Janique LeBlanc is a Canadian curler from Fall River, Nova Scotia.

Janique LeBlanc
Other namesJani
Born
Janique LeBlanc

(1997-05-25) May 25, 1997 (age 27)
Team
Curling clubCornwall CC, Cornwall, PE
SkipAmanda Power
ThirdSara Spafford
SecondEmily Best
LeadJanique LeBlanc
Curling career
Member Association Nova Scotia (2010–17)
 Prince Edward Island (2023–Present)
Other appearancesCJCC: 4 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Medal record
Women's Curling
Representing  Canada
World Junior Curling Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Copenhagen
Representing  Nova Scotia
Canada Winter Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Prince George

Curling career

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At just 16 years old,[1] LeBlanc played lead for the Mary Fay rink along with, Jenn Smith and Karlee Burgess and won the 2014 Nova Scotia Junior women's championship. They were the youngest team to win in 20 years.,[2] sending the four-some to the 2014 Canadian Junior Curling Championships to represent Nova Scotia. Despite their youth, the team finished with an 8-2 record, making the playoffs. The team would go on to lose to British Columbia, skipped by Kalia Van Osch in the semi-final, winning a bronze medal.[3] The next year, the Fay rink won their second U21 Nova Scotia Provincials, earning the right to represent Nova Scotia at their second back-to-back Canadian Junior Curling Championship. The rink fell one step shorter than their previous year, finishing in a tie for fourth place with a 6-4 record. The Fay rink then qualified for the 2016 Canadian Juniors with their third provincial title. The rink finished in first place after the round robin with a 9-1 record, earning the rink a direct bye to the finals. In the finals, she played the British Columbia rink, this time skipped by Sarah Daniels, and won her first Canadian Junior title by defeating the British Columbia rink 9-5, and therefore representing Canada at the 2016 World Juniors in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Team Fay has also won three Under-15 provincial championships and won the 2013 Under-18 provincial championships, as well as the 2013 U-18 Atlantics. They represented Nova Scotia at the 2015 Canada Winter Games after beating club mate Cassie Cocks 7-3 in the provincial final.[4] During the week of December 1, 2014, LeBlanc was named the team Nova Scotia athlete of the week [5] While at the games LeBlanc and her Nova Scotian team went undefeated through the Round Robin, finishing with a perfect 5-0 record. According to the announcers when their game against Manitoba was televised on TSN, the Fay rink had the highest player percentages at every position and the highest team percentage after the first two draws. Their perfect record in the Round Robin earned them a bye to the Semi Finals. They once again played New Brunswick's Justine Comeau, after defeating her 7-5 in the Round Robin, and won on the last rock in the last end in a 7-6 decision. They went on to play Ontario in the Gold Medal Game, in which 6-5 in an extra end. Jenn Smith and the Fay rink then parted ways after the completion of the 2014-15 season.

The Fay rink would play in their first World Curling Tour event at the 2014 Gibson's Cashspiel, where they lost in the final to Mary-Anne Arsenault.

Personal life

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LeBlanc is the daughter of Jacques and Jocelyn LeBlanc. She is of Acadian descent and is fluent in both English and French.[citation needed]

 
LeBlanc (right) at the closing ceremony of the 2015 Acadian Games in Halifax, NS.

LeBlanc attended École secondaire du Sommet in Halifax, Nova Scotia and is now attending Université de Moncton doing the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.[6]

Teams

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Season Skip Third Second Lead
2010–11 Mary Fay Jenn Smith Karlee Burgess Janique LeBlanc
2011–12 Mary Fay Jenn Smith Karlee Burgess Janique LeBlanc
2012–13 Mary Fay Jenn Smith Karlee Burgess Janique LeBlanc
2013–14 Mary Fay Jenn Smith Karlee Burgess Janique LeBlanc
2014–15 Mary Fay Jenn Smith Karlee Burgess Janique LeBlanc
2015–16 Mary Fay Kristin Clarke Karlee Burgess Janique LeBlanc
2016–17 Kristin Clarke Karlee Burgess Janique LeBlanc Emily Lloyd
2023–24 Amanda Power Sara Spafford Emily Best Janique LeBlanc

References

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  1. ^ "Young Nova Scotians closing in on playoffs at 2014 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors". curling.ca.
  2. ^ "Chester skip wears junior curling crown". southshorenow.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-12-30.
  3. ^ "Team Fay defeated in semifinals at Canadian Juniors". novanewsnow.com.
  4. ^ "Fay qualifies for 2015 Canada Games". southshorenow.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  5. ^ Janique LeBlanc [dead link]
  6. ^ "Archives 2016 | Etudiants". www.umoncton.ca. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
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