The 2024 Alberta Scotties will have plenty of Evergreen and Gold connections, as 14 current and former Pandas make up the field competing this week in St. Paul. An astonishing 44% of the field will be current or former Pandas.

For the first time in program history, both the Pandas selects and Pandas junior teams qualified for the event, making up eight of the 14 Pandas competing. Alumni Chantel Broderson (Team Vaughan), Selena Sturmay, Danielle Schmiemann, and Paige Papley (Team Sturmay), along with Jessica Monk (Team Hartwell), and Nicky Kaufman (Team Kaufman) will also be in the field this week. 

Fresh off capturing a Canada West title at home this past weekend, the Pandas selects (Team Gray-Withers) will be among the favourites this week in St. Paul. The Pandas selects (Serena Gray-Withers, Catherine Clifford, Brianna Cullen, and Zoe Cinnamon) are seeded second, and are currently the 10th ranked team in Canada. The Pandas went a perfect 5-0, outscoring their opponents 55-15 en route to a third CW title in program history. 

"The girls were playing really well all week. We were really flowing well together, the conversations we had were great," said Gray-Withers, who was named a Canada West All-Star on Sunday. "Getting this banner is huge; it is a really great confidence booster for us as we head into provincials. We are all feeling well and playing great at the moment. We are going to see some really good teams at provincials. So we have to expect strong competition, and continue to play like we have been." 

The Pandas juniors, consisting of skip Gracelyn Richards, third Sophia Ryhorchuk, second Rachel Jacques, and lead Amy Wheatcroft qualified via the last chance tournament earlier this month in Airdrie. 

Each of the eight teams will compete in a seven-game round robin, with the top seed advancing to the provincial final on Sunday, and the second and third seeds playing in the semifinal earlier that day.

Draw 1 begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night at the St. Paul Curling Club. The winner of the Alberta Scotties will advance to the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, February 16 to 25 in Calgary.