Female Athlete of the Week: Colleen Pinkney

This week’s female Athlete of the Week is Colleen Pinkney of Truro, Nova Scotia.

Colleen Pinkney

Birthdate: April 20, 1957 Birthplace: Truro, Nova Scotia Hometown: Truro, Nova Scotia Curling Club: Truro Curling Club Current Team: Team Pinkney Position: Skip Delivery: Right Nickname: n/a Getting to know Colleen Pinkney You may rest assured that when Colleen Pinkney threw her first curling rock growing up in Nova Scotia, she had no idea she’d be throwing the most important stone of her career to date halfway around the world. But Pinkney didn’t let her surroundings — the quaintly named Ural Lightning Ice Palace in Chelyabinsk, Russia — distract her; she made the takeout to score four in the 10th end for an 8-4 victory over Renate Nedkoff of Switzerland. The win capped a year of anticipation for Pinkney and her Truro team of third Wendy Currie, second Karen Hennigar and lead Susan Creelman, who claimed the Canadian senior women’s championship a year earlier in Summerside, P.E.I., with Pinkney earning All-Star Skip honours But the long wait obviously didn’t have an effect as Canada went 7-0 in the round-robin in Chelyabinsk before dispatching Ingrid Meldahl of Sweden in the semifinal. That victory earned Pinkney and her crew the 2010 Nova Scotia Curling Association’s Team of the Year award for the second straight year. Pinkney has also won provincial titles at the women’s level — in 2003 as Nancy McConnery’s vice-skip and in 1988 as the second for Judy Burgess — and also won the provincial mixed crown in 2007 as Peter Burgess’s third, and won the bronze medal at the mixed nationals in Calgary. Pinkney has also devoted time to building the sport of curling; she has her Level 3 Coaching Practical and Technical certification and volunteers at her home club in Truro. She also is an avid equestrian, and volunteered with her local police department, helping to train its mounted patrol.

Click thumbnail to enlarge (Photo: [email protected])

Click thumbnail to enlarge (Photo: [email protected])

Click thumbnail to enlarge (Photo: [email protected])

Quick Hits with Colleen Pinkney Do you have any superstitions? “My team would laugh if I said no! We have a lot of fun following the same rituals when we’re playing well; once we lose a game, though, we switch things up!” If you could be a star any other sport, what would it be, and why? “Golf! I find golf extremely challenging; to master that sport and win consistently would be pretty incredible.” If you could change any rule in curling, which one would it be, and why? “I really don’t have a problem with any of the rules.” What music do you like to listen to before a game? “Our team has some favourite pre-game songs; one being a Burton Cummings upbeat song! We play these on the way to the game. No matter how many times we play them, though, we still don’t know the words! We laugh at that every time (we are seniors, though)!” Favourite: — Website? “Facebook” — Order from Tim Hortons? “Cinnamon raisin bagel, double toasted with butter and a medium coffee with milk.” — Vacation destination? “I love cruises!” — Junk food? “One bite of a peanut butter cup, followed by some plain, salty chips!!!!” Do you have any pet peeves? “When someone says they are going to do something, and they don’t follow through.” Three things you always travel with? “Comfy pants, a magnifying mirror, and “crack filler” (a.k.a. make-up)!” First thing on your Bucket List? “To curl in another Canadian championship!” Favourite pastime between draws at cashspiels? “Relaxing with my teammates.” One thing most people don’t know about you? “That I am afraid of heights!” What is the biggest misconception about curlers? “I used to find that some non-competitive curlers felt competitive curlers weren’t very nice; well, my team has done our part in changing that. We get involved in whatever fun event we can and encourage new curlers.” Your ideal shot to win an Olympic gold medal: “I would choose the same shot I had in the world final: an outturn take-out. Our winning shot involved my throwing, Wendy’s line-calling, and Karen and Susan’s sweeping — a real team shot; we could all take credit for doing our part!”