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World junior champ Fay walking away from curling

Reigning world junior champion Mary Fay has decided to walk away from curling.

The Chester, N.S., team made the announcement Saturday during the Humpty’s Champions Cup. Team Fay wrapped up their Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling debut minus skip Fay, who missed the event while focusing on Grade 12 exams for her International Baccalaureate program. 

“While we are obviously disappointed in this surprising decision, we would like to thank Mary for an amazing season and the last seven years with her,” the team said in a statement. “We are now looking forward to finding someone new to fill out the team for next season!”

Team Fay called upon world juniors alternate Sarah Daniels of Delta, B.C., to sub at third during the Humpty’s Champions Cup with vice Kristin Clarke moving up to skip. Second Karlee Burgess and lead Janique LeBlanc remained at their front-end positions and had coach Andrew Atherton on hand too.

They finished with a 1-3 record stunning reigning Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Team Chelsea Carey stealing in the eighth and extra ends during a 5-4 extra-end upset.

“This season has been an amazing one, with this past week at the Humpty’s Champions Cup being perhaps the most fantastic experience of our young lives,” the team said. “We can’t say thank you enough to everyone involved in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling for including the world junior champions this week. We would like to especially thank everyone at Sportsnet for their confidence in our team and to all the teams here this week, but in particular Team Jennifer Jones for making the girls feel so welcome.”

After winning nationals, Fay finished with an 11-1 record at the world juniors including a 7-4 avenging victory over the U.S. in the final to capture the gold medal last month in Denmark.

Fay and Burgess were back overseas in a flash representing Canada in mixed curling at the Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and brought home the gold from there as well.

The search now begins for a new member on the team.

“We will be starting a search for a replacement immediately and ask that anyone interested — whether they be from Nova Scotia, or willing to move east next year — to get in touch with one of the girls or Andrew ASAP.”