Set to end a calendar year as skip of the world’s number one team for the first time, Bruce Mouat has reflected on the work done on and off the ice to develop the dynamics that have seen them power clear at the top of the rankings.
The latest world rankings that came out this week, following their third successive Grand Slam of Curling event win in Canada, show Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan more than 140 points clear of second place which is a bigger gap than covers all of the other teams in the top 10.
As well as those Grand Slam wins at the Tour Challenge, the Canadian Open and last weekend’s National, they have, this season, become the first Scots to win the Baden Masters in Switzerland and, back home at the National Curling Academy in Stirling, they successfully defended their Euro Super Series title.
The only blip saw them miss out on the title at the European Championships for the first time, but even at that event they won more matches than any other team, topping the round-robin standings with 10 wins in 11 matches before reaching the final where they were beaten by Germany.
The way they responded from that disappointment, by beating the best in the world once again to win The KIOTI National a week later, only served to underline the strength of their collective psyche which, as Mouat explained, has not been built by accident.
“We’ve really gelled as a team over the last eight years that we’ve been together and we’re really good friends off the ice,” he said.
“We spend every day together at training as well and they’re like my family, so it’s really fun to play with them.
“The way we’ve built our relationship over the last eight or so years has just put us in good stead to be able to perform well consistently.” 
Recognised for the work they put in on both their physical conditioning in the gym and on technique on the ice, they have been equally rigorous in their approach to ensuring that the group environment is solid, which goes beyond the playing group to include coach Michael Goodfellow, a former rival who played in Olympic and World Championship finals before moving into coaching a few years ago.
“We put a lot of work into our relationship on and off the ice, looking to support each other regardless of how someone might be feeling,” said Mouat.
“It means that you have to be open and honest with each other, which is how I see my own family being and it’s the same with the guys as it is with them.
“I spend most of my life with the team and don’t see my family as much when we’re on the road, so I want to be able to enjoy myself, surrounded by amazing teammates that I can be myself around and have a good time with. 
“That’s important to me, so I’m very fortunate to have all three of them as teammates, as well as Mikey on the bench supporting me and I’ll always support them as amazing players as well.”
After the globe-trotting of the past month which, in consecutive weeks, took them from Nisku, Alberta to Lohja in Finland, then back across the Atlantic to St John’s Newfoundland, they can now enjoy some festive time at home, safe in the knowledge that their number one spot is secure at least until the New Year.
Images: Anil Mungal/GSOC
