2018-19 National Team Program lineup, High Performance staff unveiled by Curling Canada

Canada’s national curling program is in solid hands as it prepares for the 2018-19 season, as well as for the beginning of the four-year quadrennial leading to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

A total of 15 four-player and nine mixed doubles teams have named to Curling Canada’s National Team Program, it was announced today, meaning those teams will receive Sport Canada, Own the Podium and Canadian Olympic Committee funding in addition to ongoing sport science and sport medicine support from Curling Canada’s national High Performance staff of coaches and consultants.

Teams were named to the NTP based on results from the 2017-18 season, as well as the assessment of Curling Canada’s High Performance coaching staff under the direction of Curling Canada’s Director, High Performance, Gerry Peckham.

Here are the teams that will be part of the National Team Program:

Women

Team Chelsea Carey (Calgary) Team Kerri Einarson (Gimli, Man.) Team Tracy Fleury (East St. Paul, Man.) Team Rachel Homan (Ottawa) Team Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg) Team Darcy Robertson (Winnipeg) Team Casey Scheidegger (Lethbridge, Alta.) Team Laura Walker (Edmonton)

Men

Team Brendan Bottcher (Edmonton) Team Reid Carruthers (Winnipeg) Team John Epping (Toronto) Tean Jason Gunnlaugson (Morris, Man.) Team Brad Gushue (St. John’s) Team Brad Jacobs (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) Team Kevin Koe (Calgary)

Mixed Doubles

Chelsea Carey (Calgary)/Colin Hodgson (Winnipeg) Joanne Courtney (Edmonton)/Reid Carruthers (Winnipeg) Emilie Desjardins/Robert Desjardins (both Chicoutimi, Que.) Jennifer Jones/Brent Laing (both Shanty Bay, Ont.) Kaitlyn Lawes (Winnipeg)/John Morris (Canmore, Alta.) Kalynn Park (Edmonton)/Charley Thomas (Calgary) Jocelyn Peterman (Winnipeg)/Brett Gallant (St. John’s) Val Sweeting (Edmonton)/Brad Gushue (St. John’s) Laura Walker (Edmonton)/Kirk Muyres (Saskatoon)

Members of the wheelchair National Team Program will be announced to the public at a later date.

“This is a seasoned group of athletes in whom we have a great deal of confidence, and we’re pleased that we can offer them support from Curling Canada and our funding partners to help them take their games to new levels,” said Peckham. “We’re also pleased that there is an amazing array of talent within the Curling Canada high performance staff/consultants realm that is truly dedicated to helping these athletes, both on and off the ice.”

In addition to naming the members of the National Team Program, Curling Canada also unveiled its High Performance staffing appointments for the 2018-19 season.

Among the changes are Jeff Stoughton taking over as National Men’s Coach/Program Manager, replacing Rick Lang, who decided following the 2017-18 season to step back from the position. Lang will remain as a Performance Consultant. Stoughton, meanwhile, will continue overseeing the Mixed Doubles national program for the time being.

Two newcomers, Scott Pfeifer and Adam Kingsbury, have joined the staff. Pfeifer, a four-time world men’s champion, will be a Performance Consultant working primarily with Stoughton, while Kingsbury, the former coach of Team Homan, will take on responsibilities as a Mental Performance Consultant and Information/Technology Manager.

“This is a truly dedicated group of professionals who have a wealth of information to provide to our athletes,” said Peckham. “It takes a community to make this work, and our community is one that is in equal measures passionate and caring for these athletes, and will do whatever is necessary to help them succeed.”

Here is the Curling Canada High Performance staff for 2018-19:

Gerry Peckham – Director, High Performance Elaine Dagg-Jackson – National Coach & Program Manager Jeff Stoughton – National Coach & Program Manager Renee Sonnenberg – Performance Consultant & Analytics Lead Paul Webster – Performance Consultant Nolan Thiessen – Performance Consultant & Athlete Representative Scott Pfeifer – Performance Consultant Rick Lang – Performance Consultant Kyle Paquette – Lead Mental Performance Consultant Adam Kingsbury – Mental Performance Consultant, & Information, Technology Manager Kyle Turcotte – Strength & Conditioning Lead Jorie Janzen – Nutrition Lead Karen Watson – Health & Doping Control Consultant Dr. Bob McCormack – Medical Lead

Curling Canada also announced today the four-player teams that will compete in the first three legs of the inaugural Curling World Cup series.

The four-event Curling World Cup will feature teams from around the world; the first three events will have eight men’s, eight women’s and eight mixed doubles teams competing. The fourth leg, May 6-12 in Beijing, will be the Grand Final, featuring teams that qualified from the first three events.

Canada will be represented by Team Homan and Team Koe at the first event, Sept. 10-16 in China (city TBA), while Team Fleury and Team Gunnlaugson will play at the second event, Dec. 5-9 in Omaha, Neb., and Team Jones and Gushue will play the third event, Jan. 28-Feb. 3 in Europe (city TBA).

The Canadian mixed doubles entries will be decided at a later date.