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Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
Updated April 16, 2026
Métis curler Kerri Einarson already had a lengthy list of accomplishments. This month she added another when her rink Shield Curling Club won the inaugural Rock League championship.
Einarson joined Rock League, the first professional curling bonspiel, for competition at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, located at the old Maple Leaf Gardens.
The event, organized by The Curling Group, began April 6 and featured some of the world’s top curlers. The championship final against Typhoon Curling Club was held April 12. Einarson (skip) and her nine teammates shared the top prize of $100,000 U.S.
Einarson, 38, has previously skipped teams to five national women’s championships. Her most recent Canadian title was a couple of months ago at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which concluded in early February in Mississauga, Ont.
Einarson, who lives in Camp Morton, Man., has also participated in four world championships, winning bronze medals at the 2022 and ’23 events, as well as a silver medal at last month’s tournament in Calgary.
Six teams competed in Rock League. Shield was one of two Canadian-based teams. Maple United was the other. Both Canadian squads included some international players.
There were also two teams from Europe—Northern United and Alpine Curling Club. The American side was Frontier Curling Club. Typhoon was the Asia-Pacific entrant.
Rock League participants did not get to choose their own teams. Einarson was placed on Shield with another Canadian, Tracy Fleury, who is from Sudbury, Ont. Her team also included Sweden’s Agnes Knochenhauer and Switzerland’s Carole Howald.
Each draw in Rock League action featured three simultaneous games—women’s, men’s and mixed doubles.
“It's been amazing,” Einarson said of the inaugural event following her first game and convincing 10-1 victory over the Frontier women’s side on April 9. “This opportunity is pretty special. And to be a part of it, we're having a lot of fun and enjoying it.”
The Toronto event was the only Rock League tournament on the 2025-26 curling calendar. Rock League is, however, scheduled to stage five events between January and April 2027.
Rock League games have numerous differences from traditional curling matches. For starters, teams play seven ends instead of 10. Another noticeable difference is that music is played throughout all games, in part, to generate more of a festive atmosphere.
Einarson was asked whether the music made it challenging to communicate with her teammates during games.
“It's almost a little too loud,” she said. “But I love having the music. Sometimes I’m in my head and singing away as I'm sliding out, not even thinking about my shots. So, I do really enjoy it. They can just probably turn it down just a notch or two.”
Einarson said coming together as a team took time.
“For sure you have to buy into it and embrace it. I think a lot of us are…This isn't going to just all of a sudden kick off and magically work,” she said.
“It’s the first time for all of us curling together so it is different,” Einarson said, explaining the team soon started trending in the right direction and created a good bond. But she admitted the format was challenging playing with curlers she wasn’t accustomed to.
“We went out there just kind of chill for the first day,” she said. After the first game, though Shield began to bring the intensity and thrive.
Though she was excited to be part of the inaugural Rock League event and the establishment of the pro circuit, Einarson wondered how her already hectic curling schedule will be affected going forward.
“We’ve got to figure some things out and see what that looks like,” she said. “And it's hard for us to be away from our families for that long. And so, it'll be challenging.”
Next season’s schedule features events in Ottawa, Halifax, the Saskatchewan city of Moose Jaw and Utica, N.Y.
The site for the season-ending championship has yet to be announced.