By Kaitlyn McGrath

Broadcasting was never on Joanne Courtney’s radar.

But while pregnant with her first child, she was offered the opportunity to join CBC's broadcast team for the mixed doubles nationals in 2019. The 37-year-old’s first instinct was to turn it down — until her dad convinced her to give it a try.

"I flew out to Fredericton, called four games, and I actually really enjoyed it," Courtney said recently over the phone from her hometown of Edmonton.

Fast forward to today, and Courtney, now retired following a celebrated career that included national and world titles as a member of Rachel Homan’s team, has carved out a post-playing career as one of Canada’s top curling TV analysts. Over the last four years, she’s been behind the microphone for the sport’s biggest competitions, including the Olympic Games, the Montana's Brier and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

This week, it was announced that Courtney will be joining The Curling Group's Grand Slam of Curling broadcast team.

"They want to grow the game. They want to grow the players, and that resonates so well with me because that's my primary goal when I have a headset on, and I'm in a booth," she said about being a part of The Curling Group. "It's really cool to get to be around that, and I know that there's a lot of really hardworking people that are all pushing in the same direction. Anytime I can be part of a really high-functioning team, that gives me a lot of joy."

Courtney first started curling when she was seven years old. As one of four children, Courtney said her parents were eager to get their kids involved in activities. When her older brother joined Little Rocks, her dad asked if Courtney could tag along, too.

At first, what Courtney most enjoyed about curling was the sliding, throwing rocks and, of course, the bag of sour cream and onion chips that her dad bought her afterwards as a reward. But over time, she took the sport more seriously, especially after being recruited for a competitive junior team.

"All of a sudden, I had a little bit of coaching and a little bit of that competition piece outside of it, and then also the camaraderie of getting to know three girls that you didn't go to school with," she said. "I was really basically hooked from there."

Courtney became one of the world’s top front-end players, known for her physical strength and elite sweeping ability. As a professional, she enjoyed her greatest success as a second for Homan’s rink. Along with Emma Miskew and Lisa Weagle, the team won the Scotties, world championship and Olympic trials titles in 2017.

Looking back, Courtney said the 2017 Scotties win, which came in an extra-end thriller against Manitoba’s Michelle Englot, stands out as a career highlight: "If I think about that enough, I will feel it in my body how it felt when we won,” she said.

Years later, after Courtney lost in the 2022 Olympic trials, she received another phone call from CBC: Would she like to be part of the broadcast team for the Games?

At first, Courtney hesitated again, but realized: “You don't say no to the Olympics.”

Initially, Courtney was so nervous behind the microphone she brought a hotel towel to the studios to, well, clean up after a broadcast.

“It looked like I'd been swimming after a game was done. It was horrible,” she said, laughing.

However, calling those Olympics from a faraway studio in Toronto instead of rinkside in Beijing due to COVID restrictions ultimately benefited Courtney, as it allowed her to settle her nerves away from the additional adrenaline coursing through an Olympic venue.

Since those Games, Courtney said she’s "loosened up a lot" on air and is more comfortable with a headset on. While broadcasting, Courtney said her main goal is to promote the game and the players, and to call what she sees on the ice fairly and honestly while maintaining empathy for players, many of whom she considers friends.

Through her various roles on CBC, TSN and Rock League, Courtney said she’s learned from veteran broadcasters. As a career front-end player, she especially enjoys sharing the booth with a skip.

"There are things that a skip would notice that I wouldn't, and then there's stuff that I notice that a skip wouldn't," she said. "I really enjoyed those dynamics."

Over the past four years, Courtney, who is also a registered nurse, has become one of the sport’s premier broadcasters, known for her knowledgeable and thoughtful commentary. She’s continually working on getting better, especially balancing sharing insights succinctly while letting the game breathe.

"There are lots of opportunities to try to enhance what the viewer is seeing at home, and I think that that's what really has me hooked on broadcasting," she said. "Because that's something I can work on my whole life."

Alongside her broadcasting work, Courtney has also carved out a thriving side hustle as a content creator with about 37,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok. Courtney views her content as an extension of broadcast work (and in fact, filming content videos has helped her feel more comfortable appearing on camera). But on social media, she can add more context to results, break down news of a team change or explain a complicated playoff format, with a whiteboard in hand.

The audience is sometimes different, too. For example, on a national TV broadcast, Courtney understands viewers have a basic knowledge of curling, so her commentary reflects that. On social media, though, she can speak directly to new or beginner fans to continue growing the sport — which is her long-term goal in all this.

"I really, really loved being able to interact with the fans. It has blown me away the amount of positivity that's there," said Courtney, who added that as a player, she avoided social media. "I cannot believe the amount of people that just love watching curling. They'll have questions or insights or things to say about the event. I think it's such a great platform to build that up. I get so much enjoyment out of it."

Now, as a seasoned analyst and content creator, Courtney said she’s looking forward to this next chapter with The Curling Group and a new challenge in her role as Grand Slam of Curling commentator.

"That's a really great opportunity for me to push myself intellectually, and to move through different types of skills that I can work on honing," she said. "Anytime you've got an opportunity to grow, I think it's just like the best thing ever. I'm really excited to be part of this."