Scotties champion Val Sweeting proud of her Maryfield curling roots
February 9, 2026, 11:01 am
Ashley Bochek
Val Sweeting grew up in Maryfield and started curling at the Maryfield rink at a young age before her family moved to Alberta years later. She has competed in 10 Scotties Tournaments of Hearts as team Alberta and team Manitoba.
Sweeting and her team won the Scotties Curling Championship on February 1 and are gearing up to represent Canada at the World Women’s Curling Championships in Calgary from March 14-22.
Sweeting recalls her first memory of curling—at a school-wide bonspiel when she was younger.
“I grew up on a farm between Maryfield and Fairlight. I started curling in Maryfield. My earliest curling memory is the school-wide bonspiel we would do back when I was in Grade 1,” she says.
“My parents played recreationally so I was always at the rink watching them until I started playing more consistently around Grade 4. Barb Swallow got a team together with two of her daughters and then there were five of us who played together until I moved away in Grade 8. My mom had transferred from Sask Wheat Pool to another grain terminal, but I did stay with curling. I remembered one of the first questions I asked my parents when we moved was ‘What about my curling team?!’ and Vegreville is a much bigger town, so we didn’t really think anything of it, but when we got there, we quickly discovered that curling wasn’t really popular amongst kids my age—they were into other sports.
“So, my sister and I joined with two other people from Lamont, and we curled out there for a year. After that, my sister was graduating from high school, so I found a team in Edmonton about an hour away and my parents drove me into the city all of the time for practices and games, and I just kept at it from there.”
Sweeting explains her team represented Team Canada at the Scotties as default due to the timing of the Olympics.
“I’ve been to 10 Scotties now in total. My first one was in 2010 and we made it there by winning the Alberta Women’s Provincials. I am the youngest skip to have won Alberta Provincials. It seems so long ago now thinking back to my first Scotties. I won a few more provincials after that with two in Alberta and one in Manitoba.”
“Then, some of the Scotties we won we then returned as Team Canada so we would qualify some years that way, but now there are also some pre-qualification spots available, so you accumulate points throughout the season and then the top three at the end of the season earn a spot in the Scotties the following year. So, this year was a bit different for us because we had one of the prequalification spots based on our points last year, so we knew we were going to the Scotties for sure, either way, but then when Holman won the Canadian Curling trials in November, they could no longer participate in the Scotties this year because of the timing of the tournament and the Olympics.
“So that is how we represented Team Canada this year at the Scotties because Team Canada defaults to the team that lost in the finals the year before.
“I know that a lot of people were saying we didn’t earn the right to be Team Canada this year because we didn’t win last year, and I do sincerely think it is unfortunate that the Scotties does conflict with the Olympics and that Team Holman couldn’t be there. They have been such a dominant team especially in the last couple of seasons, so the timing of everything is really unfortunate.
“If there was going to be a backup Team Canada, I do think that our team has earned that, because if it hasn’t been Team Holman, it has been us representing Team Canada. It is always an honour to wear the Maple Leaf and we definitely know it was under different circumstances this year, but it was still such an honour to wear it at the Scotties. We started the week off good and then lost a few quite badly, so it was hard at times to regroup, but I am really proud of doing that, coming out and having a good Sunday game and giving ourselves a chance.”
Looking forward to worlds
Sweeting says she is looking forward to a short break before getting ready for worlds in March.
“We have a few weeks to prepare for the world championship which is really nice. Usually, it is only about a two-week turnaround, but this year we have a bit more time because of the Olympics. I am looking forward to getting some downtime and then also to begin preparing for worlds. My team is based out of Manitoba so I will probably go there at some point in February to practice with them. We look forward to representing Canada at the worlds, and the fact that it is in Canada this year in Calgary, it is very exciting to have the home crowd on our side and in my home province. I am very excited.”
Future goals
Sweeting still has personal goals she would like to achieve in her sport.
“There are still some things on my list that I would love to accomplish.
Winning a world championship would be at the forefront right now because we have an opportunity to do that. Completing a career grand slam and winning Olympic gold would also be on my list, but I know even if I didn’t curl another day from today on, I am grateful for the career I’ve had, and the opportunities curling has provided to me. I am proud of what I have been able to do to date and I am proud of the teams that I have been on along the way as well.”
Growing up in curling
Sweeting reflects on her past curling experiences and what motivated her to compete at the Scotties from a young age.
“I know when I started curling, I thought it was fun and something I enjoyed doing, and in a small town anywhere, you have to play most sports in order for there to even be a team, so I played a lot of sports growing up like volleyball, basketball, badminton, curling, ball, and when I moved to Vegreville it was eye-opening because there were more people so not everyone played every sport because a lot of the seasons would overlap with each other.
I wanted to play volleyball, but I also wanted to curl, and they often conflicted with each other, so I had to pick one. Naturally, curling seemed to fit better and that is what I ended up doing.
“I remember it was tough at times when I moved, because curling wasn’t necessarily a ‘cool’ thing to do, and I was gone a lot, and so you miss things. When I was 16 my team was going to the U18 provincials, and the Scotties happened to be in Red Deer that year, so my coach stopped on the way and got us tickets to one of the draws and I just remember seeing the curlers out there with their provincial gear on and the atmosphere, it just felt so different from any other curling experience I ever had.
“That was the first time I thought I would love to play in the Scotties. Watching it on TV before made me think I would love to play in it, but actually being there and being in the environment is when I knew for sure I really wanted to do it.
“We ended up winning the U18 provincials that year and going to nationals, and so we got our provincial jackets and all of the exciting things that came with that international experience. I always thought that was really cool as well, so there have been these bits of motivation along the way. Then, fast forward to 2010, about six years later after the U18 provincials I was going to my first Scotties. It is a pretty special event. It feels different than any other curling event.”
Maryfield home to many strong curlers
Sweeting credits local leaders for their dedication and initiative in creating opportunities such as curling for younger generations.
“I think it takes someone to initiate it, and in my experience that was Barb Swallow getting us together in Grade 1. I know that the Lemon family in Maryfield are also big curlers—I played with Brittany Lemon myself—so you definitely need those coaches and people to have the opportunity and then create it for others to step up and get more involved.
“I think it is junior programs and the co-ordinators who provide those opportunities for the curlers. I remember when I was in Maryfield watching the older teams be successful and go to provincials and nationals, it was motivating. I know at one point there were a few of us represented in provincials—a few from growing up had moved away from Maryfield as well—some in Manitoba, some were still in Saskatchewan, and I was in Alberta, but all of us from Maryfield, and there was probably five or so of us each competing in provincials. I’ve always thought of Maryfield as home and remember those roots.”
Sweeting adds curling has taught her many life lessons. “Part of it is something I have always done and then part of it is remembering the experiences and opportunities it provides. I think it is really cool to hear how it brings people together, whether that be friends and family getting together to watch a game on TV or coming to an event.
“For myself, having that confidence to go after something is important. Sometimes it works and you win, and sometimes you don’t and learn. It has taught me that if you work hard and put your mind to something, anything is possible.”
Hometown crowd at worlds
Sweeting says she is looking forward to the fan atmosphere at worlds this year in Calgary.
“The first time we made it to worlds, it was cancelled because of Covid and that was really tough. The next time we played there were no fans, so it felt like we didn’t really get the full world championship experience, and then we went back to Prince George, which we were super excited for, because that is where our first one was cancelled, and it was really great having the hometown crowd and feeling that was amazing.
“We are really looking forward to playing in the championship with the fans, on Canadian soil, and representing our country.”
