The NAIT Ooks curling team, led by their head coach, Karynn Flory-Simmons, begins this weekend with a tournament hosted by NAIT at the Avonair Curling Club on Saturday, January 15th.

Last year, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are looking forward to getting back into the competition this year. Head Coach Karynn Flory-Simmons says, "all our curlers started off the year a bit slow to get back in the groove after having last year off; however, we have only had one injury to navigate and fingers crossed we continue feeling healthy." Due to the pandemic, this season has been deemed a transition back to play with a reduced schedule.

The curling team will be competing in all three fields this season. They have a men's team, a mixed team, and a women's team. Flory-Simmons says, "our men's team has a mixture of returning and new players who have joined together very cohesively over practices and non-conference games. I am looking forward to seeing the leadership of the returning players help our new players as the competitive atmosphere sets in." The mixed team and the women's team consist of all new players. "Our women's team will be playing together for the first time this weekend. There will be some learning and kinks to iron out; however, they are excited to be back competing on the ice. Our mixed team also consists of brand-new players looking to gain experience and start their student-athlete careers," says Flory-Simmons.

The second tournament is on February 12th at RDP. The ACAC Championship will take place on March 5th and 6th at Augustana.