Gushue girls ready to take advantage of home ice at a national curling tournament in St. John’s

When Team Gushue takes to the ice for the Kioti National curling tournament in St. John’s this week, they will be cheered on by thousands of hometown fans.

But a group of superfans who have made a name for themselves will stand out.

Gander’s “Gushue Girls” have followed Gushue Rink since 2016. Their pink shirts, with letters spelling out Gushue’s name, attract the eyes of fans both in the building and watching from home.

“Brad Gushue is the best curler in the world,” Nancy Dawe told CBC Radio’s Weekend morning.

“We’re watching their every move and we’re just hanging on and seeing what’s going to happen.”

Jeanne Collins, a fellow Gushue Girl, said Mary Brown’s Center will be filled with intense supporters for the next few days.

“These curling fans, they’re really into it. They follow curling all the time,” Collins said. “Brad Gushue is a big, big draw for fans, especially the women. I mean, they just love him.”

The Gushue girls have also gained their own following from their numerous trips to support Team Gushue outside of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“People come up to us and say, you know, ‘We’re from Ontario, but we’re really rooting for Brad Gushue. We just love him.” So it’s an uproar,” Collins said.

Kioti National runs from Tuesday to Sunday. It will feature 32 of the world’s best men’s and women’s teams.

Dawe believes the men’s tournament will come down to Team Gushue and Team Mouat – skipped by Scotland’s Bruce Mouat – but having a home crowd rooting for Gushue will give the club the extra boost it needs to win it whole.

Collins said she thinks the team is experienced enough that performing at home won’t undermine them.

“I think at this point the Gushue team is beyond the nerve factor. I think the crowd will just energize them and maybe give them that extra push to come out on top this time,” she said.

Both Collins and Dawe said they have come to terms with the addition of former Alberta skipper Brendan Bottcher to the Gushue Rink. The move was announced in October.

“Brendan Bottcher was a former rival, an arch-rival actually. And at first, like everybody else, we were a little bit concerned and wondering how this was going to work,” Collins said.

After watching him play with his new team, she said she’s impressed with how well he’s fitting in.

The story of friendship

The Gushue girls have been friends for decades and regularly curl up together.

The 2016 Brier in Ottawa was their group’s first trip to see Gushue Rink play.

“And it turned out there were six of us, six letters in Gushue, and that’s how we were born,” Collins said.

The Gushue Girls roster also includes Alice McCarthy, Lorna O’Reilly, Betty Hansen and Cindy May.

The group has been across Canada in support of Gushue, including Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. They have even met Team Gushue, but say they don’t like to disturb the athletes while they are focused on the tournament.

“They’re so intense in their competition that we don’t like to intrude on that,” Collins said.

Dawe added that the team also appreciates Gushue Girl’s presence in the stands.

“They’re just very down-to-earth gentlemen, I must say. And they’re very grateful to look up in the stands and see us girls up there just cheering our hearts out.”

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