Gina Aitken

Gina Aitken (born 17 November 1993) is a Scottish curler from Edinburgh. She won a silver medal as skip of the Scottish women's team at the 2015 World Junior Curling Championships and has competed in the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship five times.

Gina Aitken
Aitken at the 2018 WCT Arctic Cup
Born (1993-11-17) 17 November 1993[1]
Team
Curling clubCurrie & Balerno Curling Club
World Mixed Doubles Championship
appearances
5 (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019)

Curling career

In back-to-back years, 2014 and 2015, Aitken skipped her team to victory at the Scottish Junior Championships, with teammates Naomi Brown, Rowena Kerr, and Rachel Hannen.[3] At the 2014 World Junior Curling Championships Aitken's team finished the round robin with a 3–6 record, missing the playoffs.[4] Returning to the World Juniors in 2015, they found much more success. Aitken and Team Scotland finished the round robin in second place with a 6–3 record. In the page playoffs, Team Scotland defeated the number one seeded Canada in the 1 vs. 2 game and Sweden in the semifinals, thus setting up a rematch with Team Canada in the final. In the final, Canada, skipped by Kelsey Rocque, got their revenge, defeating Scotland 8–2.[5] Earlier in the 2014–2015 season, Aitken and her juniors team also won bronze at the Scottish Women's Curling Championship, Aitken's best finish at that championship.[6]

Aitken has also competed in the Scottish Mixed Curling Championship, playing third for Bruce Mouat in 2015[7] and 2016. At the 2016 Championship they won the bronze medal.[8]

Aitken is also prolific in mixed doubles, where she has won the Scottish Mixed Doubles title five times. The first four championships, Aitken competed with her longtime teammate Bruce Mouat.[9][10] Each Scottish title earned Aitken the right to represent Scotland at the World Mixed Doubles Championship, with her best finish being 4th at the 2016 Championship where they lost to the United States team of Joe Polo and Tabitha Peterson in the bronze medal match.[11]

For the 2018–19 season, Aitken decided to focus on mixed doubles with her new teammate Scott Andrews.[12] Andrews became injured shortly before the Scottish Mixed Doubles Championship, but Duncan Menzies filled in for Andrews and together they won Aitken her fifth Championship.[13] Andrews was healed in time for the 2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, where they finished tied for 9th place, losing to Team Estonia in the first round of the playoffs.[14]

Personal life

Aitken started curling when she was only seven years old[15] and comes from a curling family: her father David won the 1986 World Juniors,[16] her mother Morna has competed at two World Senior Curling Championships,[17][18] her sister Karina was the alternate for Aitken's silver medal winning 2015 World Juniors team,[19] and her sister Tasha has also competed at World Juniors.[20]

Aitken graduated with a degree in Film and French from Glasgow University.[21]

Teams

Women's

Season Skip Third Second Lead Events
2011–12 Gina AitkenKaty RichardsonRowena KerrRachel HannenSWCC (8th)
2012–13 Gina AitkenKaty RichardsonRowena KerrFiona TelferSWCC (7th)
2013–14 Gina AitkenNaomi BrownRowena KerrKaty RichardsonSWCC (5th)
Gina AitkenNaomi BrownRowena KerrRachel HannenSJCC
WJCC (7th)
2014–15 Gina AitkenNaomi BrownRowena KerrRachel HannenSWCC
SJCC
WJCC
2015–16 Gina AitkenRowena KerrLaura RitchieHeather MortonSWCC (7th)
2016–17 Gina AitkenRowena KerrRachael HallidayRachel HannenW. Univ. (5th)
SWCC (5th)
2017–18 Claire HamiltonGina AitkenRachael HallidayRachel HannenSWCC (SF)

Mixed

Season Skip Third Second Lead Events
2014–15 Bruce MouatGina AitkenMark MunroRachel HannenSMxCC (DNQ)
2015–16 Bruce MouatGina AitkenMark MunroRachel HannenSMxCC

Mixed doubles

Season Male Female Events
2012–13 Bruce MouatGina AitkenSMDCC
WMDCC (7th)
2013–14 Bruce MouatGina AitkenSMDCC
WMDCC (9th)
2014–15 Bruce MouatGina AitkenSMDCC (SF)
2015–16 Bruce MouatGina AitkenSMDCC
WMDCC (4th)
2016–17 Bruce MouatGina AitkenSMDCC
WMDCC (11th)
2017–18 Bruce MouatGina AitkenSMDCC (QF)
2018–19 Scott Andrews
Duncan Menzies
Gina AitkenSMDCC
WMDCC (9th)

References

  1. "Gina Aitken". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 4 Dec 2019.
  2. "Team Hamilton - Third". British Curling. Retrieved 4 Dec 2019.
  3. "SCOTTISH JUNIOR CHAMPIONS WOMEN". Scottish Curling. Retrieved 5 Dec 2019.
  4. "World Junior Curling Championships 2014". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 5 Dec 2019.
  5. "World Junior Curling Championships 2015". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 5 Dec 2019.
  6. "2015 Scottish Curling Championships". Scottish Curling. Retrieved 5 Dec 2019.
  7. "2015 Scottish Curling Mixed Championship". Scottish Curling. Retrieved 5 Dec 2019.
  8. "2016 Scottish Curling Mixed Championship". Scottish Curling. Retrieved 5 Dec 2019.
  9. "SCOTTISH MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS". Scottish Curling. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  10. "Scottish Mixed Doubles Success for Gina Aitken". Currie and Balerno CC. 23 Dec 2018. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  11. "World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2016". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  12. McNally, Ryan (14 Jan 2019). "World Curling Tour event at Regina Callie Curling Club attracts Scottish rinks". 620 CKRM The Source. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  13. "Gina Aitken wins her fifth Scottish Mixed Doubles curling title". Edinburgh Evening News. 23 Dec 2018. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  14. "World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2019". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  15. "Gina Aitken - Curling". Champions in Scotland. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  16. "David Aitken". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 4 Dec 2019.
  17. "Morna Aitken". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  18. "IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR THE AITKENS AT WORLD CHAMPS IN NORWAY". British Curling. 19 Apr 2019. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
  19. "Karina Aitken". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 4 Dec 2019.
  20. "Tasha Aitken". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 4 Dec 2019.
  21. Gorrod, John (6 Feb 2017). "Gina Aitken Looking Forward to Continuing her Curling Success". Glasgow Guardian. Retrieved 10 Dec 2019.
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