6-time Canadian curling champion Jennifer Jones prepares for emotional farewell at Scotties

For thousands of Canadians, Jennifer Jones is their connection to curling.

For the past two decades, Jones has been at the forefront of the game not only across this country but around the world.

Her desire to be the best is so incredibly evident every time she takes to the ice. Her competitive spirit and desire to win is unrivaled by most.

Jones is retiring from women’s curling — but before that she’s about to compete in her 18th Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary with the chance to become the winningest women’s skip in Canadian history as she eyes a seventh title.

There’s no question every game she plays at this year’s championship will be filled with emotion.

Jennifer Jones reflects on her career, legacy, and life after curling

Jennifer Jones joins That Curling Show ahead of her final appearance at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, with the announcement that she will be retiring at the end of this season. The skip reflects on her illustrious career, the influence of her dad on her journey, and what she plans to do next.

And more than anything, Jones wants to thank all of the fans who have made this curling journey worthwhile.

“It’s because of the fans that you’ve made my dreams bigger than I could have ever imagined,” Jones told CBC Sports. “I’ll never be able to thank the fans enough, thank curling enough. But just know that I’m grateful for every opportunity. I’m grateful for every message. I’m grateful for every time a fan came down and told me their story. I’m grateful for every hug. You’ve made my life far bigger than I could have ever thought possible.”

This has not been an easy decision. The weight of retirement can be felt in every word Jones shares as she talks about her love of the game, the fans and her favourite moments.

Tears stream down as she tries to find the words to match the enormity of giving up something that has been such a monumental part of her life for so long.

Jones says that it inevitably came down to choosing to spend more time with her family — the grind of the curling with her four-person team as well as with her husband Brent Laing in mixed doubles has been a lot. She’s missed too many moments with her two young daughters.

“From September to December, I didn’t have one weekend off between women’s and mixed doubles. I just couldn’t for sure commit to two years. Maybe I could have done two years, but I don’t I don’t know. I didn’t want to play one more year and then all of a sudden I can’t commit to that next year,” she said.

There aren’t many curlers on the planet who have the resume Jones has.

She’s tied with Colleen Jones for the most Scotties titles ever with six — her first win came at the 2005 Scotties in St. John’s when Jones made one of the most memorable shots ever to win a championship.

Her dramatic in-off shot for four in the final end is etched into curling lore. Jones will never forget every moment of that experience.

From the CBC archives: ‘The Shot’ by Team Jones at the 2005 Scotties

In curling, everyone remembers the 2005 rock by Jennifer Jones as “The Shot.” The Manitoba team found themselves playing in the 2005 final against Ontario. So to celebrate Manitoba’s play in Moose Jaw at the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, lets relive “The Shot” that won Manitoba the tournament.

“I can close my eyes and I can put myself back in the moment. And I think that that’s one thing that I’m so grateful for is that I remember the crowd. I remember flipping the rock over and the crowd went completely silent. Wow. And all I said to myself was, here goes nothing and make it or miss it,” Jones said.

“And then it all happened and I thought my body was literally going to explode. It was like this out-of-body experience. And I just thought that if I never threw another curling stone, that this would be something that would captivate me for the rest of my life.”

Becoming an Olympic champion

Perhaps her greatest moment in curling is winning 2014 Olympic gold, when Jones guided her team to an undefeated record.

She was on a mission during those Games in Sochi and was not going to be beat.

“All of a sudden you’re an Olympic champion. It was just magical. And I felt we did it for all of Canada. I don’t even know how to explain it. But you felt like when you took that step up on the podium, you did it for your entire country.”

As for what’s next, Jones is still figuring that out. She hasn’t really planned anything for the future at this point — she knows she wants to be a part of curling in some form.

There’s still mixed doubles and there’s no doubt she’ll be aiming to get to another Olympics alongside her husband. And there’s always the chance, should she win the Scotties, she comes back as Team Canada next year.

What’s next?

But Jones wants to stay present for this last dance at the Scotties. She wants to soak up the smell of the ice, the roar of the crowd and sliding over those rings one final time.

“I don’t have any plans. I’ve had some opportunities over the years presented to me that have interested me, but that I’ve always said no because I just wanted to keep playing. And so now it’s time to kind of turn my attention to what will be next,” Jones explained.

Whatever Jones decides there’s no doubt her impact on curling will be felt forever.

It’s what she’s always wanted. It wasn’t about the winning, the accolades, the medals — she wanted to share her love of curling and if it moved people, especially young girls, and inspired them to achieve their dreams, then this was always going to be worth it.

And that’s what she’s done.

“If there’s one little kid that I’ve inspired to go and chase your dreams, whether that means curling, whether that means they want to be an artist or a baseball player, if I’ve inspired one person to go out and chase their dreams and find their joy, that is what will be the absolute cherry on top,” Jones said.

“To say that maybe I’ve had some sort of contribution is really humbling.”