Carbon-born curler Rebecca Pattison is a name to watch for in national curling circles.
    Last week, Pattison, 23, and her curling team were in Kitchener, Ontario, to compete in the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar. The tournament is part of a road leading to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
    The top two men’s and women’s teams from the tournament, which was broadcasted nationally, win a spot at the 2013 Tim Horton’s Roar of the Rings. From there, the winners will represent Canada at the Olympics.
    “It was really exciting to be there, rather than always watching on TV. To have played is an amazing feeling,” said Pattison.
    Pattison was competing on Team Crocker, led by 22 year-old skip Laura Crocker, with 25 year-old third Erin Carmody, and 23 year-old lead Jen Gates. The team was the youngest at the competition. They qualified after a successful first year together in 2012.
    “The really good thing is the other curlers were almost double our age, so it’s really encouraging that way. Hopefully we can get even better over the next few years,” said Pattison.

The members of Team Crocker include skip Laura Crocker (left),  third Erin Carmody, second and Carbon native Rebecca Pattison, and lead Jen Gates. The team was in Kitchener, Ontario, last week to compete in the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar Olympic pre-trials. Team Crocker were seeded second and won their first game of the tournament, but lost some very close games and were eliminated. They were the youngest team at the national event, meaning their curling future is still ahead of them.

    Team Crocker was one of the highest qualifying teams in the tournament and were seeded second. In their first game, they defeated the team led by Tracy Horgan. They were then defeated in their remaining games.
    “We had a few really close games. We’re happy to have gotten to that point at such a young age. We could have performed better, but that’s the way curling goes. We had fun and a lot of years ahead of us,” said Pattison. “Some teams had two games under their belts before we even practiced, because we had the bye.”
    The team will be heading to Spruce Grove and Lloydminster to compete for a spot in the provincial playdowns.
    Pattison has been curling since she was 10 years-old with her sister Hayley. Over the years, she has racked up a number of championship titles, including the Alberta Junior Curling Championships in 2011. Her passion for curling endures.
    “As you get older, you get more experience and it makes you want to keep curling even more,” said Pattison.
    She continues to train with her team at the Saville Sports Centre in Edmonton on weekends, while also working as a petroleum geologist for Black Swan Energy in Calgary.
    “My boss is very understanding. At the interview, I gave them my best case curling scenario and they were okay with it. It seemed to go pretty smooth,” said Pattison.
    Hayley won gold at the Winter Universaide Games in Torino, Italy in 2007.
    “They both have done so well, and to think they came out of little Carbon,” said mom Shelley Pattison. Shelley and father Peter travelled to Kitchener to watch Rebecca in action.

    There were some big changes announced by Encana last week, which may trickle down to Drumheller's economy.  
    On November 5, Encana announced it was beginning to make “significant and bold” changes to put the company back on track.  
    The company will be closing its Plano, Texas office to cut 20 per cent of its workforce and more cuts are expected.
    “In order to align our organization with our strategy, we have had to make a number of exceptionally difficult decisions,” reported Doug Suttles, Encana President and CEO in a release. “The restructuring that is underway reflects our shift from funding about 30 different plays to focusing our resources on five key areas. We will work as hard as we can to make these staffing decisions quickly and thoughtfully and we will treat everyone affected with respect as we work through this very difficult part of our transition.”
    Luigi Vescarelli, community relations advisor for Encana, said they have not seen any immediate changes in Drumheller.
    “One thing about out here  is we are still operating. The pump jacks are still going up and down, the gas compressors are running and the mechanics are still fixing things,” he said.
    However, Encana will announce changes for the Clearwater Business Unit next year, which Drumheller operates in.
    According to Encana’s press release, the company intends to spin off Clearwater as a separate company through an IPO by mid 2014. This is to allow the company to unlock value from its portfolio as it holds the oil and gas rights, therefore it can collect royalties. It intends to retain a significant stake in the new company.
    “We are doing what it takes to get Encana back to winning and we have already begun executing on our strategy with some of that impact being seen in our strong third quarter results,” said Suttles. “We have a focused long term plan in place, the resource base to support that plan, and a talented team of people with the energy and drive to succeed.”