Team Semeniuk poses with the championship trophy after winning the Saskatchewan U-20 women’s curling championship in Swift Current. From left: Chloe Semeniuk (skip), Leah Beausoleil (third), Kelsey Wall (second), Lindsay Miller (lead) and coach Nicole Beausoleil. (Image Credit: Submitted/Chloe Semeniuk)

By Kenneth Cheung

local talent

‘We hope to make Saskatchewan proud’: local curlers set for U-20 nationals after provincial win

Mar 6, 2026 | 1:31 PM

Curling often begins with small moments – a first step onto the ice, learning to slide and balance, finding the rhythm of the sweep, and the precise push of the stone from the hack.

For North Battleford’s Chloe Semeniuk, those moment came when she was just a toddler.

“I first stepped on the ice when I was just little, around three or four with my mom,” Semeniuk recalled. 

“That was back in the day when you had to wear a helmet and I was sliding with two rocks out of the hack just for stability and learning what the ice felt like under my foot.” 

Years later, that early experience has grown into a provincial title.

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Semeniuk and her teammates captured the Saskatchewan U-20 women’s curling championship in Swift Current, earning the right to represent the province at the New Holland Canadian U-20 Championship in Sudbury, Ont., from March 28 to April 4.

For the skip from North Battleford, the victory was the culmination of years of steady work and a tournament that tested the team’s resilience.

“Our week at U-20 Provincial started out with three wins and we felt super confident after those games,” she said. 

But momentum slipped away. The team dropped their final three round-robin games, leaving their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

“We were just struggling to find all the pieces at once and fitting them together,” Semeniuk said. “The dots weren’t connecting.” 

They still managed to claim the final playoff spot.

“Just squeaked in.”

From there, the margin for error disappeared.

Team Semeniuk entered the 3-versus-4 playoff and found the rhythm that had eluded them earlier in the week.

“We figured out the ice quick and we made a lot of shots.” 

A strong semifinal performance followed, sending them into the championship game against Team Simpson.

The final unfolded cautiously, each side opting for a controlled, disciplined approach.

“We didn’t overthink it,” Semeniuk said. “We started without hammer and we stole in the second end to open up the scoreboard.” 

What followed was a careful exchange of single points and blank ends, the tension building toward the final stones.

“They left me the forefoot for the win and we made that final rock count,” she said. 

The team’s journey to that moment was built on collaboration across communities. Semeniuk, the skip, and third Leah Beausoleil are both from North Battleford, Second Kelsey Wall travels from Saskatoon, while lead Lindsey Miller calls Martensville home. Together, they form a group that shares a common mindset when stepping onto the ice.

“In a normal curling game, we’re just out there to have fun and we enjoy each other’s company,” Semeniuk said. “There’s lots of strategy to the game. There’s lots of depth. And you have to work together as a team.” 

That teamwork will now carry them onto a much bigger stage.

Winning provincials means wearing Saskatchewan’s green colours at nationals, a milestone that carries weight for athletes raised in one of Canada’s most passionate curling provinces.

“For three of us, it’s our first national appearance,” Semeniuk said. “But it’s still incredibly special to win out of your province and put on those Saskatchewan green jackets and represent your entire province on a national stage where you see the best of the best competing for a Canadian title.”

“We’re so ready to feed off of the crowd.” 

Preparation continues in the weeks leading up to the trip out east. The team plans to keep the same routine that brought them to a provincial title – multiple practices each week, individual training and time in the gym.

“We just like to keep the same routine going forward because we have found what works for us,” Semeniuk said. 

Behind every practice and every game stands a larger network of support. Semeniuk credits parents, coaches and sponsors for helping make the journey possible.

For Semeniuk, the moment also reflects something bigger than a single team’s success. 

Curling, she said, holds a special place in Saskatchewan’s identity.

“You won’t find another community like a curling community,” she said. “Everybody supports one another. Everybody cheers for each other.” 

Soon, that community will be cheering from thousands of kilometres away as Team Semeniuk takes the ice in Sudbury. And when they do, Semeniuk said the goal is simple.

“We hope to make Saskatchewan proud,” she said. “We’re going to put our best foot forward.” 

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com