Jennifer Jones looks to make history in unprecedented Scotties Tournament

Jennifer Jones looking to make history The Scotties is upon us and Jennifer Jones looks to make history of her own. CTV's Joey Slattery reports.

WINNIPEG — Like most young curlers, Jennifer Jones grew up with a goal of one day competing at the Scotties.

“Honestly, I thought if I could just compete in a Scotties that would be the dream come true,” Jones said ahead of the tournament.

Not only did the dream come true, it’s been recurring for nearly two decades.

Since making her debut in 2002, Jones has played in 15 Scotties tournaments making the finals nine times and winning a record six times. It is a record she currently shares with Colleen Jones, and former teammate Jill Officer.

"Here we are, we maybe have the opportunity to win seven titles. So it is definitely meaningful to me,” Jennifer Jones said. "I'd love to win one with the girls and be able to represent Canada."

With 150 career Scotties wins, Jones is three wins shy of overtaking Colleen Jones for the all-time lead, and just one playoff win away from becoming the sole leader in that category which she currently shares with Officer.

While she admits attaining these records would be special, she said it is not what she’s thinking about.

Instead, she is focusing on building chemistry with her team, including newcomer, Laura Weagle.

Weagle is replacing Dawn McEwan who is expecting a child. Like most teams, the pandemic has kept Team Jones from curling much since last year’s Scotties Tournament in Moose Jaw.

"We haven't had a lot of games with her, so it's just trying to adjust to that, but we are all veterans and we've all been here before,” Jones said.

“So we're hoping it's like riding a bike and we are just going to get right back on and everything will go smoothly, that's the dream."

The fact her team is able to play has not been lost on the Scottie’s tournament staple, as the tournament has been moved inside a ‘bubble’ in Calgary with no fans in attendance.

"It's your dream to play in an arena full of people cheering, it's really exciting, but where we're at in the world and without the curling season, obviously, it was challenging to try and even play. So I think at the end of the day we're just thankful for the opportunity."

With most provinces unable to host qualifying tournaments, Curling Canada has adjusted its format adding two extra wild card teams, for a total of three. The three teams to fill those wild card spots all happen to be from Manitoba, including last year’s World Junior Champion, Mackenzie Zacharias who is making her Scotties debut.

Considering the impact Jones has had on the sport over the past 20 years, she said she can’t help but feel proud about the development of young curlers in her home province.

"Especially with having young kids and knowing what sport can do for young ones and people as they get older and staying active and just seeing Manitoba's success, it shows how tough our provincials are to see all those teams here."

Jones said she is consumed by the power of sport and admits she gets goosebumps watching athletes achieve their dreams, as she’s done many times over.

But make no mistake, she’s out to win her record setting seventh Scotties title with a renewed motivation to once again wear the Maple Leaf in 2022 and make a bid at the Olympic Games in Beijing.