“Canadian Curling Teams Gear Up for Olympic Trials”

Canada’s top curling teams are currently focused on the Olympic trials. The trials in November in Halifax will determine the men’s and women’s teams that will represent Canada at the 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Canada’s last Olympic gold medals in team curling were secured in 2014 by Jennifer Jones and Brad Jacobs in Sochi, Russia.

Seven out of eight men’s teams and seven out of eight women’s teams heading to the Halifax trials are participating this week in the PointsBet Invitational. This event has been modified to replicate the trials environment, unlike its earlier quirky, single knockout format.

Each team will play four round-robin games in Calgary, with the finals scheduled for Sunday at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre. Brad Gushue expressed approval of the adjustments, considering the upcoming Olympic trials.

The men’s and women’s PointsBet fields each consist of 10 teams divided into two pools. The top team from each pool will compete in the championship games, with a prize purse of $300,000 up for grabs. Curling Canada reduced the number of PointsBet teams from 32 to 20 this year.

With 14 teams already guaranteed trials berths, the remaining six will vie for spots in the Home Hardware Canadian pre-trials in Wolfville, N.S., from October 20 to 26.

‘A few more games makes sense’

The winners in Wolfville will complete the trials roster in Halifax, making this year’s PointsBet a crucial preparatory event for most teams.

“It makes a lot of sense to get a few more games in,” mentioned Matt Dunstone, emphasizing the value of gaining experience ahead of the Halifax trials.

Dunstone’s team, coming off a victory in the AMJ Masters Grand Slam, started the PointsBet Invitational with a 5-3 win. On the women’s side, several teams secured wins in the opening matches.

In subsequent matches, Brad Jacobs, Mike McEwen, Rachel Homan, and others secured victories, setting the stage for intense competition in the coming rounds.

The format of the PointsBet Invitational has evolved over the years, with memorable upsets and competitive matches showcasing the talent in Canadian curling.

Curling Canada’s focus this year is on providing quality game experiences for the teams preparing for the upcoming trials in Halifax. This approach aims to enhance the teams’ readiness for the trials event in November, emphasizing the importance of maximizing the season for success.