British Curling’s Paralympic Head Coach has praised her players for the way they have seized the opportunity presented in being given the chance to tour North America for the first time in five years.
Sheila Swan selected an extended eight player squad for the trip which kicked off with last weekend’s Ontario Wheelchair Open in Toronto where, split into two teams, both performed well, contending to the latter stages.
“The all-Canadian field tested our teams,” she said. 
“GB 1 (Gregor Ewan, Hugh Nibloe, Charlotte McKenna and Jo Butterfield) finished as B Event winners, losing only to the Canadian National Teams in the event by single points and GB 2 narrowly missed out on qualifying for the A event on the Draw Shot Challenge and finished up winning the C Event.
“That was a solid performance from both teams throughout the weekend but we did have opportunities to turn the narrow defeats into Ws so we must learn to capitalise on other teams mistakes more often.”
Swan was particularly pleased with the performances of new recruits Butterfield and Sutherland as well as that of returnee Logan which demonstrated that the drive to develop strength in depth for the Milan-Cortina Paralympic cycle is already earning rewards.
“The new recruits have settled into the squad really well,” she said.
“It’s been great to see Jo develop her skills and understanding in competition and despite being fairly new to the wheelchair game, Martin has great knowledge and experience of curling having played the sport from a young age and it was great to watch this being brought to the ice in Toronto.
“Gary was involved previously with the Paralympic Squad in 2018-2019 but didn’t get the opportunity to compete outside of Europe. He has really got stuck in this week and is thriving in this environment.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do this week in the US Open.”
It promises to be another high class event and it is one that has fond memories for the two most experienced members of this squad. 
“The last time we competed in the US Open was in 2017, when it was hosted in Utica and we won it with Hugh and Gregor in the team,” said Swan.
“Portage Curling Club are hosting this year’s event and we have been made to feel so welcome here while training prior to the competition.
“We are looking forward to playing against the best wheelchair curlers in the US, including two teams representing the US National Wheelchair Curling Squad.
“We are looking to build on the good work from last week and contend for the title here in Portage.”
In welcoming this opportunity to assess how her players cope with the pressures of overseas travel and competition, Swan also expressed gratitude to those on either side of the Atlantic who had allowed it to happen, while calling for increased opportunities to be created going forward.
“With the World Wheelchair Championships and World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Championships being held in Richmond, British Columbia later this season it’s been really useful to have the opportunity to travel and compete in North America for the first time since 2017,” said Swan.
“Big thanks to Shauna Petrie, Chris Rees, Ontario Curling Association and Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club for introducing a new event into the calendar. It was a really well-run event and we hope to return in the future.
”The support we receive from UK Sport, through the National Lottery, has allowed us to travel further afield this season and we are extremely grateful for this opportunity.
“It’s important that we see how other nations are developing the sport and have an understanding of their strength and depth. 
“The Wheelchair Curling Calendar is very limited compared to the number of competitions that our Olympic counterparts have and we need to continue to develop a season-long schedule that fits the needs of the competing countries.”
US Open teams:
British Curling 1 British Curling 2 Gregor Ewan Stewart PimblettHugh Nibloe Martin Sutherland
Gary Logan Charlotte McKennaMeggan Dawson-Farrell Jo Butterfield
Event Schedule:
Friday 2 December
AM – Ewan v Rice
PM – Pimblett v Rice
PM – Ewan v Timberlake
Saturday 3 December
AM - Ewan v Meadows
AM - Pimblett v Snover
PM – Pimblett v Ewan
PM – Pimblett v Meadows
PM – Ewan v Snover
Sunday 4 December
AM – Ewan v Sadowski
AM- Pimblett v Emt
AM – Ewan v Emt
AM – Pimblett v Sadowski
Images: PPA Graeme Hart