By: Women in Curling
Curling has no shortage of talented women – but turning participation into leadership takes intention. That’s what Women in Curling is all about. At its heart is the belief that curling can be a leader in gender equity, offering not just a place for women to participate, but to thrive, lead, and shape the future of the game. Curling is a place where women belong – Women in Curling is making sure they know it.
Much of that vision has been championed by Elaine Dagg-Jackson, one of the first women to work as a professional curling coach in Canada. With decades of experience coaching internationally and at home, Elaine brings a powerful mix of credibility, compassion, and drive to her work leading the Women in Curling Executive Council. From launching webinars to cultivating community through in-person events, she’s been instrumental in creating spaces where women feel seen, supported, and empowered.
We sat down with Elaine to reflect on her coaching journey, the evolution of women’s curling in Canada, and what she hopes the next generation will inherit. Her answers are a reminder of why this work matters—and how far it can go.
Q: Reflecting on your journey, how did your early experiences in curling shape your approach to coaching and leadership within the sport?
Dagg-Jackson: My first inspiration came when I was just a young girl and my dad was a champion. I would follow him around and watch, and he would always tell me that if you set your goals on something, and that you worked really, really hard, you could achieve anything you wanted to. So his experience and guidance when I was young made me think that I could accomplish good things. While I never achieved my personal goals in my curling career, I achieved them very quickly in my coaching career, which just kind of led me to believe that this was where I really belonged, like I had found my place.
Q: In your early coaching career, how did you feel you fit into the sport as a woman?
Dagg-Jackson: Coaching was in its infancy in curling to begin with. There were no jobs for coaches in curling until much later in my career. I had to go international to get a job in curling. When I first started coaching, I was one of very few women involved. When coaching expanded, there were still very few women. It was mostly men in coaching at the higher levels. I believe it’s more equal at grassroots and entry levels like youth, but when you get to high performance, it was less common. Once I decided that I wanted to be a professional coach, I switched my focus, and it was my experience coaching early in my career that gave me credentials. Teams that I coached won medals – went to the Olympics, won the Scott Tournament of Hearts. From there, I had some profile, which inspired me to become more qualified and to increase my confidence in knowing that I really belonged as a coach.
Q: Throughout your coaching career, what shifts have you seen in the landscape of women’s curling in Canada?
Dagg-Jackson: Visibility, for sure. The Scotties Tournament of Hearts was always there for women to look up to in curling, but at that time it was kind of the only thing. It created this beacon of hope and inspiration for women in curling. But the women and girls at my club didn’t necessarily believe that they were going to get there. As years went by, there were more opportunities. You saw more women in commercials, on social media, in the limelight and becoming more well-known, and, much later, getting equal prize money. There used to be quite a difference between some of the things that happened at a men’s national championship and a women’s national championship and then Curling Canada deemed everything needed to be equal. That was a really big day for curling.
Q: What’s the goal of the Women in Curling initiative?
Dagg-Jackson: The original inspiration was: if curling is good at being inclusive to women, how much more would we have to do to be really, really good at it? We look for ways to make it even more wonderful and make curling a leader in gender equity and offer equal opportunities to women.
When we started, it was to provide a place for women to feel like they belonged, to gain confidence, to feel like when they came to the table, there were other women beside them who they could learn with and network with. We want women to feel like there are going to be opportunities to learn new things by listening to topics at webinars or at our conference and by growing their skills through Coaches Rock or helping the next generation discover curling through Girls Rock. The objectives are to provide a safe space for women to connect, learn, and grow.
Q: Why is community so important for women’s participation in curling?
Dagg-Jackson: It’s that great feeling you get when you’re connected to something that everybody has in common. Like you’re in a place where you feel you belong before you even know anybody. Curling is that place. For example, many times in my life I’ve moved to a different city. When you go into the curling rink or the curling club, you belong. Instantly. Somebody looks at you, “You curl?” “Oh, great, come on in.” It provides that instant place to feel like you belong, you feel comfortable, you have friends. I don’t know any other sport like that.
Q: You are so passionate about all levels of women in curling – getting people involved at the club level, running a Girls Rock program, or all the way up to the elite levels of the sport. Why is it such a passion for you?
Dagg-Jackson: It’s such a wonderful place to belong, it’s a wonderful place to be needed, and it’s a wonderful place to make a difference. There’s room for everybody in curling. If you play it, if you watch it, if you’re an official, if you’re a parent supporting a team, if you’re a sponsor – there’s room for everyone. So we have to look everywhere, from young children to older stick curlers and seniors, and people with accessibility concerns—wheelchair curlers, and blind and deaf curlers. There’s a place for everyone in curling. We need places to kind of connect some of those things together. So I believe there has to be some leaders and organizations that have a voice to express this message of belonging in curling. Because I really believe it’s true: there’s a place for everyone, and we need to let everybody know.