Colleen Jones has won more national titles as a skip than any Canadian curler. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

She hasn't captured a world or national crown in the last three years, but in many ways Colleen Jones remains the queen of Canadian curling.

The super skip's reign of four consecutive Tournament of Hearts titles from 2001-04 is still a record, as is her six career national titles. And despite Jones's absence from last year's Big Dance, the two-time world champion's face continues to be as recognizable as ever thanks to her work as a reporter for CBC Television.

Get ready to see more of her, too. Jones has put together a new rink and, along with teammates Georgina Wheatcroft, Kate Hamer and Darah Provencal, has her sights set on representing Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Jones also recently authored her first book, Curling Secrets: How to think and play like a pro (Nimbus, $18), in which the married mother of two draws on the experiences of her 25-year career to dole out advice on everything from mastering a consistent slide to devising an off-ice training program to juggling challenges on and off the sheet.

While in Toronto as part of her Canada-wide promotional swing, Jones granted an audience to CBCSports.ca to dish on life as a scribe, curling's changing of the guard, and the one thing missing from her resumé

CBCSports.ca: So you're into the second city on your book tour. How's it going so far?

Colleen Jones: In Halifax it went really well. There's been a lot of interest. I've done a lot of interviews all over Nova Scotia — every little town that's got a radio station. It's all been a bit of a surprise.

CBC: How does life as an author compare to life as a curler?

CJ: The whole process has been an eye-opener for me, just to see how books are made, from writing it to having it edited to going in and talking about the layout and doing the photo work. It's a really interesting experience. But in many ways it's the same as competing. You need a really disciplined approach to get it done. On the other hand, there's certainly not the pressure like what I've felt at a world championship or anything like that. It's just different. You look at it like it's your baby.

CBC: Since we're interviewing Canada's most decorated female curler right now, this seems like a good time to ask: in your work as a reporter, who's the best interview you've had among the curling community?

CJ: All the curlers are really well-spoken. They're an interesting group because most of the pro tour is made up of university-educated professionals, which is different from a lot of other sports. Almost all of them are combining a full-time career with the sport they love, plus some of them are raising children, which makes them more interesting as well. With other athletes, sometimes it seems the bigger the paycheque, the worse they talk.

CBC: Speaking of juggling curling with other responsibilities, your life has changed a lot since you burst on the national scene by winning the 1982 Tournament of Hearts. Since then, you've gone from a carefree university student to a mom with a career, and you've collected five more national championships along the way. How has the manner in which you approach the game changed?

CJ: Curling for me has always been sort of pigeon-holed into a one-hour time slot in the afternoon. It's always a relaxing thing to do — my kind of Zen time when I'm just out there throwing rocks. Back in the old days, when I was in university, I loved playing. But it was like life and death to me. Every time I stepped on the ice I wanted to win so badly, and I took losses really hard. Then as I got older and had kids, I was able to put the game in perspective. And that really helped my game, that process of letting go and prioritizing it in a better, healthier way.

A lot of curlers are constantly juggling the demands of work, family and curling. The tough thing is to keep it in balance and not let one get of whack with the others. There's no reason why you can't do them all well, but you can't make curling the overall focus and priority, or something else in your life is going to suffer in a bad way.

CBC: It seems the sport is getting more demanding by the day.

CJ: Much more demanding. They've changed the format for qualifying for the Olympic trials so it's now focused on the World Curling Tour. That's different than the old way, in which it was focused on national championships. The new setup is a good thing for curling, but it's a bad thing for curling, too. It's good because it opens the door to qualify through many different ways rather than just one, but it's bad because now you have to go to all these events and travel and compete.

For women, most of the events are based in western Canada, so for teams in the east, the cost of travelling is really, really high. Eastern Canada has grown the game so much for women that it'll be a shame if this new format impacts things in such a way that in five or 10 years the eastern teams just can't afford to go out and play in the events. We have one of the events on the calendar — in New Glasgow, N.S., the first weekend of December — but otherwise, it's a very costly venture. And how do you combine family and work with playing in all those bonspiels? You still can't make a living at the game. You can put a big dent in your mortgage and pay some bills, no question about that, but you can't really make a living.

Jones won five of her six national titles with teammates, from left, Nancy Delahunt, Kim Kelly and Mary-Anne Waye. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

CBC: You're known personally for laying low on the cash circuit. Any plans to play more this year with your new team?

CJ: Two of the girls on our new team, Darah Provencal and Georgina Wheatcroft, are based in B.C., and Kate Hamer is from Ontario, so we don't fit into provincial qualifying for the Scotties. All we're doing this year are cash events, because the door is open for you to do that now as a way into the Olympic trials. We're playing in the major events, like the Grand Slams and the Canada Cup. We're going to do five events before Christmas, and we'll see how that goes. Some of the other teams are doing nine spiels before Christmas. That's a lot of curling.

It's physically and mentally demanding because of the travel. I fly across the country and get on the ice the next morning, which probably isn't conducive to great play. But we're doing it and enjoying it.

CBC: In your book, you write quite a bit about the importance of team chemistry. How does the chemistry on your new team compare with what you had on your great teams of a few years back?

CJ: Because we're scattered across Canada, we don't have time to do all the things a traditional curling team does. The chemistry we have is great, but there are certain things you do when you're practising together all the time that help grow you as a team. With our team, it's just show up and curl on weekends, so it's a whole different process.

You can't just take the four best curlers and make a team. You need chemistry. You've got to support each other and love playing together.

CBC: With the sport getting tougher at the elite level, curlers seem to be making more of an effort to get in better shape. In the book, you even included a section that details a workout routine for curlers. How important is it to be in proper shape?

CJ: It was huge for [my five-time national-championship team with Kim Kelly, Mary-Anne Waye and Nancy Delahunt]. A big part of our success was that we were in great shape. A couple of trainers from the Canadian Sports Centre in Halifax — Leo Thornley and Darren Steeves — looked at curling and decided what you need to do to be stronger out of the hack, sweep better, and mentally stay sharp on those days when you're playing three games a day. We paid strict attention to it and did everything they said, and then some.

Sure, you could curl and not be fit and still enjoy it, but you might be exhausted by the end of your tournament. The fewer stones you leave unturned, the better your chances of winning. And all of the top women's teams are involved in massive programs now. Ever since curling became an Olympic sport, everyone is doing everything they can to be the next Olympian and the next gold medallist.

CBC: You mention in the book how, when curling became a full Olympic medal sport in 1998, it changed everyone's mindset. Do you see that moment as a turning point in the history of the game?

CJ: Absolutely. But it's taken a while to evolve to where we are now. Back in '98, people were still thinking of the Brier and the Scotties as the best events. But now they're starting to say, "Hey, there's that little thing called the Olympics, and our sport is in it." You seeing an effect at the junior level, too, where kids are watching curling in the Olympics and saying, "I may never be an Olympic gymnast, I may never make the Olympic hockey team, but this curling thing seems like something I can handle."

CBC: Last year, you put down your skip's broom to throw third rocks for Kay Zinck. How'd you like that?

CJ: I enjoyed throwing third. It's a totally different feeling. You're still a key player on the team because you have a chance to make those big shots that can change the complexion of an end, but I didn't feel anything close to the pressure I'm used to at skip. Some of that pressure helps make you a better player because you're always on edge, you're always ready to throw. At third I had a more laissez-faire approach to the game. I'd be thinking, "Oh, the skip will bail us out." I enjoyed it, but there almost wasn't enough pressure.

CBC: With Vancouver now less than three years away, is qualifying for your first-ever Olympics something that's driving you?

CJ: It drives me to a point. There's no question that the Olympics is the big thing missing from my resumé, but I've had a wonderful curling life, so I'm not going to complain. If it happens, I would be jumping 40 feet in the air, but if it doesn't happen, I've been lucky to accomplish a lot of things and I'd be happy with that. I don't want to be too greedy, but I would never turn down a trip to the Olympics.

CBC: OK, ready for the lightning round?

CJ: Let's do it.

CBC: Who's the best active female curler?

CJ: In Canada, it's a tie between Jennifer Jones and Kelly Scott. Worldwide, when Anette Norberg is on her game, she's a machine.

CBC: Best male curler?

CJ: That's really hard because there are so many phenomenal teams. Kevin Martin is fantastic, David Nedohin and Randy Ferbey's team is great, and Kerry Burtnyk's longevity is incredible. And of course, there's Glenn Howard. His team looks unbeatable.

CBC: Toughest opponent you've ever faced?

CJ: Sandra Schmirler's team, no question about it. A close second would be Connie Laliberte from Manitoba. She was like the Ice Queen out there — it seemed nothing was ever going to bother her.

CBC: Teammate you've had the most fun playing with?

CJ: Kim Kelly was a ball. We were roommates all the time and we were very much like sisters, so we had a lot of fun. And Nancy Delahunt — I still play tennis with her and have a lot of fun.

CBC: Most memorable victory?

CJ: The 1999 Scotties was a big win because it came 17 years after my first one and no one thought we could win again. Except us.

CBC: Toughest loss?

CJ: I carry every single loss with me somewhere. It's hard to let go of them. But losing in the final of the 2003 worlds in Winnipeg to the U.S. was really crushing. The crowd was fantastic, but we didn't come out with a great game. There were many regrets in that game.