Three curling teams will represent GB Students at the FISU Winter World University Games for the first time this season as mixed doubles is introduced to the schedule.
A total of 12 athletes have been selected to make the trip to Torino, Italy for the Games which take place from January 13 to 23 January.
The mixed doubles will actually get underway two days before the opening ceremony with Robyn Munro, a member of the 2023 World Junior Championship team, partnering Orrin Carson, who has led his team to victory in each of the last two Scottish Men’s Junior Curling Championships.
For Munro, who has won two Scottish Junior titles in both the women’s game and mixed doubles, it is an opportunity to make up for the disappointment of missing out on a team medal in 2023 when the GB Students women finished fourth.
“Obviously it was disappointing to not come home with a medal in Lake Placid but at our first World University Games the experience we gained was priceless and has helped us massively in the two years since,” she said. 
“To be selected again and have another chance at the podium this time in Torino is so exciting and I can’t wait to give it all we’ve got in pursuit of a medal!
“This time I’ve been picked for the mixed doubles discipline which is really exciting and something I’ve really enjoyed spending a bit more time on in training and competition this season.
“It’s great that this has now been included in the programme at the Games and I’m excited to get the opportunity to play in the inaugural event.
“This also comes in the same season as the first World Junior Mixed Doubles which marks another opportunity for curlers of this age to get a chance to play competitively in the Olympic discipline and as I look towards the rest of my career in curling it’s definitely an exciting prospect to get the chance to play this discipline on the world stage.
“It’s great to be partnered with Orrin, having won the last two Scottish Junior Championships at the same time as he has and earning the right to compete at the World Juniors alongside him and his rink.
“I know he’s a great shot maker and the potential is endless this early in his career. I’m very excited to work with him in preparation for this event and I know we are both very motivated and competitive individuals who will use that to our advantage when we take to the ice in Torino.
“In what is my final year of juniors, I’ve enjoyed making the step from juniors into the ladies game and getting back to playing with my World Junior Champion skip Fay Henderson.
“We’ve had a great start to the season on tour and this selection for the World University Games is just another milestone in my curling career that I can’t wait to get to enjoy and give my best.”
Carson, a 2023 World Junior Championship bronze medallist has meanwhile made an excellent start to the season with his men’s team, winning back-to-back Asham U21 Slam titles in the domestic game, before just missing out on another title at a European Junior Curling Tour event in Oslo last month where they reached the final. 
“As a team it has been a strong start in the junior events, making all three finals,” he said.
“We were a little disappointed not to win out in Oslo, but it was really good preparation for the Scottish Champs next week.
“I was happy to be selected for either event at the World University Games and this gives me an opportunity to win a medal in a different discipline.
“We're going to focus on training after Scottish Juniors and we also have the Matt Murdoch Mixed Doubles event in December to help us prepare.
“I think Robyn’s experience will definitely help us but we should be ok as we've both played in high pressure games many times.”
That competition will be concluded on January 14 and the team events will then run across the remainder of the Games.
Having won the women’s title at that EJCT event in Oslo last month, Laura Watt, Amy Mitchell, Holly Wilkie-Milne and Lisa Davie will all go to Torino, accompanied by Cara Davidson and their skip, whose brother Mark was part of the World University Games winning team in Lake Placid two years ago, is enjoying the way the team is developing.
“This season we’ve got a new line-up with a couple of us figuring out new positions and we’re really enjoying the fresh start,” said Watt.
“It’s been a learning curve so far but we’re becoming more comfortable with every game we play.
“The girls & I were really chuffed with winning the EJCT Oslo event last month.
“That’s come at a great time ahead of the Scottish Junior Championships where we can keep our momentum from Oslo going.
“We also got to play a few of the players in Oslo that we will face at the Games, so it has given us a nice boost that we can take into training over the next months ahead of the event.”
Watt, Wilkie-Milne and Davie were all members of Fay Henderson’s team that came so close to medalling and like Robyn Munro, they are looking to put that right. 
“Placing fourth was a huge achievement in 2023, but it did nip that we just missed out on a medal,” said Watt.
“However it gave us valuable experience that we have been utilising since and will continue to going into 2025.
“We’re all over the moon to be selected for these Games.
“We don’t get to wear the GB flag often so it’s really exciting for us all.
“With it being a multi-sport event it’s so unique to anything else we play, so it will be extra special for Amy & Cara with it being their first time.”
The men’s team will be skipped by Arran Thomson and also includes Ross Craik - whose brother James skipped GB Students to that World University Games gold medal at Lake Placid - along with Kaleb Johnson, Rory MacNair and Fraser Swanson.
“Being selected for my first appearance at the Games is an incredible honour and it fills me with pride,” said skip Thomson.
“It also pushes me to keep raising my game.
“Getting the chance to represent GB Students on an international stage means everything to me and I'm determined to make the most of this opportunity.
“We'll have a limited amount of time together as we begin preparations after the Scottish Juniors in November, but I'm excited to see what we can achieve.
“Although this line-up is new to me, I know them very well from many close games against them over the years, and I'm confident in the level of talent we have.
“I think that even with a short amount of preparation time, we can quickly build the chemistry we will need.
“At every event the goal is to win and with James having won last time, there's extra motivation for us.
“We'll prep as much as we can and give it everything to get to the play offs, to give ourselves a chance to win.”
GB Students Mixed Doubles
Robyn Munro (University of Strathclyde)
Orrin Carson (Dumfries and Galloway College)
GB Students Women’s Team
Laura Watt (University of Highlands and Islands - Perth College UHI)
Amy Mitchell (University of Stirling)
Holly Wilkie-Milne (University of Stirling)
Lisa Davie (The Open University)
Cara Davidson (Edinburgh Napier University)
GB Students Men’s Team
Arran Thomson (The Open University)
Ross Craik (University Abertay)
Kaleb Johnson (University of Stirling)
Rory MacNair (Edinburgh Napier University)
Fraser Swanson (SRUC)
Head Coach – Nancy Smith
Mixed Doubles Coach – Scott Andrews
Women’s Coach – Luke Carson
Men’s Coach – Niall Ryder
Images: Robyn Munro - Jack Hodgetts, action images PPA/Graeme Hart
