Amy Nixon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Amy Nixon |
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| Born | September 29, 1977 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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| Curling club | Calgary CC, Calgary, AB |
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| Career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hearts appearances | 6 (2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship appearances |
2 (2012, 2016) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam victories | 2 (Autumn Gold, 2008; Casinos of Winnipeg, 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Amy Lee Nixon (born September 29, 1977) is a Canadian who used to play curling professionally. She is also a lawyer from Calgary, Alberta. Amy was part of the Canadian women's curling team that won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. This team was led by Shannon Kleibrink. From 2021 to 2022, Amy also served as the head of the board for Curling Canada, which is the main organization for curling in Canada.
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Amy Nixon's Curling Journey
Amy Nixon started playing competitive curling when she was fourteen years old. Her first big win was a gold medal at the Saskatchewan Winter Games in 1994. She was the "skip" (the team leader) for her team. After that, she finished 10th at the 1995 Canada Games.
Later, Amy moved to Alberta. In 1998, she was the runner-up at the provincial junior championship. She lost the final game to Bronwen Saunders.
Playing with Shannon Kleibrink
In 2003, Amy joined Shannon Kleibrink's mixed curling team. This team made history because Shannon was the first woman to be a skip in the Canadian Mixed Championship. Amy played as the "second" player on the team. She would hold the broom for Shannon's shots. This allowed both male teammates to sweep the ice for Shannon's stones. This gave them a special advantage. At the 2003 Mixed Championship, their team reached the final. They lost to Nova Scotia's team, led by Paul Flemming.
Later in 2003, Amy joined Shannon Kleibrink's women's team. They had a great first season together. They won the Alberta Hearts championship. Then, they represented Alberta at the 2004 Scott Tournament of Hearts, where they finished with a 6–5 record.
As the "third" player for Kleibrink's team, Amy had many successes. They won the Canada Cup in 2005 and 2009. They also won the 2005 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. This win meant they would represent Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. There, they proudly won the bronze medal for Canada.
Besides the 2004 Hearts, the team also played for Alberta at the 2008 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They finished as runners-up in that event. They also played at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, where they had a 6–5 record.
New Teams and World Championships
After the Kleibrink team lost in the 2012 Alberta Scotties, Amy joined the winning team led by Heather Nedohin. She joined as an alternate player. This new team represented Alberta at the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which they won! After that, they represented Canada at the 2012 World Women's Curling Championship. They won a bronze medal there.
At the end of the 2011–2012 curling season, Amy announced she would leave team Kleibrink. She decided to form her own team. After leading her own team for a few seasons, and playing one season for Heather Nedohin, Amy joined the team led by Chelsea Carey in 2015.
This new team had great success. They won the 2016 Alberta Hearts and the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts for Alberta. They then represented Canada at the 2016 World Women's Curling Championship. They finished in 4th place at that event. As the defending champions, they represented Team Canada at the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They finished third in that competition. After this event, Amy Nixon announced she was retiring from competitive curling.
In 2024, Amy Nixon was honored by being inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.
About Amy's Life
Amy moved with her family to Regina, Saskatchewan, when she was four years old. That's where she grew up. In 1995, she moved to Calgary, where she lives now.
Amy is very smart and has studied a lot! She went to the University of Calgary. She earned three different degrees there. She studied kinesiology (the study of body movement), women's studies, and law. In November 2006, she became a lawyer in Alberta. Since 2011, Amy has worked at Mount Royal University. She has been a lawyer for the university since 2017.
Amy is married to Mike Westlund, and they have one child. Interestingly, Amy's father, Daryl, was the coach of the 2006 Olympic women's curling team that won the bronze medal!
In June 2021, Amy was chosen as the Chair (head) of Curling Canada's Board of Governors. She replaced Mitch Minken. A few months later, she was re-elected for a full one-year term.
See also
In Spanish: Amy Nixon para niños
