Crystal Webster

Crystal Webster (born Crystal Rumberg on February 26, 1975) is a Canadian curler from Calgary, Alberta. She currently plays with the Tracy Fleury rink on the World Curling Tour following a five-player rotating lineup.

Career

Juniors

Webster made her national curling debut at the 1994 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. This would be Webster's first and only appearance at the junior championships. Webster was skipping her own team, representing Alberta at the championship. Webster would miss the playoffs, finishing round robin with a 6-5 record.^[1]

1998–2001

In 1998 Webster joined up with and played lead for fellow Calgary skip Cheryl Bernard. The team would have a successful year, finishing third in the Husky Autumn Gold Classic, second in the Saskatoon Classic, winning the Skyreach Curling Classic and finished second place on the curling tour money list. The following year the team would win the JVC curling classic, and were finalists in the TSN Women's Skins game.^[2]

In 2000 the team would have their first successful run at the Alberta Scott Tournament of Hearts, where they would make it all the way to the final before losing to Heather Godberson. The team would participate in the Player's Championship, would give an Olympic Trials Berth. The team would end up losing the final. After the 2000/01 season Webster left the team.^[2]

2009–current

In 2009, Webster was the first qualifier at the Canadian Olympic Pre-Trials. She surprised many, winning the A final over former World Champion Kelly Scott. At the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, the Webster rink finished with a 2-5 record.

To date, Webster has only won two Women's World Curling Tour events, the DEKALB Superspiel in 2009 and the Colonial Square Ladies Classic in 2011. She has made it to two Grand Slam finals. She lost the 2006 Autumn Gold Slam to Kelly Scott and the 2010 Players' Championships to Cheryl Bernard.

Webster made her first Scotties appearance as the alternate for Shannon Kleibrink, for the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The team finished outside of the playoffs with a 6-5 record.^[3]

It was at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts where Webster approached Geri-Lynn Ramsay and Erin Carmody, who had played with Kathy O'Rourke from 2009-2011 in Prince Edward Island, having great success at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts finishing first in round robin play, and losing the final, asking them to join her team for the 2011-12 curling season.^[4] Ramsay was planning to relocate to Calgary with her boyfriend, while Carmody was planning to attend school. The team finished within the top five in five of the world curling tour events they participated in.

At the 2012 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts the team qualified out of the fourth qualified for the playoffs. To do so, they successfully eliminated the defending Alberta champions Shannon Kleibrink. The team would defeat Valerie Sweeting 5-4 in the C1 vs C2 game, and faced Heather Nedohin in the semi-final. Webster was ahead 5-4 in the tenth end, with hammer and would end up giving up a steal of one to be tied 5-5. In the eleventh end, again with the hammer, Webster would give up another steal, allowing Nedohin to win the semi-final and eventually the Alberta championship.

At the end of the 2011-12 curling season, Webster would finish in seventh place on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) which was enough to earn the final place in the 2012 Canada Cup of Curling, with the winning team to get a direct entry into the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. Webster's team finished the event with a 3-3 record.

At the 2013 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Webster's team won just one game. Following the season, Webster added Cathy Overton-Clapham to the lineup for the 2013–14 curling season, replacing Erin Carmody who has moved to Laura Crocker's Edmonton rink. The team played in the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials Qualifying tournament where they just won one game. The team made the playoffs at the 2014 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts, but lost to Cheryl Bernard in the 3 vs. 4 game.

Grand Slam record

Former events

Sources

• Crystal Webster on the World Curling Tour database

References