MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Sherry Anderson has seen it all over four decades of curling.
Nothing quite compares to putting on the green and white Saskatchewan shirt as the host team at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
"We had a throw-through the other night and (skip) Stefanie (Lawton) got a cheer for just throwing it through the rings," Anderson said. "So I said, ‘You know you’re in your home province when you get a cheer for a throw-through.’
"So that’s probably the biggest thing. Every half-decent shot or big shot the crowd goes wild and you just get this rush of adrenaline."
Anderson and Lawton are playing with second Stephanie Schmidt and lead Marliese Kasner this week before an adoring crowd at Mosaic Place.
Lawton’s team has won big events at this venue before. She guided the rink to a Canada Cup title here in 2012, two years after they won the same tournament in Medicine Hat.
The Saskatoon-based team had to make a lineup change on the eve of the Scotties after second Sherri Singler suffered a sprained ankle. Schmidt had to move into the starting lineup from the alternate position.
"She fits right in," Anderson said. "She’s a good player, she’s a good team player."
Anderson, a 51-year-old native of Prince Albert, Sask., has served as a skip, third and alternate over seven previous appearances at the women’s national curling championship.
She won a bronze at her first Scotties appearance in 1994 at Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont. Anderson also skipped her team to a silver eight years later in Brandon, Man., and took fourth place last year in Montreal with Lawton.
This is their fifth season playing together on the same team.
"It’s a great dynamic, I get goose bumps just thinking about it," Lawton said. "She’s a great person out there and she’s got lots of spunk and lots of energy. You kind of feed off that.
"But she’s very comforting and soothing and a calming influence when you need it as well. So she’s great out there. She knows the ice, she knows the weights, she’s just a great player to have playing third, that’s for sure."
This is Lawton’s fourth career Scotties appearance. The 34-year-old made her debut in 2005 at St. John’s.
"I think we know what each other needs and what buttons to push and what not to push and where to pull back," Anderson said. "It works pretty good for the most part."