9 October 2018). "Canadian women's rink proving 4 skips as good — or better — than 1". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  11. ↑ 2017 Home Hardware RTTR Media Guide
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