Curling News

Mixed Doubles Olympic Dreams on the Line in Liverpool, N.S.

Mixed Doubles Olympic Dreams on the Line in Liverpool, N.S.
Photo : The Canadian Press

The road to the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials begins Monday at the Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool, N.S., where one team will take a major step towards an Olympic medal.

Sixteen teams from across Canada will compete in the Trials, which run through Saturday, Jan. 4. The victorious team will represent Canada at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Championship, set for April 26-May 3 in Fredericton, N.B.

This championship will also determine the majority of the countries eligible for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. If Canada qualifies for the Games, the Trials winner from Liverpool will wear the Maple Leaf in Italy.

Various ticket options for the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials are available. For more details, CLICK HERE.

This will be the first Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials since 2018, when Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris triumphed in Portage la Prairie, Man. They later claimed the first-ever Olympic Mixed Doubles Curling gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

The 2022 Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the 16 teams vying for victory in Liverpool, along with their qualification details:

  • Kadriana Lott/Colton Lott (Gimli, Man.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship gold medalists
  • Laura Walker/Kirk Muyres (Edmonton/Humboldt, Sask.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship silver medalists
  • Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant (Chestermere, Alta.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship bronze medalists
  • Nancy Martin/Steve Laycock (Wakaw, Sask./Saskatoon) – 2023-24 Canadian Mixed Doubles Ranking (CMDR)
  • Jennifer Jones/Brent Laing (Barrie, Ont.) – 2023-24 CMDR
  • Brittany Tran/Rylan Kleiter (Calgary/Saskatoon) – Canadian Mixed Doubles Qualifying Event (Maple Ridge, B.C.)
  • Rachel Homan/Brendan Bottcher (Beaumont, Alta./Spruce Grove, Alta.) – Canadian Mixed Doubles Qualifying Event (Guelph, Ont.)
  • Jennifer Armstrong/Tyrel Griffith (Rothesay, N.B./Kelowna, B.C.) – Canadian Mixed Doubles Qualifying Event (Banff/Canmore, Alta.)
  • Riley Sandham/Brendan Craig (Guelph, Ont.) – 2025 Trials CMDR
  • Lisa Weagle/John Epping (Ottawa/Toronto) – 2025 Trials CMDR
  • Taylor Reese-Hansen/Corey Chester (Kitimat, B.C./Victoria) – 2025 Trials CMDR
  • Anne-Sophie Gionest/Robert Desjardins (Alma, Que./Saguenay, Que.) – 2025 Trials CMDR
  • Melissa Adams/Alex Robichaud (Fredericton, N.B.) – 2025 Trials CMDR
  • Jessica Zheng/Victor Pietrangelo (Niagara Falls, Ont.) – 2025 Trials CMDR
  • Paige Papley/Evan Van Amsterdam (Edmonton) – 2025 Trials CMDR
  • Jaelyn Cotter/Jim Cotter (Vernon, B.C.) – 2025 Trials CMDR

The competition will begin with a round-robin format, splitting the teams into two pools of eight. This will take place from Monday to Thursday, Jan. 2. The top three teams from each pool will advance to a six-team playoff, modeled after the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Brier.

Playoff action kicks off Thursday. The top two teams from each pool will compete for a direct spot in the Page 1v2 game, while the losers will face the third-placed teams in their pool to secure spots in the Page 3v4 game.

The Page 1v2 winner will move directly to the final, while the loser will face the Page 3v4 winner in the semifinal. The semifinal victor will advance to the gold-medal match on Saturday, Jan. 4, where the Trials champion will be crowned.

Read next