Favourite Local Athlete

NJF

1. Jennifer Jones
2. Jonathan Toews
3. Andrew Harris

Unless you live under a rock (no pun intended), or are actively striving to be the worst Winnipegger ever, you have probably heard of local curling sensation Jennifer Jones. Renowned as one of the top female Canadian curlers of the last decade, Jones has been throwing rocks and shouting “hurry!” since she was 11-years-old. 

The Windsor Park native grew up watching both her parents curl at the St. Vital Curling Club and originally turned to the sport to help conquer her self-professed shyness. Her childhood influence proved to be advantageous. From becoming provincial junior champion in 1991, to famously throwing The Shot (a perfect four-point shot in the curling world) at the 2005 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Jones has enjoyed many successes throughout her decades-spanning career. 

But this past year was especially monumental for Jones. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics her team took home Canada’s first women’s curling gold since Nagano in 1998. The win was seized via a stainless 11-0 record - crowning them the first Olympic women’s curling team ever to go unbeaten in competition. And to top off the stellar win, Jones was named top skip of the entire tournament.  

But winning Olympic golds and gaining Canadian sports notoriety is only one facet of Jones’ life - the 40-year-old is just as driven off the ice. The multi-tasking Jones manages to uphold a successful sports and professional career all while raising a family. She graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Law degree in 1999, has since worked in private practice and now works as a lawyer for National Bank Financial. Jones currently resides in Ontario with her partner and fellow curler Brent Laing. She gave birth to their first child, Isabella, in November 2012.

Part of the series: The Uniter 30

Published in Volume 69, Number 15 of The Uniter (January 7, 2015)

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