Jennifer Jones

Jennifer Judith Jones OM (born July 7, 1974) is a Canadian curler.

Her first provincial junior competition was in 1990 when she was 15.

Jones' dad coached the team, including her sister Heather at second, Tracey Lavery at third, and Dana Malanchuk at lead.

They won one time and lost two times before being eliminated.

After the tournament, Jones was recruited to play third for Jill Staub.

In 1991, Jones won her first provincial junior title, playing third for Jill Staub (Thurston).

The team also included Kristie Moroz at second and Kelly Scott (then Mackenzie) at lead.

The team represented Manitoba at the 1991 Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Leduc, Alberta.

The team finished the round-robin in first place with a 10–1 record.

She attended the University of Manitoba from 1999 to 2001.

At the University of Manitoba, she earned a B.A. in psychology and economics and a LL.B. She later became a lawyer, a corporate counsel for National Bank Financial, where she is now a senior legal advisor.

Jones is married to former world champion curler Brent Laing from Ontario; they have two daughters.

They won the 2008 World Women's Curling Championship and were the last Canadian women's team to do so until Rachel Homan in 2017.

The only male skip to achieve this was fellow Canadian Kevin Martin in 2010.

Jones and her squad were the first Manitoba based curling team to win an Olympic gold medal.

Their first daughter Isabella was born prematurely on 13 November 2012 in Barrie, Ontario.

Although it was a premature birth, the baby was healthy, weighing over 3.2 kilograms.

"Honestly, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me," she said.

She was the Olympic champion in curling as skip of the Canadian team at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Jones is the first female skip to go through the Games undefeated.

A residency policy change adopted by Curling Canada in 2015 allows one team member to live out-of-province and continue to represent the province.

In addition to her job as a lawyer, Jones is also a motivational speaker.

Jones began curling at the age of 11.

Jones won three provincial junior championships and a national junior championship as a junior curler.

Their second daughter Skyla Carol was born on 18 August 2016.

In late 2016 Jones moved to Shanty Bay, near Barrie, Ontario, with her husband, Brent Laing and daughters.

She won a second world championship in 2018.

Jones represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Jones has won the national championship a record tying six times, most recently during the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, equalling Colleen Jones for total Scotties championships.

To go along with her national championships, Jones has also won the Manitoba provincial championship 11 times, with a total of 16 Tournament of Heart appearances as of 2021, and has won more games at the Tournament of Hearts than any other curler.

In addition to her accomplishments internationally, nationally, and provincially, she has also won 17 Grand Slam of Curling events on the World Curling Tour, more than any other female skip.

In 2019, Jones was named the greatest Canadian female skip and overall curler in history in a TSN poll of broadcasters, reporters and top curlers.

Jennifer Judith Jones was born to Larry and Carol Jones, who were both curlers.

She also has a sister named Heather 18 months older.

During her childhood, she was often described as "shy".

Larry Jones started teaching Jones when she was 11, although Jones' interest in the sport took up before that, in a daycare at the St. Vital Curling Club.

She attended General Vanier School in South Winnipeg from kindergarten to grade 8.

After, she attended Windsor Park Collegiate.

At that point, Jones was proficient at volleyball and curling.

"When I was in high school, I really had to make a choice, and it was actually my volleyball coach who told me I had to choose either volleyball or curling, and I chose curling," she told the CBC.