Danielle Sicinski Explained

Danielle Sicinski
Birth Date:30 November 1982
Birth Place:Langenburg, Saskatchewan[1]
Curling Club:Moose Jaw Ford CC,
Moose Jaw, SK[2]
Skip:Penny Barker
Third:Lindsay Bertsch
Second:Taryn Schachtel
Lead:Danielle Sicinski
Hearts Appearances:2
Top Cca Ranking:12th (2021–22)

Danielle Sicinski (born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian curler from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.[3] She currently plays lead on Team Penny Barker. With Barker, Sicinski has won two Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial titles in 2017 and 2022.

Career

Sicinski joined the Barker rink in 2009 for the 2009–10 season. After a few slow seasons, she played in her first Grand Slam of Curling event at the 2012 Colonial Square Ladies Classic. Her then rink of Barker, third Susan Lang, and second Melissa Hoffman lost all three of their games in the triple knock-out tournament. They also played in the 2011 and 2013 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts.[4] At the 2011 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts, her team of Barker, third Amanda Craigie and lead Tamara Haberstock finished the event with a 1–4 record. At the 2013 event, they finished with a 2–3 record.

After taking a year off competitive curling during the 2013–14 season, Sicinski rejoined the Barker rink for the 2014–15 season. They began the season by playing in the 2014 Colonial Square Ladies Classic, failing to advance to the playoffs. They were however able to win two Saskatchewan Curling Tour events, qualifying them for the 2015 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts, where they finished 2–3. The next season, her rink of Barker, Deanna Doig and Hoffmann finished 3–3 at the 2016 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts, once again failing to advance.

Sicinski and her team won the 2017 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts the following season despite entering the tournament as an underdog. Her team finished 4–4 through the round robin before winning the tiebreaker and three straight playoff games to claim the title.[5] They defeated heavily favored teams Stefanie Lawton in the semifinal and Robyn Silvernagle in the final by scoring four in the tenth end.[6] At the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they were one of two teams making their debut appearance at the hearts and it showed as they finished the round robin with a 1–10 record, only defeating Nova Scotia's Mary Mattatall.[7]

With her Saskatchewan Scotties championship, Sicinski's rink had a good start to the 2017–18 season, winning the DEKALB Superspiel on the World Curling Tour.[8] They also finished runner-up at the Medicine Hat Charity Classic and won two Saskatchewan Curling Tour events. They would not defend their provincial title however, losing in the 3 vs. 4 page playoff game at the 2018 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts to Sherry Anderson, who went on to win the event.[9] The rink added Christie Gamble to the lineup for the 2018–19 season, replacing Schneider.[10] They qualified for the 2019 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts, but failed to advance to the playoffs after a 4–4 round robin record.[11] The team stayed intact the following season and won three more Saskatchewan Tour events. Their successful results qualified them for the 2020 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which was held in a triple knockout format this year.[12] They qualified for the playoffs through the C side before losing to the Sherry Anderson rink in 3 vs. 4 game, like in 2018.

Following the departure of Deanna Doig, Team Barker added Jenna Enge to their lineup as their new second, moving Christie Gamble up to third on the team. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan, the 2021 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts was cancelled. Team Sherry Anderson was invited to represent Saskatchewan at the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, as they had the most points from the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons combined, which they accepted.[13] This ended the abbreviated 2020–21 season for the Barker rink.

With their successful results over the past few seasons, Team Barker had enough points to qualify for the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials.[14] There, the team finished with a 3–3 record, just shy of qualifying for the playoff round.[15] On the Saskatchewan tour, the team picked up tour wins at the SaskTour Women's Moose Jaw and the SaskTour Women's Weyburn.[16] Team Barker entered the 2022 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the second ranked team, only behind Team Chelsea Carey. In the triple knockout event, the team lost the A Qualifier game to the Carey rink before defeating Amber Holland in the B Qualifier.[17] This qualified them for the 1 vs. 2 page playoff game which they would drop to the Carey rink. Following a win in the semifinal against Team Holland, Barker faced Carey for the third time in the championship in the provincial final. This time, Team Barker would win the match 7–5, winning the provincial title and qualifying for the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts as Team Saskatchewan.[18] At the Hearts, the Barker rink finished the round robin with a 4–4 record, just missing out on the championship round.[19]

Team Barker had a successful 2022–23 season tour season, allowing them to easily qualify for the 2023 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts. To start the season, the team played in the inaugural PointsBet Invitational where after an opening game win against Hollie Duncan, they dropped their quarterfinal game to Kaitlyn Lawes.[20] On the Saskatchewan tour, the team won three events: the Moose Jaw SaskTour Spiel, the Regina Highland SWCT Event and the SaskTour Women's Players Championship.[21] They also had a strong showing at the 2022 Western Showdown, reaching the quarterfinals where they lost to world champions Team Silvana Tirinzoni. Despite their tour dominance in their home province, they were not able to defend their provincial title, finishing 2–3 through the triple knockout.[22] The following season was not as successful for the team as they were unable to win any tour titles. However, their multiple quarterfinal finishes earned them enough points to qualify directly for the 2024 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts. In the round robin, the team had a 3–2 record which earned them a spot in the final four.[23] Facing Michelle Englot in the 3 vs. 4 game, they lost 9–6 and were eliminated from contention. After the season, the team disbanded.[24]

Personal life

Sicinski is employed as a chartered accountant.[25] She is married to fellow curler Derek Owens, and has a daughter.[26] She attended the University of Regina.

Teams

Season Skip Third Second Lead
2005–06[27] Danielle Sicinski
2009–10Danielle Sicinski
2010–11Penny Barker Danielle Sicinski Tamara Haberstock
2011–12Penny Barker Amanda Craigle Danielle Sicinski Tamara Haberstock
2012–13Penny Barker Danielle Sicinski
2014–15Penny Barker Amanda Craigle Danielle Sicinski
2015–16Penny Barker Deanna Doig Melissa Hoffman Danielle Sicinski
2016–17Penny Barker Deanna Doig Danielle Sicinski
2017–18Penny Barker Deanna Doig Lorraine Schneider Danielle Sicinski
2018–19Penny Barker Deanna Doig Danielle Sicinski
2019–20Penny Barker Deanna Doig Christie Gamble Danielle Sicinski
2020–21Penny Barker Christie Gamble Danielle Sicinski
2021–22Penny Barker Christie Gamble Jenna Enge Danielle Sicinski
2022–23Penny Barker Christie Gamble Jenna Enge Danielle Sicinski
2023–24Penny Barker Christie Gamble Jenna Enge Danielle Sicinski
2024–25Penny Barker Danielle Sicinski

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021 Home Hardware Curling Pre-Trials Media Guide. Curling Canada. October 22, 2021.
  2. Web site: Danielle Sicinski Profile. Curl Sask. October 9, 2020.
  3. Web site: Barker splits games at Scotties - Curling. The Burnside News. January 26, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131206152954/http://www.burnsidenews.com/Sports/Curling/2013-01-26/article-3164534/Barker-splits-games-at-Scotties/1. dead. December 6, 2013. October 9, 2020.
  4. Web site: Barker looking forward to return to Scotties - Curling - The Moose Jaw Times Herald . Mjtimes.sk.ca. Matthew Gourlie. January 23, 2013. October 9, 2020.
  5. News: Moose Jaw's Penny Barker wins Saskatchewan women's curling championship. Regina Leader-Post. Murray McCormick. January 30, 2017. October 9, 2020.
  6. News: Curling dream comes true for Moose Jaw's Penny Barker's team. Regina Leader-Post. Murray McCormick. January 31, 2017. October 9, 2020.
  7. News: Northern Ontario takes big step towards 2017 Scotties playoffs. Curling Canada. February 23, 2017. October 9, 2020.
  8. News: MJ's Barker Wins WCT Dekalb Superspiel. Discover Moose Jaw. Marc Smith. November 22, 2017. October 9, 2020.
  9. Web site: 2018 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Curl Sask. October 9, 2020.
  10. News: Barker Rink Preparing for Upcoming Season. Discover Moose Jaw. Marc Smith. August 22, 2018. October 9, 2020.
  11. Web site: 2019 Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts Standings. Curl Sask. October 9, 2020.
  12. News: 2020 Viterra Scotties Women's Provincial Championship: Event Preview. Curl Sask. January 17, 2020. October 9, 2020.
  13. News: Saskatchewan cancels curling provincials after health officials reject curling bubble. CBC Sports. Devin Heroux. January 14, 2020. February 20, 2022.
  14. News: Big events in Ottawa!. Curling Canada. August 10, 2021. February 20, 2022.
  15. News: Women's playoffs determined!. Curling Canada. October 29, 2021. February 20, 2022.
  16. News: Carey looking for first Saskatchewan Championship in Assiniboia. CurlingZone. January 3, 2022. February 20, 2022.
  17. News: Barker wins Saskatchewan Scotties B Qualifier. CurlingZone. January 8, 2022. February 20, 2022.
  18. News: Moose Jaw's Penny Barker captures 2022 Saskatchewan women's curling championship. Regina Leader-Post. Murray McCormick. January 10, 2022. February 20, 2022.
  19. Web site: 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Standings, schedule and results. Sportsnet. January 28, 2022. February 20, 2022.
  20. News: 6th seed upset!. Curling Canada. September 23, 2022. May 14, 2024.
  21. Web site: Team Penny Barker: 2022–23. CurlingZone. May 14, 2024.
  22. News: UPDATE: Silvernagle and Anderson set for Scotties semi-final, Martin moves to final. Swift Current Online. Colin Powers. January 29, 2023. May 14, 2024.
  23. News: Ackerman, Barker into playoffs at Viterra Scotties women's curling championship. Moose Jaw Today. Randy Palmer. January 20, 2024. May 14, 2024.
  24. News: Team Barker will be parting ways after this season. We all love this sport and intend to continue competing. While we might be playing against each other next year, we'll remain close friends on and off the ice.. Team Barker. Facebook. February 25, 2024. May 14, 2024.
  25. News: 'Number geeks' on Team Barker hope the result is #1. Humboldt Journal. Devan Tasa. January 22, 2019. October 10, 2020.
  26. News: Full house suits Sicinski during busy season. The Leader-Post . 22 January 2015 . 17 . Regina Leader-Post.
  27. Web site: Danielle Sicinski Past Teams. CurlingZone. October 9, 2020.