Sandra Porter-Lowe, Terri Longmire and Meredith Innes are three of the more than 100 volunteers at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool this week. (Rick Conrad)
To put on a big event like the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in a small community like Liverpool takes a lot of volunteers.
Organizers have recruited more than 100 people from Queens County and elsewhere to help put on the week-long event, which wrap up with the final draw on Saturday at 2 p.m.
QCCR spoke to some of the people making sure the curling trials at Queens Place Emera Centre run smoothly.
Scott Pfeifer, a former world and Canadian curling champion, gives a rundown of what makes mixed doubles curling unique. (Rick Conrad)
As 32 curlers compete this week in Liverpool for a chance to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, how much do you know about mixed doubles curling?
The 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials began on Monday and finish up on Saturday at Queens Place Emera Centre.
While you may be familiar with the rules of traditional four-person-to-a-team curling, there are some differences in the mixed doubles game.
So we asked one of the people uniquely qualified to give us a primer on the basics of the mixed doubles game versus traditional curling.
Scott Pfeifer is in Liverpool this week for the trials. He is the national team coach and program manager for mixed doubles with Curling Canada. Pfeifer is also a four-time world champion and a five-time Brier champion.
First of all, some of the fundamentals are the same in both disciplines. Teams play on the same size ice surface, with the same rings and the same basic rules.
“The real basic ones would be if you’re throwing a draw, that means you’re basically throwing the rock so that it’ll stop in the rings,” Pfeifer says.
“If you’re throwing a takeout, you’re actually taking out another stone. So you’re throwing it hard enough to remove the other stone from the rings. … The button is basically the centre, almost like the bull’s-eye, whoever is closest to the button at the end of the end scores points.
“Where someone’s aiming at the beginning, the shot is not where the rock ends up. So the rock, depending on whether you turn the handle left or right will travel in that direction.”
Unlike in the traditional game, in mixed doubles, there are two placement stones, one for each team, marked with an X.
“The biggest thing that you would notice is at the start of every end, there’s two placement stones. One is a guard right on the centre line and the other one is placed back four-foot. So the team that has a hammer, typically places their rock in the back four foot (ring), and basically those rocks are part of the the entire end and can be counted as scoring rocks as well.
“It adds a little bit more excitement. There’s already rocks in play. They can’t be removed. and there’s only five rocks per team every end, not including the placement stones. So the ends go really quick, but they’re also very action-packed because there’s a lot of rocks in play. “
Those placement stones can be knocked out only after there are five rocks in play.
“Until that point, no rocks can be removed, whether they’re in front, in the free-guard zone or in the rings.”
There’s also a rule unique to mixed doubles curling called a “power play”.
“A team each game has one time where they can exercise their power play option,” Pfeifer says, “which means moving those stones from the centre line over to the edge of the eight-foot (ring). And essentially what that does is it creates a little more offensive ability for the team to maybe score a few more points.
“So at the beginning of every end, those stones are placed and whether they’re placed on the centre line or on the edge of the eight-foot is the decision of the team with the hammer. But you can only use the power play once a game.”
In mixed doubles, teams can consist of only two players — one male, one female. No alternates are allowed. The games are shorter too, eight ends versus the 10 ends of traditional curling.
“There’s five rocks in an end, so one person throws either the first and the fifth rock of the end, the other teammate throws two, three and four of the end. And that can actually be switched every end if they want to.”
Scoring in mixed doubles is basically the same too, with the team with the most rocks closest to the button counting points in each end. In a regular curling match, teams can hold on to their last-shot advantage, otherwise known as the hammer, by blanking an end. Not so in mixed doubles.
“The only thing with mixed doubles curling as well that’s a little different is if you blank an end, you actually lose the hammer,” Pfeifer says. “So not very often in mixed doubles curling, do you see a blank end because then it’s to the advantage of the other team.
“In mixed doubles curling it’s one of those ones where if you miss your first shot of the end, it can get you in loads of trouble and you don’t have a whole lot of time to basically recoup that missed shot. So it can lead to a lot of crazy linescores and very entertaining games.”
Pfeifer says it’s one the reasons mixed doubles curling can be a faster, exciting game.
“I think it’s very unique dynamics when you only have two athletes on the ice. It’s very fast-paced and there’s lots of rocks in play. So I would just encourage people to go and give it a chance and try to understand the rules and I think you’ll fall in love with it just like most people have with the four-person game.”
The round robin at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials are on at Queens Place Emera Centre continues until Thursday, with playoffs beginning Thursday evening.
Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing in first-draw action at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool on Monday. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED 3:45 p.m. MONDAY
Some of the favourites were early winners on Monday at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool.
Sixteen teams are competing for a chance to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
The winning team here will represent Canada at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Championship in April in Fredericton. That event also serves as a qualifier for the Olympics. If Canada qualifies there, it will be the winning team from Liverpool who will go on to the Olympics in Italy.
Some of the biggest names in Canadian curling are at Queens Place Emera Centre this week.
Teams are divided into two pools of eight during the round robin, which goes until Thursday. The top three teams from each pool then advance to a six-team playoff.
In the first draw Monday morning, Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher beat Paige Papley and Evan van Amsterdam 8-2 in six ends.
Bottcher and Homan said afterwards that they were happy with how they began the tournament.
“We played great,” Bottcher said. “I thought it was awesome to come out at the start of the week and have a real good game, but it’s going to be a long week so we’re going to have to keep playing well.”
“It was great to finally get on the ice and game mode,” Homan said, “just see how it felt for speeds and how the ice held up and it was great out there.”
Other winners on Monday morning were Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing, Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres, and Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter.
Local organizers were happy to get the first games under their belt. And they’re hoping curling fans will come out to some of the action.
“It’s coming along great,” said Kim Thorbourne-Whalen, vice-chair of the Liverpool Championship Host Society.
“It’s been a year, year and a half in the making and just to have to the opening cermeonies last night, it was a good crowd. It’s been great seeing all these big names … in Liverpool, on our ice, in our community, it’s amazing. For the final draw, there are only 60 seats available. We still have a lot of tickets (available) through the week.”
On Sunday evening, the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band kicked off the opening ceremonies at Queens Place. Mi’kmaw artist Melissa Labrador and her family performed a smudging ceremony. And Queens MLA Kim Masland, Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian and Thorbourne-Whalen welcomed athletes and fans. Curling Canada’s Scott Pfeifer officially opened the trials.
Greg Thorbourne is the chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, which is organizing the 2025 Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
Some of Canada’s top curlers will be ringing in the new year in Liverpool as they compete to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Local organizers are putting the final touches on the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials. It will be held at Queens Place Emera Centre from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4.
It’s the first of three major qualifying events in Nova Scotia for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wolfville is hosting the full-team Canadian pre-trials in October 2025, and Halifax will host the Canadian curling trials in November 2025.
Canada won the first-ever mixed doubles curling Olympic gold medal in the sport’s debut at the 2018 games in South Korea.
Greg Thorbourne is the chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society. He says the 16 teams all have their plane tickets and hotel rooms booked, and they start arriving just after Christmas.
“There’s Olympic champions and there’s world champions coming,” Thorbourne told QCCR.
“The who’s who in curling will be here. Jennifer Jones, (Brent) Laing, Lisa Weagle, (Rachel) Homan. It boggles my mind to see this caliber coming to small-town Nova Scotia.”
In addition to Olympic gold medallist Jones, some of the other big-name Canadian curlers coming to Liverpool are reigning world curling champion Rachel Homan, former Canadian champ Brendan Bottcher, and a host of other Canadian, world and Olympic medallists.
“All the names that are on these big teams that play in the events, they’re all gonna be here. It’s super to see. Mixed doubles is probably the fastest curling game on ice.”
Thorbourne said he expects the event to be a big boon to the local economy.
“This is worth probably over $1 million to the economy of Liverpool and area. You have 16 teams staying plus their coaches, every staff member from Curling Canada will be here and high-performance coaches and everybody else that I’ve talked to through Curling Canada in the last couple of weeks is going to be here in Liverpool. So the place will be humping with outside people between Christmas and New Year’s, a big boost to the economy.”
Four sheets of curling ice will be installed at Queens Place, with professional ice makers arriving on Dec. 22 and working through till the 27th.
Practices begin on Dec. 28, with the opening ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
Thorbourne says the practices and opening ceremony are all free. And that will be the best time to meet the players.
“Watch the teams practice, meet the teams, they’ll be floating around the facility those two days.
“And afterwards, the players will be hanging out, so if you want autographs or pictures with these players, most of them are very accommodating. They love to talk to people.”
Mixed doubles curling is a quicker game than traditional curling, usually taking less than an hour. Each team throws five stones per end. The scoring is the same as in traditional curling, but there are a few other differences which add to its appeal.
“(Fans) can’t see better curling anywhere, and it’s going to be live and you’re gonna be able to meet the players. Queens Place has good seating and there’s not a bad seat in the place.”
About 14 government and private sponsors are helping cover the costs of the $255,000 event, including Mersey Seafoods, ACOA, Province of Nova Scotia, Region of Queens, Best Western Plus, Source Atlantic/Len’s Plumbing & Heating, Belliveau/Veinotte, Liverpool Lions Club, Tim Hortons Liverpool, Sobeys, Culligan, Dixie Lee, Arby’s, and Home Hardware.
Organizers have also recruited more than 100 volunteers from the community.
Thorbourne says the host society is also selling tickets on a heat pump with installation. People can contact the organizers through the Liverpool Championship Host Society Facebook page to buy tickets.
Tickets for the event are available at Queens Place Emera Centre or through Ticketpro. The action will be livestreamed on the Curling Canada website.
Here’s a full list of teams competing in Liverpool:
Organizers say Liverpool water conservation measures could add unexpected costs to the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials Dec. 30 to Jan. 4 at Queens Place Emera Centre. (Pixabay)
Water conservation measures in Liverpool may affect the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials being held in the area at the end of the year.
The Region of Queens has been asking municipal water users to cut their consumption in half. Because of a lack of fall rainfall, water levels in the Town Lake Reservoir are uncharacteristically low.
Greg Thorbourne, chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, said this week that if the area doesn’t get substantial amounts of rain soon, the group may have to truck in water to replace what they’ll use during the event.
“Everybody’s being asked to use 50 per cent less and they expect us to use 50 per cent less and/or replace the water we use. So we’re trying to implement plans now to make that happen.
“That’s going to be a big cost if we have to go that route. We’re doing everything we can, praying for rain, fingers crossed and toes crossed that it doesn’t happen. But if it does, we have to be ready for it and buy water from somewhere.”
The area got about 45 millimetres of rain on Thursday, according to Environment Canada. It’s unclear if that’s enough to help. Nobody from the region was available for an interview this week.
Even though the trials are being held at the municipally owned Queens Place, Thorbourne said the host society may have to truck in water from an approved source to replenish the reservoir.
Seven teams have qualified already for the event. Up to 16 teams are expected to compete in Liverpool for the chance to represent Canada in mixed doubles curling at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
It appeared earlier in the week that the event may have received an unexpected financial boost.
The J&W Murphy Foundation donated almost $149,927 to the Region of Queens. The foundation suggested the money be used to enhance curling infrastructure, programs and services in Liverpool.
Mersey Seafoods is owned by the Murphy family. But it is a separate entity from the foundation.
At their meeting on Monday, councillors voted to give $112,427 to the Liverpool Curling Club and $37,500 to the host society.
Thorbourne said the funding from the foundation via the region was money they had expected.
The foundation’s Lisa Murphy told QCCR that it can donate only to registered charities and other qualified organizations. The region is one of them.
“So we expressed a preference and that’s all we did and then after that, we step back,” she said. “As the donor, we can’t insist on it and we can’t get a refund if they don’t do it. The separation has to be there. It has to be entirely in the control of the region.”
There was some confusion at the council meeting on Monday about the Murphy Foundation donation.
Coun. Courtney Wentzell asked whether it was the foundation’s wish that the money go to both groups.
“So it’s not a coincidence that it’s the exact same money to a tee that Murphys gave us and the curling club wants,” he said.
CAO Cody Joudry said it’s up to the region to decide how the money is spent.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to hold onto any of it,” Joudry said.
Thorbourne said any donations are appreciated as the event draws closer.
“We’re just looking for support where we can get it,” he said.
“It’s a major event when you stop and think that the winner from here goes directly to the Olympics. For a small community like Liverpool, just to be involved in something of this magnitude, the community should be proud of putting it on.
“Anything you can do to help us out business-wise, if you can’t afford to put up dollars and cents, maybe they can donate some food for the volunteers. There’s all kinds of different ways you can help.”
About 100 volunteers have already signed up to help. Thorbourne said that if businesses or individuals want to contribute, they can contact him, Lorna MacPherson, Melissa Robinson, Ralph Gidney or Kim Whalen. They can also get in touch through the organizers’ Facebook page.
Full event packages and single tickets are available from Queens Place Emera Centre or through Ticketpro.
Mike Murphy of Mersey Seafoods announces the company’s sponsorship of the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials, beginning Dec. 30 at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
As one of the people bringing the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials to Liverpool in December, you’d expect Greg Thorbourne to love the sport.
“I used to hate mixed doubles,” he told a crowd on Monday at the Liverpool Curling Club.
“I thought, ‘Who the hell would ever play that game?’”
But after working at the last two national mixed doubles curling events, the longtime booster of curling in Queens County was quickly converted.
“Watching the calibre of curling, the shots made, the number of rocks in play, I don’t think there’s a better game in this world than mixed doubles.”
Thorbourne, chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, was speaking at an event at the curling club Monday to kick off the volunteer recruitment effort for the mixed doubles curling trials planned for Dec. 30 to Jan. 4 at Queens Place Emera Centre.
The host society has been working on securing the trials since last June.
It’s the first of three major qualifying events in Nova Scotia for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wolfville is hosting the full-team Canadian pre-trials in October 2025, and Halifax will host the Canadian curling trials in November 2025.
Sixteen teams will compete in Liverpool for the chance to represent Canada in mixed doubles curling in Italy.
Queens MLA Kim Masland speaks at an event at the Liverpool Curling Club on Monday to kick off volunteer recruitment for the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials in December in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
About 50 people turned out for the event in Liverpool on Monday, including Queens MLA and Public Works Minister Kim Masland, Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and Liverpool native Jill Brothers, who skipped Canada to a silver medal at the 2004 world junior championships.
Thorbourne said he’d like to have about 150 volunteers for the event. Liverpool hosted the 2021 pre-trial curling trials, where the volunteer numbers were lower because of Covid.
“Normally, we have between 135 and 150. With Covid the last time, we were down around 85 so this time we’re looking at getting back up so that people don’t have to spend as many hours on site as they did the last time.”
He said they’re already getting calls from across Canada from people who want to volunteer.
“Last week, I got two calls from B.C., three from Ontario, a couple from up North, a few from Alberta, the Prairies. This is the first of three Olympic trial events in Nova Scotia. So a lot of these people will come here and get trained, work here and move forward.”
Mike Murphy, chief financial and chief operating officer of Mersey Seafoods, also announced the Liverpool company’s sponsorship of the $255,000 event.
“We want to be part of the community and we want to give back to the community when we can,” he said in an interview. “And we think events like this are really good to showcase Liverpool, the South Shore, Queens County. It puts us on the world stage. People show up from all over Nova Scotia, Canada, all over the world and we think it’s great to showcase our community.”
The value of the sponsorship was not disclosed, but Thorbourne said later that it is “substantial”. The Region of Queens has also committed $19,140 to the event. Thorbourne said they are working on other sponsorships too.
Many people at Monday’s kickoff were signing up to volunteer. Valerie Lantz of Liverpool was one of them.
This will be her third curling event in Liverpool. She volunteered at the 2021 pre-trials and the 2019 World Junior Curling Championships.
“I was a curler, … so that’s what brings me to this. Now that I’m retired i can spend the time doing this sort of thing and i thoroughly enjoy it.”
She said the event will bring much-needed business to the community at a slow time of year.
“This will put people in rooms in hotels and in restaurants. And mixed curling, it’s such a high-energy fast sport, I think it will create new patrons to the event.”
Lantz said that volunteering at the curling trials in December will be worth your time.
“You’ll meet people not only from Liverpool volunteering but people from probably around the province. It’s just so much fun. And you get to see some great curling.”
The group bringing the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials to Liverpool is getting a little over $19,000 in funding from the Region of Queens.
Councillors unanimously approved the $19,140 in funding this week for the Liverpool Championship Host Society. District 2 Coun. Ralph Gidney declared a conflict of interest because he is a director of the society. He abstained from voting.
The funding comes from the municipality’s community investment fund. There was about $22,418 left over in the fund before councillors granted the society’s request.
The host society originally asked for $25,000. Councillors agreed to the lower amount because staff said the society’s cash assets and budget surplus were above the threshold that would have allowed for full funding.
Total projected expenses for the event are just over $255,200.
Mayor Darlene Norman reminded councillors that with this funding, the $175,000 community investment fund is essentially depleted for this year, with about $3,000 remaining. But it does have about a $200,000 accumulated surplus.
The Canadian mixed doubles curling trials are one of three major qualifying events in Nova Scotia for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wolfville is hosting the Canadian pre-trials in October 2025, Halifax will host the Canadian curling trials in November 2025, and Liverpool will host the mixed doubles curling trials at Queens Place Emera Centre this Dec. 30 to Jan. 4.
