Laura Strong

Laura Strong (born October 31, 1979 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador) is a Canadian curler . She currently plays third for the Regina, Saskatchewan-based Nancy Inglis rink on the World Curling Tour.

Career

Juniors

Strong made her first national debut, playing lead for her sister, Heather Strong, at the 1997 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, representing Newfoundland. It would be a disappointing event for the Strong sisters, only finishing round robin with a 5-7 record.^[1]

In 1998 Strong would team up with Cindy Miller, playing lead stones. At the 1998 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, the team would finish round robin with a 2-10 record ^[2]

Strong would return to the 1999 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, this time taking over as skip for the team. The change would not provide the team success, finishing last place with a 2-10 record.^[3]

Strong's final junior appearance was in 2000, where again the team failed to make the playoffs, finishing round robin with a 4-7 record.^[4]

2001 and Transition Into Women's Play

In 2001, Strong would reunite with her sister, and together would represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts. This was Strong's first appearance at the event. Strong failed to make the playoffs, finishing round robin with a 4-7 record.^[5]

2005-2009

Strong would not qualify for another national championship until 2005, when her team would represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2005 Scott Tournament of Hearts. This was the team's worst showing to date. They finished round robin with a last place record of 1-10.^[6]

In 2006 Strong and her sister would again qualify for the Scott Tournament of Hearts, this time she would finish round robin, tied for fourth place with a 7-4 record. The team would face Quebec's Ève Bélisle in the tiebreaker game, but would come up short, losing the match 2-8.^[7]

Strong would make a third appearance in a row at the 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The team would again fail to qualify for the playoffs, finishing round robin with a 5-6 record.^[8]

In 2008, Strong and her sister would make changes to her team. They would add Cathy Cunningham and Peg Goss, two former rivals to the lineup. The team would again qualify for the 2008 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Strong's fourth consecutive appearance. They would finish round robin tied for fourth place, where they would meet Manitoba's Jennifer Jones in the tiebreaker match. The team would eventually lose the match 3-6, missing out on the playoffs.^[9]

2009 would find the Strong team qualifying for her fifth consecutive trip to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Once again Strong would find herself in the middle of the pack after round robin play, finishing with a 5-6 record.^[10]

2010-2014

At the 2010 Newfoundland and Labrador Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Strong sisters were both looking to capture a sixth consecutive provincial title, but this was not to be. The Strong's would lose the final to Shelley Nichols. Cunningham and Goss would retire from competitive curling following the season.

In 2011, the Strong's would add Cunningham's daughter Jenn Cunningham and Stephanie Korab to the team. At the 2011 Newfoundland and Labrador Scotties Tournament of Hearts Stong would again make the playoffs, but lost the semi-final to Nichols.

At the 2012 Newfoundland and Labrador Scotties Tournament of Hearts Strong found success, finishing round robin in first place, and defeating Laura Phillips in the final. At the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the team would have a disappointing run, finishing 4-7 in round robin play.

In 2012, Cunningham was replaced by Erica Trickett on the team. The team played in just one World Curling Tour event in the season, the 2012 ROGERS Masters of Curling, where they lost in the quarter-final. The team lost in the final of the 2013 Newfoundland and Labrador Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Following the season, the front-end of the team was replaced with Jessica Cunningham and Kathryn Cooper. While the team did not play in any World Curling Tour events, they did win the 2014 Newfoundland and Labrador Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The team represented their province at the 2014 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Montreal, where the team finished with a 4-7 record.

In 2014, Strong joined the Nancy Inglis rink, based out of Regina, Saskatchewan.

References

External links

• Laura Strong on the World Curling Tour database