Chantele Broderson, a curler from Lacombe, recently was awarded a For the Love of Curling Scholarship.
Broderson, who is in her fourth year of education at the University of Alberta, was one of the 10 athletes selected for the scholarship.
Broderson said it was pretty amazing to receive the scholarship and the Curling Canada board member was actually a curler Broderson competed with in the past.
“It was pretty cool I was selected as one of the 10 people out of all of Canada. It is a huge honour to receive this scholarship,” she said.
The total amount of the scholarship is $2,500, half of which goes to tuition and the other half towards curling at the UofA, where she will be competing for one more season.
Broderson initially got into curling due a strong family history in the sport.
“Everyone in my family pretty much curls. My mom and dad were both strong in curling when we moved to Lacombe and my dad coached a team which included me and couple other girls in Lacombe,” she said.
Broderson said she spent plenty of hours at the Lacombe Curling Club, where she met a lot of great people.
“In Grade 12, I had the opportunity to Edmonton, but I still love to go back and curl on the rink in Lacombe. I am very proud of where I come from,” she said.
The number one priority now for Broderson is finishing her education a degree but hopes curling will continue to be a part of the equation.
“If there was opportunity to take curling to the next level and get on the grand slam tour, that would be awesome,” she said
A total of 62 applications were received from across Canada for the scholarships, which are one of the highlighted initiatives of Curling Canada’s philanthropic program.
A selection committee then took on the difficult task of whittling that list of deserving applicants to the 10 recipients announced today.
“I was extremely proud to be part of this process, and while it was difficult to narrow the list down to the 10 recipients, it was also encouraging to learn more about such an amazing group of young athletes,” said Maureen Miller, Chair of the Curling Canada Board of Governors and a member of the selection committee. “As a sport, I can tell you that we are in good hands going forward. We have extremely talented young curlers, but just as importantly, they are exceptional citizens within their communities.”
The 2019-20 scholarship recipients are:
- Skylar Ackerman, Chamberlain, Sask. (Science/Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan)
- Émile Asselin, L’Île Bizard, Que. (Masters-Physiotherapy, University of Montreal)
- Chantele Broderson, Lacombe, Alta. (Education, University of Alberta)
- Bella Croisier, Sudbury, Ont. (Forensic Sciences, Laurentian University)
- Émilia Gagné, Alma, Que. (Doctorate-Pharmacy, Laval University)
- Lauren Lenentine, New Dominion, P.E.I. (Science, University of Manitoba)
- Paige Papley, Edmonton (Earth and Atmospheric Science, University of Alberta)
- Wil Robertson, Moncton (Political Science/Great Books, St. Thomas University)
- Desmond Young, Banff, Alta. (Science/Kinesiology, University of Alberta)
- Emily Zacharias, Altona, Man. (Science/Kinesiology, University of Manitoba)
The selection committee comprised Miller, Curling Canada Chief Executive Officer Katherine Henderson, longtime curling coaches Jeff Hoffart and Adam Kingsbury, and former For the Love of Curling scholarship recipients Kaitlyn Jones, Kristen Streifel and Karsten Sturmay.
Streifel, in fact, contributed $1,200 to Curling Canada’s philanthropic program by participating in the 2019 Women of Curling Calendar.
The Curling Canada philanthropic program was introduced during the 2013-14 season to help junior curling and to support curling centres in Canada. Last season, donors invested $494,755 in the sport of curling to support youth programs across Canada. The Egg Farmers Rocks & Rings program presented by Curling Canada, Curling 101-Try Curling, Hit Draw Tap presented by Tim Hortons, and For the Love of Curling scholarships are only made possible thanks to the generous support of the Canada’s curling community.
Broderson added that the curling community are the best supporters around
“Curling fans are the best fans. The fact that they support younger upcoming athletes and the next generation of the greats is pretty cool. That is why the scholarship is a thing for us to win,” she said.
-With files from Curling Canada
todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com
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