Another curling review with Features Writer Craig Kyle:

Happy new year to one and all, as we enter 2026, the holidays slowly become a distant memory, but we edge closer to the Winter Olympics next month.

I say holidays, but this close to the Olympic games, there is no time to lay about for our Elite athletes. The NCA was operating as usual in-between Christmas and New Year and Bruce and Jen were off to Gothenburg for a mixed doubles event.

Regular participants in the event and last year’s winners Dodds and Mouat were hoping for a repeat of last Christmas to nab the title once more. It wasn’t going to be an easy job for the pair with three other Olympic teams in the line-up for the 3-day event.

Four pools of four with each team playing 1 cross over game, Bruce and Jen went through the round robin 3-1, losing 10-6 to Denmark side Roenning/Buraas. Through to the quarter finals our Olympic side come up against the Swedish Olympic pairing of the Wrana siblings walking away with a 7-3 win.

The semi-final was a much closer game. The GBR team met Swiss pairing, Engler/Wunderlin, and headed into an extra end without hammer. That wasn’t to stop them as they managed a steal of 1 to edge victory.

No strangers to finals, the current World silver medallists would face 2023 world champions, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin. The USA pair came out the hack with a 3 to start the game and Dodds/Mouat were left trailing from the off.

Taking a single back and forcing the US to their single as well, it was 4-1 after 3 ends. The two Corys would follow up with a steal of 4 and the game become rather one sided on the score board. Jen and Bruce would get a deuce back but 8-3 down without hammer it seemed out of reach, and it was handshakes.

Their last event as a pair before the Olympics Jen and Bruce are looking in a good position to be right up there come February in Cortina.

A few days back home for Bruce before heading back across the Atlantic with the Mouat machine to defend their title at the Crown Palace Players championship.

Team Mouat will be joined this week by Team Whyte and Team Waddell. The three Scottish teams are in Steinbach, Manitoba for the last GSOC event of the season. A smaller field than the other GSOC events, only 12 teams on each side, men’s and women’s, make up the competition.

Seven Olympic teams, including Mouat, will be in attendance in Steinbach with each team hoping to be nearing the top of their game before they head to Italy next month
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Games start Tuesday 6th, with Waddell playing Retornaz in the first draw, Whyte plays Jacobs in second and Mouat faces Shuster in the third.

Format for the week is two pools of 6 with 5 round robin games. Top 6 overall progress with top 2 straight to the semi-finals. Steinbach is 6 hours behind Scotland, meaning some later nights for those tuning in.

For the full draw and schedule, head to the GSOC website.

Keep an eye out on team socials and on Scottish Curling for fixtures and updates throughout the week.

As always, the GSOC events are ALL FREE to stream through the Rock Channel.

On home soil this week, there was two junior slams scheduled in the calendar.

Due to recent wintery weather and what is forecast for the rest of the week the, U21’s in Aberdeen has been postponed. 16 teams will head to Kinross though for the U14s, where Team Asham currently sit top of the table after 1 event with three still to play.

Keep up to date with the scores throughout Saturday on the Scottish Curling website.

To all those curling this week, in your clubs or overseas, good luck and good curling