#WMCC2023 Preview

 #BetweenTheSheets: World Mixed Curling Championship Preview

Time to crown a world champion, baby! 

Welcome to the Season of Champions!

The World Mixed Curling Championship is also a special event on the international curling calendar.

It marks the start of the Season of Champions and the first opportunity for a curling nation to claim bragging rights as a world champion.

While there are many more world and continental championship events to follow, this event is the first slide out of the hack for the World Curling Federation.

Ready to crown a world champion?

A quick aside, what do we think of the logo?

Last year the logo design was the same but orange. This year more teal.

I kind of wish the world championship logos would have more of a storyline to the host nation.

What does the logo design represent? Why the color choice? A complete visual story would be fun and make the event logo have importance.

Thoughts?

As a reminder, this is mixed curling and not mixed doubles.

This event will feature national representative teams of 4 with a balance of each gender on the ice.

Gender identity is not a factor when it comes to competing on the ice. Curling adheres to the policy of "If You Can Play, You Can Play!"

Mixed curling can be fun too as it gives curling fans the opportunity to sometimes see a female skip face off against a male skip.

Watch for those stat comparisons there rockheads.

We have seen in the past female skips find success at this event against male counterparts. Do not underestimate a team just based on the gender of a skip.

Here is your World Mixed Curling Championship history lesson (grab your pencils for a test later):

🥌 The championship event began in 2015, replacing the European Mixed Curling Championship and becoming a true world championship rather than a continental championship.

🥌 Norway (Skip: Steffen Walstad) secured the first world championship in 2015, defeating Sweden (Skip: Rasmus Wrana) in the final.

🥌 Canada is not only trying to #DefendTheIce but accomplish an unprecedented #4peat in  2023 after winning the title in 2018, 2019 and 2022 (2020 and 2021 editions canceled due to COVID-19 of course). Canada is the only nation to have won multiple world mixed championships.

🥌 Other world champions include: Russia (Skip: Alexander Krushelnitskiy) in 2016 and Scotland (Skip: Grant Hardie) in 2017.

🥌 2023 will mark the third straight time Aberdeen, Scotland has been the host city for the championship, having hosted in 2019 and 2022. Aberdeen was named as host for 2020 and 2021 but both were cancelled due to the pandemic.

🥌 Other host cities in the past include: Bern, SUI (2015), Kazan, RUS (2016), Champery, SUI (2017) and Kelowna, CAN (2018).

🥌 Russia and Canada have used home ice advantage to claim titles in 2016 and 2018. Outside of those two results, previous host nations have failed to win the title. Scotland came close last year, losing the final. All other hosts have failed to advance beyond the QF round.

🥌 Overall, Canada has won the most world championship medals with 4 (3 G, 1 S). Scotland has the full range of medals, winning 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze. Norway and Russia have each won 1 gold and 1 bronze while Sweden has 2 silver results. Other podium finishers include: Germany and Spain (silver), China, Czech Republic and Switzerland (bronze).

Celebrity Jeopardy seems to be a hot TV topic right now. Maybe they should add a curling category?

Or maybe your home club can do a Jeopardy night as a fundraiser? If so, the history lesson above has all the answers you need to fill out the #WMCC category.

Bring on the first world championship preview for the season. And note, there are a few tour events happening this weekend and the blog has you covered with the #TourLifePredictions blog post released earlier in the week.

#WMCC2023 Preview

Aberdeen, SCO

2022 Champion: Canada

Format: 34 team RR with 2 groups of 9 and 2 groups of 8. Top 3 in each group qualify with group winners earning a bye to the QF.

Group A

Nations: Belgium, England, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden, Wales

#Fav: England

Experience can matter when it comes to this event and you will be hard pressed to find a team with more international curling experience in this pool than England.

Skipped by Anna Fowler, she will be joined by her brother Ben. Ben will throw last stones but Anna will be calling the game in the house.

The Fowler Duo should be a familiar name to curling fans as they are a regular team on the mixed doubles circuit.

They have also represented England at 5 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships, achieving a best result of 8th place in 2016.

The backend experience should make them a dangerous team to progress into the playoff round.

#TeamUpset: Belgium

They may not be a threat to advance to the playoffs but they could surprise a few teams in this pool.

Belgium skip Timothy Verreycken is no stranger to representing the "Red Dragons" on ice.

He has skipped the men's national team at European Curling Championships, competing in the B-division in 2022 and staving off relegation to remain there for 2023 this upcoming November.

He also led the team to promotion in 2021 from Euro C-Division into last year's Euro B-Division.

This is not an easy pool but even putting together a few wins would be huge for Belgium in their return to this world championship for the first time since 2019.

#W2W4:

The #NextGen movement is strong in this group.

Sweden has 2 members of the 2017 world junior champion squad, Jennie Waahlin and Fanny Sjoeberg.

Scotland has the alternate of the 2023 world junior champion squad with Amy Mitchell.

Dutch skip Bart Klomp has competed at the European Youth Olympics and World Junior-B Championships.

The World Mixed Curling Championship can be a great opportunity for up and coming athletes to get some experience on world championship ice while representing their nation.

Many past and current top curling athletes have their sliders enriched in a world mixed curling.

You may not be as familiar with all the names competing but pay attention nonetheless.

Some of these athletes could be the future names of world and Olympic champions.

#PopcornMatch:

England vs. Wales - Draw 1: A great UK rivalry game to kick off the competition. But also an important one for potential qualification. England is a #Fav but Wales is led by a very experienced Adrian Meikle.

Scotland vs. Wales - Draw 3: Wales might as well get the UK Battle games over with at the start, drawing back to back tough games right out of the hack. A 1-1 record might be needed to keep them alive in the playoff hunt. 0-2 might be too much to overcome.

England vs. Scotland - Draw 7: This could prove to a be a pivotal match towards qualification, either to keep the winners in the hunt for the QF bye or to just ensure they reach the playoffs. Plus who doesn't love a England/Scotland rivalry game?

Scotland vs. Sweden - Draw 16: This game, late in the RR, could play a massive role in deciding the final standings for the pool and who advances. The winner should be sitting pretty. The loser could be in trouble.

Projected Standings: 1. England  2. Sweden  3. Scotland  4. Japan  5. Wales  6. Belgium  7. Netherlands  8. Ireland  9. Israel

Group B

Nations: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Slovenia

#Fav: Canada

No doubt here who are the favourites in this group.

Canada is the 3-time defending champion. And, even with all 3 teams being different, the Maple Leaf remains a massive threat to sit atop the podium once again.

For the second straight world championship Canada will be represented by a Quebec team, skipped by Felix Asselin.

Team Menard won the title last year on this ice, can Asselin follow suit?

He will be joined by his mixed doubles partner (on and off the ice) Laurie St-Georges, his brother Emile Asselin and Emily Riley, proving this is an experienced foursome.

Will they feel the pressure of trying to accomplish an almost unheard of streak for any nation at any event, winning 4 straight world championships? Sure. 

But, as Asselin discussed in a recent #TwineTime podcast discussion, they are ready to go and represent.

It is not just about representing #Labelleprovince now, it is about keeping the world title in Canada.

There are small potholes along the RR path to get into the playoffs but a playoff berth should be attainable and a deep playoff run could be in the cards once again for Canada.

#TeamUpset: Poland

Can mixed doubles experience translate over to success in mixed curling?

If so, Poland could surprise a few teams this week in Aberdeen.

Poland will be led by Andrzej Augustyniak at skip and Adela Walczak at vice.

The backend duo is currently ranked #35 on the world mixed doubles rankings, having recently finished 3rd at a tour event in Prague.

We know the process it has taken Polish curling to get back here, finally rejoining the WCF as a member association in 2022.

And remember, when Poland last competed at this championship in 2019, they did qualify for the playoffs (albeit with a different team of course).

Do not underestimate Rzeczpospolita Polska.

#W2W4:

If Canada is considered the overwhelming #Fav in this group, that still leaves 2 playoff tickets up for grabs.

Who wants them?

Poland may be a dangerous challenger as the #TeamUpset flag bearer.

But what about the other nations competing in this group?

New Zealand will have women's national team skip Courtney Smith at vice. And Smith has been living in Scotland for awhile now so she may have a small advantage with ice conditions.

Finland and Australia also have a rich history in mixed curling and could challenge for a playoff spot as well.

This is a group of opportunity for the 8 other nations. They just need to survive the Canadians.

#PopcornMatch:

Australia vs. New Zealand - Draw 4: Bring on the Oceania rivalry game. If either nation wants to fight for a playoff spot, they need to win this game early on.

Canada vs. Poland - Draw 13: Both back end combos are familiar with mixed doubles and have had MD success. This will be a good test to see if Poland is a legit challenger for the playoffs. And they meet later in the draw so that could help Poland if they know they are right in the playoff hunt.

New Zealand vs. Poland - Draw 23 - Depending on how the results fare in this pool, could this final RR game become a de facto playoff elimination game?

Projected Standings: 1. Canada  2. New Zealand  3. Australia  4. Poland  5. Finland  6. Hungary  7. Slovenia  8. Lithuania  9. Chinese Taipei

Group C

Nations: Austria, Brazil, Estonia, Germany, India, Italy, Spain, USA

#Fav: Spain

Some curling fans may still be shocked to see Spain listed a #Fav at an international curling event but history shows this is not a team to overlook.

Remember, Spain won the world silver medal in 2018, losing to Canada in the final.

And Spain will be represented by the same team here in 2023, once again led by skipper Sergio Vez.

Last year the team went 6-1 in the RR to qualify for the playoff bracket. Unfortunately they were eliminated in the Qualification Game against Norway and finished T9 overall.

They will arrive in Scotland with a bit of revenge and unfinished business on their sliders.

We already know they are a podium threat based on previous results.

Expect another playoff appearance this year. 

#TeamUpset: India

India will be making their 2nd straight appearance at this event, having competed last year and finishing with a respectable 3-5 RR record.

Now we will see what a year's worth of curling experience can do for the upcoming curling nation.

Skip P.N. Raju returns to lead the team and will be joined by Richa Patel once again. Patel, who played vice at last year's championship, will move to lead this year.

Also remember, Raju skipped the men's national team at last year's inaugural Pan Continental Curling Championships where India finished with a silver medal in the B-Division.

Last year at this championship, India scored wins over New Zealand, Portugal and Slovenia.

Can they replicate their 3 wins or improve their position in 2023?

#W2W4:

There are some experienced names headlining this group.

The already mentioned Vez and Raju are to be watched.

But also USA's Jed Brundidge, who is having a strong season skipping his men's team on tour.

Italy's Alberto Pimpini played alternate with Italian Stallion Joel Retornaz at last year's European Curling Championship, winning a bronze medal.

And never count out Germany, led this year by Felix Schulze.

Schulze has tons of international experience, having competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2012 world championship and the 2011 European championships.

Germany may also have a wildcard in their lineup with vice Josephine Obermann. Obermann won a European Mixed Curling Championship silver medal in 2011 (before the event became a world championship) and may be known for competing with Daniela Jentsch at numerous European and world championships.

This pool may be a lot closer than meets the eye.

#PopcornMatch:

Italy vs. USA - Draw 3: If either of these nations want to make a playoff push, an early win against a fellow challenger could go a long way.

Germany vs. Spain - Draw 7: Could this early RR game end up deciding a QF bye in the playoffs?

Germany vs. Italy - Draw 22: The final RR game should have major playoff implications, whether as a de facto elimination game or deciding placement in the playoff bracket.

Projected Standings: 1. Spain  2. Germany  3. Italy  4. USA  5. Austria  6. Estonia  7. India  8. Brazil

Group D

Nations: Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Latvia, Nigeria, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine

#Fav: Norway

Remember how Canada was a clear cut #Fav in Group B?

Chalk up a similar storyline for Norway in Group D.

Norway will be led by Steffen Walstad. The same Walstad who won this inaugural championship in 2015.

And he will be joined by a blockbuster lineup, including vice Maia Ramsfjell, second Andreas Harstad and lead Eirin Mesloe.

Ramsfjell was here last year, competing as vice for skip Alexander Lindstrom. The team went 6-2 in the RR, reaching the playoffs, before losing in the QF to Sweden for a T5 finish.

And of course Ramsfjell has a ton of mixed doubles experience, playing with her brother Magnus, and competing at 2 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships.

Harstad is a #NextGen stud to watch out for out of Norway, having won a bronze medal at the 2016 World Youth Olympics and skipping his own team to a Norwegian men's championship in 2019.

Harstad was also the alternate for Walstad's men's team at last year's European Curling Championships.

Mesloe brings a strong resume to the team as well, winning a bronze medal at this event in 2019.

For the nations who were drawn into this group, all you can say when looking at this stacked lineup is "#Yikes!"

#TeamUpset: Ukraine

Eduard Nikolov returns for his second straight World Mixed Curling Championship.

And he will bring almost the exact same lineup as last year with the only change coming at vice. This year's team will welcome Yaroslava Kalinichenko to the team.

Last year Ukraine finished with a 2-6 record against a very strong and experienced group.

They will meet a similar fate this season, drawing a strong grouping and some familiar names from last year.

Ukraine has been battle tested, both on and off the ice of course.

Nikolov and second Yaroslav Shchur have been teammates on the men's national team as well.

They represented Ukraine at the 2021 European C-Division championship, where they finished back of the pack with a 2-7 record.

Things turned around in 2022 though, where the team, now skipped by Nikolov, earned promotion to the Euro B-Division after winning C-Division silver.

Unfortunately their B-Division time would be short-lived as last November they were relegated back to C-Division.

At the 2023 Euro C-Division, held in April, the team made the playoffs with a 6-1 RR record and won the C-Division gold, earning promotion back to B-Division this November.

The female members of this team are no strangers to Euro competition either. Lead Anastasiia Kotova skips the women's national team, where Kalinichenko plays lead.

They represented Ukraine at the 2023 Euro C-Division event as well, just missing the playoffs with a 5-4 record but good enough for a 5th place finish.

The international experience from the members of this Ukraine team should help them, even against a strong group.

This is a true #growthesport story, on so many levels!

#W2W4:

Switzerland!

Norway will earn the attention as a #Fav with their lineup but do not sleep on the Swiss.

Remember, Switzerland won the bronze medal last year.

Ursi Hegner returns to skip the team but will throw vice stones. Yves Hess returns to throw fourth stones.

There is one change to this year's team from last year's podium finisher, Claudia Baumann has joined the team at lead to replace Chantal Schmid.

This is a strong podium contender.

Note, if Norway and Switzerland are the front runners, who can squeak in for that final playoff ticket in this group?

This is a group of experience and returning vets to the mixed curling ice.

Hong Kong's Jason Chang is back after a strong 4-4 record last year.

Chang, skip of the Hong Kong men's team, will be joined once again by vice Ling-Yue Hung, skip of the Hong Kong women's team. And both are preparing for the Pan Continental Curling Championships, happening right after this event.

Chang will also be joined on the team by his wife, lead Ada Shang.

Slovakia's Daniela Matulova returns as well after posting a 3-5 RR record last season.

Latvia's Arnis Veidemanis is a member of the 2021 Latvian men's national champions and has played in 2 European championships and 1 world mixed doubles championship. He is the current Latvia MD champion and regular competitor on the mixed doubles tour with partner Daina Barone. 

We cannot forget #Broomzilla of course with Nigeria. Skip Harold Woods III returns to skip the "Super Eagles" and will be joined at front end by the experienced MD duo of T.J. Cole and Susana Cole. 

And while Czech Republic and Latvia will have different teams representing them this year, both nations have proven to be challengers in the past. Last year both posted 5-3 RR record, falling 1 game short of the playoffs.

Interesting to note, Czech Republic, Latvia, Nigeria, Norway and Ukraine were all in the same group last year as well.

Slovakia and Switzerland were also in the same group last year.

The fight for that final playoff spot should be fun to watch.

#PopcornMatch:

Slovakia vs. Ukraine - Draw 2: If Ukraine is going to make some noise at this year's championship, it starts right out of the hack in their opener vs. an experienced Slovakia.

Czech Republic vs. Latvia - Draw 17: The winner of this game could still be in the hunt for a playoff spot. The loser may be eliminated from playoff consideration.

Norway vs. Switzerland - Draw 23: The final RR game should decide the group winner and QF bye.

Latvia vs. Hong Kong - Draw 24: Could this final RR game decide the final playoff ticket?

Projected Standings: 1. Norway  2. Switzerland  3. Latvia  4. Czech Republic  5. Hong Kong  6. Ukraine  7. Slovakia  8. Nigeria

Qualifiers: England, Canada, Spain, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Australia, Italy, Latvia

#WMCC2023 Bronze Medal Game: Switzerland def. Spain

#WMCC2023 Championship: Norway def. Canada

World Curling TV will provide coverage of all games on the Curling Channel.

And stay up to date with all the results on the WCF events page HERE.

For those nations and athletes competing in Scotland, good luck and good curling.

#StayTuned

The blog will be back with #PowerRankings updates at the beginning of next week before releasing the first #gsoc preview for The Tour Challenge.

You can stay up to date on all the weekend tour action as well with the #TourLifePredictions post: Welcome to Rocktober. There is even a guest appearance from Bart Simpson!

Remember to like, subscribe and share the blog to get updates on every blog post and help continue to grow the #TwineTime curling family.

And maybe send a little good luck and good curling to #TwineTime ahead of my first league curling experience on Saturday 😏