{{short description|Canadian curler}} {{Infobox curler | name = Anne Merklinger | other_names = Anne Merklinger-Michie<ref>{{cite news|title=Curling|date=November 17, 1986|page=30|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92021099/the-ottawa-citizen/|accessdate=January 6, 2022}}</ref> | image = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|11|15}} | birth_place = London, Ontario | Member Association = {{PE}} (1975-1976) <br> {{ON}} (1989-2006) | Hearts appearances = 6 ({{STOH|1990}}, {{STOH|1991}}, {{STOH|1993}}, {{STOH|1994}}, {{STOH|1998}}, {{STOH|2000}}) | World Championship appearances = 1 (1990) | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Women's swimming}} {{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Summer Universiade}} {{MedalSilver|1977 Sofia|200 m breaststroke}} {{MedalSport | Curling}} {{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }} {{MedalCompetition|World Championships}} {{MedalBronze| 1990 Västerås | Team}} {{MedalCountry | {{ON}} }} {{MedalCompetition | {{STOH}}}} {{MedalGold | {{STOH|1990|1990 Ottawa}} | }} {{MedalSilver | {{STOH|1998|1998 Regina}} | }} {{MedalSilver | {{STOH|2000|2000 Prince George}} | }} {{MedalBronze | {{STOH|1993|1993 Brandon}} | }} }}
'''Anne Merklinger''' (born November 15, 1958) is CEO of Own the Podium. She is a retired Canadian curler. She won the Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women's championship, in 1990 and went on to win the bronze medal at the World Championships. She curled out of the Rideau Curling Club.
Before curling, Merklinger was a notable swimmer. In the late 1970s, she was a member of the Canadian national swimming team.
Following her curling career, Merklinger served as director general of the Canoe Kayak Canada. She also worked with the Commission for the Inclusion of Athletes with a Disability and served as a board member for Special Olympics Canada. Merklinger was named CEO of the Own the Podium program on January 26, 2012, succeeding Alex Baumann and following an interim period as co-CEO.<ref name="CBC01">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/anne-merklinger-named-ceo-of-own-the-podium-1.1266791 |title=Anne Merklinger named CEO of Own the Podium |date=January 26, 2012 |publisher=CBC Sports |first=Paul|last= Owen}}</ref>
== Curling career == In 1976, she skipped Prince Edward Island at the 1976 Canadian Junior Curling Championships.
After attending the {{STOH|1990}} and {{STOH|1991}} Tournament of Hearts as an alternate for Alison Goring, Merklinger skipped her first team to the Hearts in {{STOH|1993}}. Her team lost to Maureen Bonar of Manitoba in the semi-final. Her team qualified for the Hearts once again the {{STOH|1994|following year}}, but they failed to live up to expectations, finished with a 4–7 record.
Merklinger returned to the Hearts in {{STOH|1998}}. Capping off a season that included her team attending the 1997 Canadian Olympic Trials, Merklinger would go all the way to the final before losing to Cathy Borst of Alberta in the final.
Merklinger attended her last Hearts in {{STOH|2000}} where she once again made it to the final. This time she lost to Kelley Law's team from British Columbia. Merklinger failed to qualify for any further Hearts after that. After the 2005–06 season, where her team failed to even make the provincial championships, she decided to retire from the game.
==Personal life== Merklinger comes from a large curling family. Her brother, Dave Merklinger is a high-profile ice maker, while her younger sisters Breanne and Lee are curlers as well. Her other brother, Bill was the alternate for the Northwest Territories at the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.curling.ca/blog/2011/11/25/pebbles-to-boulders-the-merklinger-twins/ |title = Pebbles to Boulders: The Merklinger Twins|date=25 November 2011|access-date=29 January 2026|website=Curling Canada|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318185458/http://www.curling.ca/blog/2011/11/25/pebbles-to-boulders-the-merklinger-twins/|archive-date=2015-03-18}}</ref>
==Awards== *Marj Mitchell Sportsmanship Award (1998) *Scotties Tournament of Hearts Shot of the Week Award (1998) * Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame (2010)<ref>{{cite news |work=CTV News |title=Five honoured by Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame |date=May 6, 2010 |url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/five-honoured-by-ottawa-sports-hall-of-fame-1.509776 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021054250/http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/five-honoured-by-ottawa-sports-hall-of-fame-1.509776 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |accessdate=May 6, 2010}}</ref> * Scotties Tournament of Hearts Builders Award (2010)
==References== {{reflist|35em}}
==External links== *{{sports links}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merklinger, Anne}} Category:Living people Category:1958 births Category:Canadian female swimmers Category:Summer World University Games medalists in swimming Category:Canadian women curlers Category:Curlers from Prince Edward Island Category:Curling broadcasters Category:Swimmers from London, Ontario Category:Swimmers from Ottawa Category:Curlers from Ottawa Category:Sportswomen from Ontario Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for Canada Category:Canada Cup (curling) participants Category:Medalists at the 1977 Summer Universiade Category:20th-century Canadian sportswomen Category:21st-century Canadian sportswomen