Cathy Overton-Clapham



Cathy Overton-Clapham (born July 19, 1969 in Winnipeg, Manitoba as Cathy Overton; nicknamed "Cathy O") is a Canadian curler. Overton-Clapham is one of Manitoba's most decorated female curlers, with one world championship, five national championships, and twelve Scotties Tournament of Hearts appearances.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Career  ==Career[edit] == In 1989, Overton-Clapham skipped Team Manitoba to a Canadian Junior Curling Championships win. This qualified her for the 1990 World Junior Curling Championships, which she won a bronze medal for Canada. Overton-Clapham had been to one other Canadian Junior Championship, having played third for Janet Harvey in 1986.
 * 1.1 Jones Partnership Success
 * 1.2 2010-2011
 * 1.3 2011-2013
 * 2 Personal
 * 3 Grand Slam record
 * 3.1 Former Events
 * 4 Awards
 * 5 Bibliography
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

1991 was Overton-Clapham's first trip to the Scott Tournament of Hearts, Canada's national women's curling championship. She played third for Kathie Allardyce and the team finished with a 5-6 record.

In 1995 she returned to the Hearts, this time as a third for Connie Laliberte. The team won the Hearts that year, and went on to win the silver medal at the 1995 Ford World Curling Championships, losing to Sweden's Elisabet Gustafson in the final. Overton-Clapham would also play at the 1996 and 1999 Hearts for Laliberte, finishing third both times.

Starting the 2000-01 season Overton-Clapham would begin throwing fourth stones for Laliberte. When Laliberte became pregnant, Overton-Clapham would take over as skip of the team. Now skipping the squad, Jill Staub, was brought in at third, Debbie Jones-Walker and Janet Arnott remained at second and lead. Overton-Clapham would skip the team to victory winning the Manitoba Provincials. With Laliberte rejoining the squad for Nationals, Overton-Clapham would move back to throwing fourth stones, with Laliberte calling the game, and Staub moving to fifth. They would finish third at the 2000 Scott Tournament of Hearts losing the semi-final to British Columbia's Kelley Law ===Jones Partnership Success[edit] === Overton-Clapham would again return to the Hearts in 2005, but as a third for Jennifer Jones. There at the 2005 Scott Tournament of Hearts, the team won the championship, defeating Jenn Hanna of Ontario in the final. The team would go on to finish fourth at the 2005 World Women's Curling Championship.

Together the team would participate in the 2005 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, but would finish 5-4 failing to reach the playoffs.

The team returned to the 2006 Scott Tournament of Hearts as Team Canada, but they lost in the final to Kelly Scott of British Columbia. At the 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the team lost the semi-final. At the 2008 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Overton-Clapham won another national title.

The Jones team went to the 2009 Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the reigning champions. They again reached the finals where they faced British Columbia and won thanks to a steal of two in the seventh end. The team went on the 2009 World Women's Curling Championship again as the returning championships but were unable to repeat there, losing to Denmark in the quarter-finals and out of the playoffs.[1]

The team would again participate in the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, and with many expecting them to take the championship, disappointed many along with themselves. The team would only win 2 games, tied for second last place, with a 2-5 record.

Returning to the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts again as part of the Jones team and Team Canada, Cathy Overton-Clapham won the national title for the third year in a row.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  The win was Overton-Clapham's 5th Scotties title in total and moved her one off of Colleen Jones in the record book and alongside the legendary Joyce McKee of Saskatchewan and Nova ScotiansMary Anne Arsenault, Nancy Delahunt, and Kim Kelly.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3] ===2010-2011<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">After playing third for Jennifer Jones' rink for many years, this partnership came to an end after the 2009-10 curling season.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Altona_4-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]  The Jennifer Jones team decided to replace her with young former Canadian Junior Champion Kaitlyn Lawes, and ousted Overton-Clapham from the team. Later, Overton-Clapham said in an interview that she was blindsided by the team, she was shocked by this judgment but could tell by the Jones team's behaviour that something was up. Overton's admitted her desire to continue curling however, and she stated that she will be returning to the ice with a new team for the 2010-11 season. Her new team was to consist of Raunora Westcott and Leslie Wilson, who previously played with Manitoba's 2010 provincial champion Jill Thurston, and former Canadian Junior Champion Breanne Meakin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">With her new team Overton-Clapham has a successful start to the 2010-11 curling season. However young third Breanne Meakin qualified for the 2011 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, forcing Overton-Clapham to find a new third for the 2011 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Altona_4-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]  On short notice, Karen Fallis was selected to take Meakin's place and Meakin was slotted in as the team's alternate. So with a new team formed, Overton-Clapham won the provincial championships over Chelsea Carey by a score of 7-4. Overton-Clapham's team played Jennifer Jones' rink in the round-robin at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts on February 23.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  Despite a poor start to the 2011 Scotties, the match against Jones was still hyped by media. Overton-Clapham would win the match 8-5, the crowd cheered her every shot, and were chanting "Cathy-O" as the two teams shook hands.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  The final event the team would play together was the 2011 Players' Championships Grand Slam of Curling event. They would finish 0-3 in a triple knockout format.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] ===2011-2013<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Cathy announced she will once again have a new team for the 2011 season. Her second Leslie Wilson decided she wanted to take a year off from curling and her lead Raunora Westcott was unsure as to what she would do. Karen Fallis, who filled in for Breanne Meakin during the Manitoba Scotties, and played third stones during the 2011 Scotties, skips her own Manitoba team and will not be return to the team. Together the Team mutually decided they would part ways. Breanne Meakin will remain with Overton-Clapham, and the two will add two time Canadian Junior Champion Jenna Loder and Ashley Howard, daughter of three time world Champion and 2006 Olympic Gold Medallist Russ Howard, as she will be attending school in Manitoba.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Overton-Clapham's team found early success in the season when they won the first Grand Slam Event, the 2011 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic. Modifying her initial lineup, Loder moved to third, Howard to second and Meakin to third, the team won the third qualification. In the playoffs Overton-Clapham defeated Stefanie Lawton, Sherry Middaugh and in the final Amy Nixon to win the championship.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">At the 2012 Players' Championship team Overton-Clapham finished at the top of the standings at the end of the round robin, with a 6-1 record. They went on to defeat Sherry Middaugh in the semifinal and faced Stefanie Lawton in the final. Although the team eventually lost the final to Lawton, their overall performance in Grand Slam events of the season gave them the Capital One Cup for 2012 and a $50,000 prize.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  The team's overall success during the 2011–12 season would also qualify them for a place in the 2012 Canada Cup of Curling and the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials. However, on February 1, 2013, Overton-Clapham announced she would be leaving her team and taking a break from the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  She did not take a break for long however, as she moved to Calgary later in the year to play third for the Crystal Webster rink. ==Personal<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">When not curling, Cathy co-owns a business called "Flatlanders Flooring". ==Grand Slam record<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == ===Former Events<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === ==Awards<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] ==
 * 2011 Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award
 * 2008 STOH Sandra Schmirler Most Valuable Player Award
 * 1990 - WJCC All-Star skip