Curling 3/10/2022 5:00:00 PM Christina Flores-Chan

Cayla and Courtney Auld: From 'Little Rocks' to curling community leaders

Rams curlers Courtney Auld and Cayla Auld were born into their sport, almost quite literally.

The sisters grew up on the sidelines of curling rinks, cheering on their mother, Cathy Auld, as she competed in Olympic pre-trials and provincial finals to represent Ontario in the Scotties, the national women's championship.

"I remember doing interviews as kids," Cayla says. "The family would all be cheering her on and the television network loved it."

"We have a younger brother too, and our dad would be there and the four of us would stand with mom for interviews after she won games," Courtney chimes in.

The Aulds recall going to "little rocks" curling sessions for children and being eager to get their hands on the rocks their mother was playing with.

Today, as well as playing on the Rams team and studying full-time, the Auld sisters compete alongside Cathy, on the same ice, playing the same games they would watch as children.

"Curling is unique in the fact that you get the opportunity to play with your parents," Courtney says, explaining the longevity of a curler's career. "They do grandmasters too, which are people curling above age 70."

The multi-generational aspect of the sport combined with its smaller numbers is part of what keeps the curling community in Ontario so close-knit, and the sisters say that they'll play against, and with, athletes who they've known since childhood, whether it be at the club or at OUA championships.

"You know Jessica?" Cayla asks, referring to Rams second Jessica Filipcic. "Our competitive team played against her in December, and in the qualifiers back in high school."

Courtney adds that the Aulds have also played against Rams teammates Celeste Gauthier and Erin Titkai.

"We've played a few spiels against both of them," she says.

And while they may have competed against one another outside of U SPORTS, the Rams came together last month as a team to join forces for the OUA Championships.

Training for championships was difficult for a number of reasons, from a lack of ice time and funding to a pause in competitive sport altogether during the Omicron wave.

"In previous seasons, we would have played in a league and got a game together once a week," Cayla says, "and this year, we played one exhibition game before OUA weekend."

The team got to the championships in Kitchener on Thursday night of the last weekend in February. From Friday to Sunday, the Rams competed in the OUA round robin in Kitchener, standing at the top of their pool with four wins under their belt before falling in the quarter-final.

"I mean, it was a little disappointing to win four straight and then be eliminated by one loss," Cayla says.

"But we went into the weekend saying, 'okay, since we never got proper training time, we're just going to have fun," Courtney says. "And, in the end, we did have fun."

Pure enjoyment for the sport and its community is the reason the Aulds continue to curl.

"Curling has been described as chess on ice. There's a lot of strategy involved," Courtney says, "and figuring out how to get rocks in the right place to get our points, to win the game, is rewarding for me. It's like a puzzle that changes constantly."

For Cayla, the tight relationships that she's made is what she gets out of the sport.

"Usually whenever you're on a team, you're on it and stay committed because of its people, because you know, it's not something that you're going to make a career off of," she says.

The sisters explain that curling in Canada doesn't get the same funding as it does elsewhere, and so professional athletes end up working double lives in their day job as well as their curling training.

"There's just so many curling teams in Canada and nobody is fully funded, versus a team in the States, where they have one or two top-tier, fully funded teams," Courtney says.

"So most of the high-level players are parents who curl and survive off their partner's income," Cayla adds. "A lot of them don't have career jobs because they need jobs that actually let you take the time to be able to compete competitively."

The Aulds say that the top competitions, the Grand Slam events, usually begin on Tuesdays, and there are five of them a year.

"And then if you go down a level to just competitive events, they're usually a Thursday or Friday to Sunday," Cayla says.

At the end of the day, the sisters say that to grow the sport and receive funding, curling simply needs more interest and participation. They suggest looking up a local curling club and taking a stab at delivering a rock.

"We kind of always want to get people into the sport, because people say it's dying but it only dies if you let it," Cayla says.

And the Aulds, with their passion and talent in curling, are determined to keep it alive.

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Players Mentioned

Erin Titkai: 2

Jessica Filipcic: 2

Cayla Auld: 1

Celeste Gauthier: 1

Courtney Auld: 3

Players Mentioned

Erin Titkai
: 2

Jessica Filipcic
: 2

Cayla Auld
: 1

Celeste Gauthier
: 1

Courtney Auld
: 3