Kerry Galusha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kerry Galusha
Curler
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Born	Kerry Koe (1977-11-03) November 3, 1977 (age 47) Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Career
Member Association	Northwest Territories
Hearts appearances	22 (1998, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
Top CTRS ranking	14th (2021–22)
Medal record Women's Curling Representing  Northwest Territories Arctic Winter Games Gold 1996 Anchorage Silver 1994 Slave Lake

Kerry Galusha, born Kerry Koe on November 3, 1977, is a talented Canadian curler. She leads her curling team from the Yellowknife Curling Club in Yellowknife. Kerry has played in many big curling events, including the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. She is known for her long and successful career in the sport.

Kerry Galusha's Curling Journey

Early Years in Juniors

Kerry Galusha's first big national competition was at the 1992 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. She was a fifth player for Janet Sian's team. Her team finished in eleventh place.

She returned to the junior championships in 1993. This time, she played third for Tara Hamer's team. They finished tenth. The team competed again in 1994, improving their record.

By 1995, Kerry was in her fourth junior championship. In 1996, she led her own team as the skip. Kerry made her final junior appearance at the 1998 Canadian Juniors.

First Scotties Appearances (1998–2002)

Kerry Galusha first played at the 1998 Scott Tournament of Hearts. She was an alternate player for Kelly Kaylo's team. They did not make the playoffs that year.

In 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Kerry led her own team as skip. This was her first time representing the Northwest Territories at the Scotties. She returned a year later to the 2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts. This time, she was a fifth player for Monique Gagnier's team.

Building Experience (2005–2009)

Kerry returned to the Scotties in 2005. This began a streak of five years representing the Northwest Territories. At the 2005 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Kerry skipped her team while throwing third rocks. Her team finished with a 4–7 record.

At the 2006 Scott Tournament of Hearts, her team finished with a 2–9 record. Kerry also played in the 2006 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship. She was a third for her brother, Jamie.

Her team faced challenges at the 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They finished with a 2–9 record again. At the 2008 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Kerry changed her position during the tournament. She moved from throwing third rocks to lead rocks.

In 2009, Kerry's team made history at the 2009 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They beat the defending champions, Team Canada led by Jennifer Jones. This was a huge moment for the Northwest Territories. It was the first time a team from the Territories beat the defending champions at the Scotties. This big win earned Kerry's team the 2009 Sport North Team of the Year Award.

Continued Success (2011–2014)

In 2011, Kerry won the 2011 Yukon/NWT Scotties Tournament of Hearts championship. She then represented the Yukon/Northwest Territories at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Her team had early success in the 2011/2012 season. They beat top teams like Amber Holland and Cheryl Bernard on the World Curling Tour. They made the playoffs at the 2011 Boundary Ford Curling Classic. Kerry's team qualified for the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. At this event, Kerry won the 2012 Ford Hot Shots competition. Her team started strong with a 2–1 record.

Kerry got sick during the tournament and missed two games. Her team struggled without her. Despite this, they finished with a 4–7 record. They also defeated the defending champions, Team Canada (Amber Holland). They even beat the eventual champions, Team Alberta's Heather Nedohin.

The team returned to the Scotties in 2013. At the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they finished with a 2–9 record. They again defeated the defending champion, Heather Nedohin. In 2014, Kerry lost in the territorial playdowns for the first time in ten years. She lost to Sarah Koltun from the Yukon.

Northwest Territories Entry (2015–Present)

Starting in 2015, the Northwest Territories got its own direct entry to the national championship. Kerry won the 2015 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts. She represented the NWT at the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Her team had to play in a pre-qualifying tournament. She beat the Yukon but lost to Northern Ontario, so she didn't make the main tournament.

Kerry won the 2016 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts. She again represented the NWT at the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. She lost in the pre-qualifier final and didn't advance.

In 2017, Kerry's team automatically qualified for the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. This time, she won the pre-qualifying tournament. In the main event, her team had a good showing with a 5–6 record.

For the 2017–18 season, Kerry added Sarah Koltun to her team. Team Galusha won the 2018 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts without losing a game. At the national 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Kerry's team won their thirteenth-place game.

The next season, the team added Brittany Tran. They won their first World Curling Tour event, the 2018 Royal LePage Women's Fall Classic. Team Galusha easily won the 2019 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts. At the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they started strong but were eliminated after pool play.

The Galusha team added experienced player Jo-Ann Rizzo for the 2019–20 season. They had success on the tour, reaching quarterfinals and semifinals. They won the 2020 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts. At the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they finished 2–5. The following season, Team Galusha won the 2021 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts again. At the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they finished with a 4–4 record, just missing the championship pool.

Team Galusha had a great start to the 2021–22 season. They reached the final of the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard. The next week, they won the KW Fall Classic. They qualified for the 2021 Canadian Curling Pre-Trials Direct-Entry Event. They won their way into the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials. The 2022 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts was cancelled. Team Galusha was chosen to represent the Territories. At the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the team made history. They finished the round robin with a 5–3 record. They won a tiebreaker game. This made them the first team from the Northwest Territories to reach the playoffs at the Scotties. They lost in the first playoff game.

To begin the 2022–23 season, Team Galusha reached quarterfinals and semifinals in various events. They won the 2023 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts. At the 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, they started well but missed the playoffs.

The Galusha team had less success on tour the following season. They reached the semifinals of the Alberta Tour Kick-off. They also made the quarterfinals of the 2023 KW Fall Classic. After winning the 2024 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the team announced it would be their last event together. At the Hearts, the team finished fifth in their pool. They had a huge comeback win against Ontario's Danielle Inglis. They overcame a seven-point deficit to win 10–9.

Kerry formed a new team for the 2024-25 season. She played with Megan Koehler, Shona Barbour, and her daughter Sydney Galusha. Kerry won the 2025 Northwest Territories Women's Curling Championship. This was her 21st Northwest Territories Championship title. Before the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Kerry announced it would be her last as a player. She retired from competitive curling at the end of the season. Kerry finished her last Scotties with a 3–5 record. She tied for 4th all-time in total career games played at the Scotties.

Personal Life

Kerry Galusha is part of a curling family. Her brother, Kevin Koe, skips a team from Alberta. Her twin brother, Jamie Koe, skips a team from the Northwest Territories. Kerry works for the Government of the Northwest Territories. She is a finance officer for the Department of Justice. She is married and has a daughter, Sydney, who also curls competitively.

Grand Slam Record