Glenn Howard of Midland, Ontario is one of the greatest curlers of all-time. This week he is not on the ice, but coaching Team Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones at the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary. I spoke to Howard after Manitoba beat Alberta 8-4 in the Scotties’s Championship round on Friday.
Q: That was a huge win for you team today. Maybe just discuss about your team’s success.
A: “Yeah, that was absolutely a massive win. If you lose that game, you have to play a three-loss team. The format gets convoluted after that. Now you go into the 1-2 game, where if you win that game, you go to the final. If you lose that game, you go to the semifinal. It just leaps frogs us ahead. More importantly, the girls played a phenomenal game, and that is what I am the most proud of.”
Q: Tell me about the runback in the third end. I think that high-five you gave Jones was the biggest high-five I have ever seen you ever give during a curling game. Maybe tell me about that.
A: “That was typical Jennifer Jones. If she misses that we are down 3-1. If she makes it, we are up 4-2. She just has this knack her entire career of making the big shot. It was an 18-foot runner that stook it for three points. She is just unbelievable. She is the greatest curler who has ever lived and proved it again today.”
Q: How excited are you about coaching this team this week?
A: “I am just ecstatic. I have goosebumps. I love to win. As a coach, I love to win just as much. I am super proud of the girls. It means a lot that we have done well so far. Hopefully we can pull off this thing at the end of the week.”
Q: What impresses you the most about this team overall?
A: “Resiliency and composure. You’ve got to remember we have two really young girls (Jennifer is playing with. Lead Lauen Lenentine is 23 years old, second Emily Zacharias is 22 years old). Their composure is unbelievable, and playing some of the biggest games they have ever played in their life. They are playing under the tutelage of Jennifer Jones, who is the greatest women’s curler ever. They are a beautiful, cohesive unit. Things are going along great.”
Q: What do you think you can bring to this team the most?
A: “I think more experience than anything. I told them when I first came on board that they will never get in a situation, I have never already seen. It could be losses in a row, wins in a row, semifinals and finals. I’ve been in them all. I think I can bring that experience, and get them ready for those such games.”
Q: How special would it be for you if Jones won the Scotties?
A: “It would be special for everybody. Not just me. For Jen, she is packing it in, she is retiring. For her to win the Scotties on her retirement year, would be surreal. I am really hoping for her. You never know. There are a whole bunch of really good teams. That would be really cool.”
Q: If you can just talk a little bit about the Brier next week. This will be an exciting time in Regina for sure.
A: “Yeah, I cannot wait to get to the Brier. I am super proud of my boys. I have a bum knee going on and could not play in my provincials. My son Scott went on to skip as a three-man team and won it. It is going to be cool to go to the Brier in Regina. It is going to be one of the best Briers ever. I’m probably going to have a coaches’s hat on. I don’t think I am going to play. We will see how the knee is. Scott is going to skip for sure.”
Q: Finally, how is your mom doing?
A: “My mom just turned 99 about a month ago. She is doing remarkable. We just moved her into a different home. She is doing really well, and is excited to watch one son commentating, another son coaching, and her grandson playing. I really appreciate the question.”
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