Kerry Galusha

Kerry Galusha (born Kerry Koe on November 3, 1977 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories) is a Canadian curler. She currently skips her team out of the Yellowknife Curling Club in Yellowknife.^[1]

Career

Juniors

Galusha's first national experience was in 1992 at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships. She was the fifth player for Janet Sian. The team would finish in eleventh place with a 2-9 record. ^[2]

She would return to the junior championships again in 1993, this time playing third stones for Tara Hammer. The team would finish in tenth place with a 2-9 record. ^[3] The team would return again in 1994, finishing with a 5-6 record. ^[4]

By 1995 Galusha was returning to her fourth junior championship, her final year with Hammer. The team would end up finishing round robin with a 3-8 record. ^[5] In 1996 Galusha would return to the juniors once more, this time she would be skipping her own team. The team would finish round robin with a 5-7 record. ^[6]

Galusha would make her final junior appearance in 1998 and again would fail to make the playoffs, finishing round robin with a 2-10 record. ^[7]

1998-2002

Galusha would make her first Scotties appearance at the 1998 Scott Tournament of Hearts as an alternate for Kelly Kaylo. The team would finish round robin with a 5-6 record, missing the playoffs. ^[8]

The 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts, was the first time Galusha would represent the Territories as a skip. Her team finished last place, with a round robin record of 2-9. ^[9] Galusha would return a year later to the 2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, as a fifth player for Monigue Gagnier. The team finished round robin with a 4-7 record. ^[10]

2005-2009

It wasn't until 2005 that Galusha would return to the Scotties, this would be the start of five consecutive years representing the Territories. At the 2005 Scott Tournament of Hearts Galusha would make a slight change, throwing third rocks while skipping the game. The 4th rock thrower was Monigue Gagnier, and the team would finish round robin with a 4-7 record. ^[11]

At the 2006 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Gagnier continued throwing fourth stones, and the team finished round robin with a 2-9 record. ^[12] Galusha would also participate in the 2006 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, as a third for her brother Jamie. The team would finish round robin with a 6-5 record. ^[13]

Galusha would also find difficulties at the 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, her team would again finish round robin with a 2-9 record. ^[14]

Galusha would come into more difficulties at the 2008 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The team would lose their first six games and following draw nine, Galusha would move from throwing third rocks, to lead rocks. The change did not help, as the team lost three more games before winning their first. They would finish round robin with a 1-10 record. ^[15]

In 2009 Galusha's team made history at the 2009 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, when they beat the defending champions Team Canada Jennifer Jones. This was the first time a team from the Northwest Territories defeated the defending champions in a Scotties tournament. It was the second time in the history of the Scotties a team from the Northwest Territories/Yukon defeated the defending champion during round robin play. The first was at the 1987 Scott Tournament of Hearts, when the Yukon's Shelly Aucoin defeated Marilyn Darte. During the 5th end break of the final coverage, a video of Galusha, and her brother Jamie, was shown talking about how big the victory over the defending champions was for the Territories. This victory over team Canada earn the Galusha team the 2009 Sport North Team of the Year Award.^[16] That year Galusha's team finished 4-7. ^[17]

2011-Current

In 2011 Galusha once again won the 2011 Yukon/NWT Scotties Tournament of Hearts Territorial championship, finishing 5-1. She would go on to represent the Yukon/Northest Territories at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, where her team finished round robin with a 3-8 record. ^[18]

Galusha and her team found early success during the 2011/2012 season. During the World Curling Tour, they defeated defending Canadian champion Amber Holland, and Olympic Silver Medalist Cheryl Bernard, and for the first time qualified for the playoffs during a tour event. They advanced to the playoffs at the 2011 Boundary Ford Curling Classic, however they would lose the quarterfinal to Edmonton's Tiffany Odegard. Her team qualified for the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. At the 2012 event, Galusha would start off well, winning the 2012 Ford Hot Shots, and starting off with a 2-1 record in the first three games. After catching the flu, which was heavily circulating amongst all teams, Galusha would miss two games, one of which found second Wendy Miller sitting out with the flu, leaving three players on the ice. The team could not recover from Galusha's absence and would finish round robin with a 4-7 record. Although the team finished with a disappointing record, it would mark a second occasion for Galusha defeating the defending champions, Team Canada (Amber Holland) during round robin. Marking the fourth time in history, a team from the Territories would achieve this. They would also defeat the eventual champions, Team Alberta's Heather Nedohin. The team returned to the Scotties once again in 2013. At the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they would finish with a 2-9 record, but once again defeated the defending champion along the way, when they beat Nedohin for the second straight year.

Personal Life

Galusha is the sister of Canadian curler Kevin Koe, who skips a team out of Alberta, and twin sister of curler Jamie Koe, who skips a team out of the Northwest Territories. She works for the Government of the Northwest Territories and is married with one child.

Grand Slam Record

References

External links

• World Curling Tour profile