Regina skip Jolene Campbell is returning to the national stage after capturing the 2026 Bunge Prairie Pinnacle Saskatchewan women's curling championship on Sunday in Melville. Her team's 4-3 victory over Jana Tisdale's Regina squad earned them the provincial title and a coveted berth at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
A Hard-Fought Victory in Melville
The championship final was a tense, strategic battle that required all ten ends to decide. After a slow start with two blanked ends, Campbell took a single point in the second. Tisdale responded in the fourth end, scoring a deuce to seize a 2-1 lead. Campbell's team, featuring third Robyn Silvernagle, second Rachel Big Eagle, and lead Dayna Demmans, answered right back with two points of their own in the fifth to reclaim the lead at 3-2.
The game remained deadlocked through three more blank ends. In the ninth, Tisdale was forced to take a single point, tying the game 3-3 but handing the final-stone advantage back to Campbell. In the dramatic tenth end, with Campbell sitting one, Tisdale's final stone crashed on a guard, sealing the victory for Team Campbell without them needing to throw their last rock.
Road to the Scotties
This win marks a significant comeback for Campbell, who last skipped a team to a provincial title in 2016. She lost in the final last year to Nancy Martin. The path to this year's championship was built on resilience. After finishing the round robin with a 6-2 record, which included losses to both Tisdale and Ashley Thevenot, Campbell's rink found their form in the playoffs.
As the No. 2 seed, they delivered a decisive 10-7 win over the top-seeded Team Thevenot in the 1 vs. 2 playoff game on Saturday, booking their ticket to the final. They watched as the eighth-seeded Team Tisdale upset Thevenot on Sunday morning to become their last opponent.
Experienced Team Heads to Nationals
The victory sends a seasoned but newly formed team to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Mississauga, Ontario, from January 23 to February 1. For skip Jolene Campbell, this will be her sixth career appearance at the national championship. Her history includes skipping Saskatchewan in 2016 and playing third for Chelsea Carey's wild card team in 2022. She was also an alternate for Amber Holland's championship rink from 2010-2013, which won the Canadian title and world championship in 2011.
Third Robyn Silvernagle, who joined Campbell this season, will make her fourth Scotties appearance, having previously skipped Saskatchewan teams in 2019, 2020, and 2023, earning a bronze medal in 2019. Second Rachel Big Eagle (formerly Erikson) will participate in her third Scotties but her first as an active player, having served as an alternate in 2021 and 2022. For lead Dayna Demmans and coach Ben Gamble, this will be their debut at the national tournament.
The team now carries Saskatchewan's hopes to the national championship, aiming to add a new chapter to the province's rich curling history.
