SACKVILLE, N.B. – There have been some pretty famous rock throwers developed at the Sackville Curling Club during its nearly 70-year history but one of the most decorated is a young woman who just keeps on taking the podium, championship bonspiel after bonspiel.
Currently, Julia Hunter, in her third year of commerce at Mount Allison University, is about to spend a considerable amount of time in the small community of Leduc, Alberta, seeking not one but two national titles.
And that is just the latest.
She was a member of the Tantramar High School Titans, provincial school champions in 2013 and again in 2015, and was on the junior team that won the Atlantic junior championship in 2014.
After graduation from Tantramar, she enrolled at Mount Allison and earlier this year her rink became first in eight as they upended UPEI in the first round and then edged Memorial to win the Atlantic University Sport championship in the event held in Fredericton.
But don’t stop there. She is also a member of the mixed doubles rink that has captured the New Brunswick championship in 2018.
Now local curlers will be watching as she and her Mountie rink, consisting of skip Krista Nix of New Glasgow along with Samantha Doak of Miramichi, and Samantha Crook of Oromocto, will face the cream of the university crop from across the nation in Laduc in the battle for national honours beginning on March 24 through March 28.
When that event is finished she will simply stay in that community and join the mixed doubles rink and again aim for another Canadian crown. Many top curlers have been developed in Sackville over the years – most notably Heather Smith and Ral (Bill) Tracy. Smith led the junior women’s team to a Canadian championship and the group performed well in the world’s in Germany. She continued for many years, leading rinks from Nova Scotia to victory after victory.
Meanwhile, Tracy moved to Arvida, Quebec, where he continued to leave his mark. Winner of four provincial championships and earning berths in the Canadian finals, he also coached junior teams to national events.
Both Smith and Tracy are members of the Sackville Sports Wall of Fame and if Hunter continues her onslaught on national victories it shouldn’t be long before until she joins them on the wall of stars in the Civic Centre.
