World Junior Champion skip James Craik is looking forward to resuming old rivalries as his team head for the Curling Masters in Champery this week (13-16 October). Along with fellow Scots and domestic rivals Team Waddell featuring in the strong line-up, Craik’s opening match at the Swiss resort will see him up against German skip Benjamin Kapp, whom he beat to the 2022 World Junior title.
“The target this week is to make the play-offs and from there it is just a game by game situation,” said Craik. 
“However in Champery the field is really strong and we know our first game is against Team Kapp. Like us they have a slightly different line-up since we met in the World Juniors, but it will be exciting to kick off the competition with that and I am sure it will be a really good game.”
Craik is, however, encouraged by his new team’s performances this season, having reached the play-offs at the Euro Super Series (ESS), as well as the Oslo Cup and most recently the Tallinn International Challenger.
“It’s good to get back out there after a week off after Tallinn, where we did ok. Maybe not quite the result we wanted, but overall this season so far has gone really well. Obviously we are a new team and for two of us it is our first year on the men’s circuit, so to make the play-offs in three out of the four events we have played in is really good and we are really happy with that.
“We have been training really hard and are just off a good three week training block before Tallinn which enabled us to really tune in technically, sp the hope is we can put that all into practice this weekend and test ourselves in what is quite a tough field.”
While the international challenge is exactly what Team Craik are looking for to continue their development and to climb the world rankings, their skip is also acutely aware of the domestic competition in Scotland as they bid to reach the podium level funding within the British curling programme.
“Having another Performance Foundation team in the mix at this event and having that rivalry in British Curling and getting to battle it out in an international field is really good for us, because as much as we want to win our games we also want to keep pushing for that podium support. So that domestic competitive element is really good for us all.
“We are in different sections and as I said it is a challenging field, but it would be good for both teams if we meet in the play-offs which will just depend on who performs this weekend.”
2018 Olympian Kyle Waddell is also skipping a new line-up this season and is keen to take what they have learned so far this season into a run of events in Switzerland.
“We are looking forward to what will be a three event run for us this month, starting at Champery which is always a great event,” he said.
“Probably one of the most scenic places you visit on tour and in terms of the field it is a decent event. It has maybe been a bit affected by the World Mixed taking place, but we know there are still some good teams out there and the strength of field and the world ranking points are there for us and that is obviously what we are after. 
“We are keen to climb the rankings and since the start of the season we have played three events and probably feel like we have left a little bit out there.
“Especially in the NCA ESS event we felt we should have qualified and we gave up an opportunity to do that there, so that is what has been driving the training.
“Plus off the back of a quarter final loss in Norway, we kind of know where we want to be after these three events and that is the motivation. But for Champery it is business as usual, we will be aiming to do the best we can.
“Obviously to win it would be the goal but with a new team we are constantly learning.”
Having skipped a team to the national title last season, Waddell is keen to duplicate that despite only his sibling Craig remaining from that successful quartet, supporting him in the back end of the new–line-up. However with hard work and experience playing together, Waddell is happy that they are moving in the right direction.
“I think all of our team have played in these types of tour events for a number of years, so we all know what they are about,” he said.
“But in terms of coming together obviously our main goal is the Scottish. We will always be working towards that and the aim is we can get the team to peak at performance level at the Scottish, I am sure the four of us will be happy with that.
“Until then, you are trying to go out there and win games of curling.
“We have probably lost a few games that we should have won this season. it is an easy excuse to say it is because we are a new team that is why we have lost a few games, but it is about learning from that and taking that forward.
“We probably felt we didn’t do ourselves justice in qualifying in some of those, but in the first three events we have got better in each of them so hopefully that just continues at Champery.”
Team Craik
James Craik
Mark Watt
Angus Bryce
Blair Haswell
Team Waddell
Kyle Waddell
Craig Waddell
Mark Taylor
Gavin Barr
Images: PPA/Graeme Hart.
