Team Ireland are ready to go for the first WCF event of the season as Curl Aberdeen plays host once again to the 2023 World Mixed Curling Championships. Ireland are represented by Brian Mathews, Clare McCormick, Jason Medhurst and Stephanie … Continue reading
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Team Ireland are ready to go for the first WCF event of the season as Curl Aberdeen plays host once again to the 2023 World Mixed Curling Championships. Ireland are represented by Brian Mathews, Clare McCormick, Jason Medhurst and Stephanie McDonald after their victory in March at the Irish Mixed Championship in Dumfries.
Below: Brian, Stephanie, Jason and Clare
History will be made as it marks the first time that the ICA is represented by a team with 3 members based on the island of Ireland. In addition to this, it will be Brian and Jason’s international debuts.
We asked Brian a few questions ahead of the worlds:
ICA: “How did you get involved with the ICA?”
Brian: “When my wife and I first decided we would move to Ireland around 2018, I looked into whether curling existed there, and found the ICA. Separately and coincidentally, I met Jason at a summer league game in Oakville, Ontario in 2019, and when I mentioned my impending move he mentioned he was also going to be in Ireland. I made the move in early 2020, and after some painful COVID delays, I was finally welcomed with open arms to my first ICA event in Edinburgh in 2021.”
ICA: “How did you form this team?”
Brian: “Stephanie first approached Jason and Brian to put a team together, but the group struggled finding a fourth player. Fortunately, at the Four Nations event in Aberdeen, while we were sitting around a table at the dinner banquet and discussing our lack of progress, John Wilson spoke up and said “Clare doesn’t have a team, she’ll play with you, right Clare?” It was a perfect match, and who could have guessed that fate would have us back in Aberdeen only eight months later representing Ireland at the Worlds!”
ICA: “What chance have you all had to prepare for the world championships?”
Brian: “Well, we’ve had months to watch ourselves back on YouTube from Dumfries (and the view count continues to rise). We had a great weekend session in Greenaces with Johnjo, and Clare was lucky enough to get in a few games during the week, plus an extra practice session. Enough to shake off the rust and get excited to curl again.”
ICA: “Finally, what are your hopes for this week and what team are you most looking forward to playing?”
Brian: “Our main focus is to enjoy the experience. It’s such a great opportunity to get to take part in a Worlds, so we’ll do our best to enjoy everything both on and off the ice. I think Brian, Jason, and Stephanie are hoping we can make the playoffs and get a chance to play against Canada!”
34 teams head to Aberdeen for an initial round robin phase in four groups from Saturday to Thursday before playoffs begin on Friday for the top 12 teams. Ireland are in group A along with Israel, Belgium, Netherlands, Japan, England, hosts Scotland, Wales and Sweden. They begin their campaign early on Saturday morning against Israel at 8am before the rest of the group – and the home nations – await!
Streaming for the event is available directly from the WCF website here:
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