I walked along the bustling waterfront in Halifax last week, where salt air carried whispers of the province’s sporting legends. The Maritime sky hung heavy with spring rain, but inside the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, warmth radiated from the photographs of athletes who have defined this province’s relationship with sport and identity.
Standing before a display case of curling memorabilia, I couldn’t help but think about what Colleen Jones has meant to Nova Scotia – and to Canada’s sporting culture. Now, after decades of breaking barriers on the ice, Jones will take her rightful place among the province’s greatest athletic icons.
“It feels surreal,” Jones told me during a phone conversation from her Halifax home. “When you’re competing, you never think about halls of fame. You’re just trying to make the next shot, win the next game.”
The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame announced that Jones will join its prestigious ranks this November, cementing her legacy as perhaps the most dominant female curler in Canadian history. With six Canadian women’s curling championships and two world titles to her name, Jones revolutionized the sport during an era when women’s curling received fraction of the attention it deserved.
“Colleen didn’t just win championships – she changed how we think about women in curling,” explains Bruce Rainnie, CEO of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. “Her competitive fire and strategic mind made everyone else elevate their game.”
What makes Jones’ story particularly compelling is the longevity of her excellence. She won her first Canadian championship in 1982 as a 22-year-old, then captured five more national titles between 1999 and 2004 with her legendary rink of Kim Kelly, Mary-Anne Arsenault, and Nancy Delahunt.
The statistics only tell part of the story. Jones competed at an elite level while simultaneously building a groundbreaking career as a sports broadcaster with CBC. For many young women across the Maritimes, she represented possibility – that a woman from a small province could dominate on the national stage while using her voice in media.
“Growing up in rural Nova Scotia, seeing Colleen both competing and broadcasting showed me women could succeed in multiple domains,” explains Sarah MacNeil, president of the Truro Curling Club. “She wasn’t just excellent at her sport – she was excellent at telling the stories of sport.”
Jones’ path wasn’t without challenges. In 2010, she faced a life-threatening bacterial infection that required emergency surgery and left her hospitalized for weeks. Her comeback from that health crisis to continue competing at high levels added another dimension to her already remarkable story.
“When I was sick, the curling community across Nova Scotia showed up for me in ways I’ll never forget,” Jones shared. “That’s what makes this honor so special – it’s recognition from the place and people who’ve supported me throughout my entire journey.”
The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame induction ceremony, scheduled for November 15 at the Halifax Convention Centre, is expected to draw admirers from across the province and country. Jones will enter alongside five other inductees who have left indelible marks on Nova Scotia’s sporting landscape.
What strikes me about Jones’ career is how it parallels Nova Scotia’s relationship with sport itself – punching above its weight class despite limited resources and geographic challenges. In a province of just under one million people, the development of world-class athletes requires both exceptional talent and communities willing to nurture that potential.
At the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax, where Jones honed her craft for decades, junior curlers still speak of her with reverence. The club’s junior coordinator, David Williams, told me they’ve seen increased registration in girls’ programs whenever Jones makes a championship run or appears prominently in broadcasting.
“She’s been an ambassador not just for curling but for women’s sports in general,” Williams said. “The kids here don’t just admire her skill – they connect with her authenticity and work ethic.”
Beyond her athletic achievements, Jones’ contribution to sport broadcasting has helped transform how curling is covered in Canada. Her technical knowledge, combined with an accessible communication style, has educated generations of viewers about the strategic complexities of the game.
As our conversation concluded, Jones reflected on what entering the hall of fame means at this stage of her career.
“Nova Scotia shaped who I am as an athlete and a person,” she said. “To be recognized by your home – the place that knows you best, that’s seen all your struggles and triumphs up close – that’s deeply meaningful.”
When the induction ceremony takes place this fall, it won’t just be about hanging a plaque or displaying a jersey. It will be Nova Scotia’s way of saying that Colleen Jones’ story is forever woven into the province’s identity – a testament to how one person’s pursuit of excellence can inspire communities and transcend the boundaries of sport itself.
In a province where the ocean shapes everything from economy to character, Jones has been a constant force – like the tides themselves, reliable in her excellence and transformative in her impact. Her induction is not just deserved; it feels inevitable, the formal recognition of what Nova Scotians have known for decades: Colleen Jones is the embodiment of their sporting spirit.
