Canadian vibes on point Monday at 2026 World Senior Curling Championships

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — You couldn’t miss the wave of Canadian energy rolling through the Curling Club Trois-Chêne Genève at Centre Sportif-Moulin on Monday.

At the 2026 ACE & Company World Senior Curling Championships — where 34 men’s and 23 women’s teams battle for world titles — it’s a rare treat to see two Canadian teams on the ice at once. But that’s exactly what happened as Canada’s Team Sherry Middaugh of Barrie, Ont., and Saskatoon’s Team Bruce Korte played side-by-side during the afternoon draw.

Of course, it was their stellar play that pushed both teams to 2-0 records — but you had to wonder if the boisterous Canadian crowd, decked out in flags and wielding cowbells, gave them an extra boost.

The players who made the journey across the ocean certainly took notice. Team Korte’s third/vice-skip, Darrell McKee, couldn’t help but spot Canadian flags waving from the upstairs viewing area, always in the corner of his eye.

“It was fun to see that,” he said. “To look up and see a sea of Canada, especially this far from home — it’s awesome.”

Canadian women’s third/vice-skip, Karri-Lee Grant, loved seeing both Team Canada colours on the ice, the women in white, the men in red right next door.

“We could support each other when we came out and had the different coloured jackets on, I thought it was a good vibe,” Grant said.

“All our fans and family with the Canadian flags and just cheering and the cowbells, so it was kind of great because we knew we weren’t in an arena and they were here to support us,” Grant said. “So, just looking up and seeing Canada really was exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking at first. We were a bit nervous at first because there were so many people supporting us.

Even with the fans upstairs instead of rinkside, Grant said their presence was impossible to miss.

“We knew they were there. We could hear them,” she said with a smile.

Team Middaugh — skip Middaugh, third Grant, second Melissa Foster, lead Jane Hooper Perroud, and coach Wayne Middaugh — faced their toughest challenge yet in a 7-4 win over Finland’s Team Mari Wickstroem (1-1). The Canadians ran Finland out of rocks to seal the deal, but the first half was a back-and-forth battle.

Tied 4-4 in the fifth, Canada scored three with a clutch hit, grabbing the upper hand. They had a chance for more, but three was enough to take control for the rest of the game.

“We just figured out the ice, and figured out the draw weight, so we just knew the position of where to be,” Grant said. “On Sherry’s first shot, we were just trying to cover the four-foot and keep the rocks at the same level on the eight-foot. Then their skip drew around, but we had an open hit for three — could have been four or five if we hit it right.”

Grant pointed out that adapting to the changing ice was a challenge, and mastering each sheet will be key going forward.

It was exactly the kind of test the Canadians needed to stay sharp for the rest of the event.

“It felt like a semifinal or a final, but it was stressful coming out of the gate because we had seen them play, so we knew it was going to be a tough game,” Grant said. “With the ice being a bit trickier and different from our first game, it took us four ends to figure out the ice. Then, when it was tied going into the fifth, we were like, okay, it’s a new game, we know the ice now, trust it.”

The Canadian women have Tuesday off before returning Wednesday for another marquee matchup: they’ll face two-time Olympic gold medallist Anette Norberg of Sweden (1-0) at 6 a.m. (all times Eastern).

The Canadian men — skip Bruce Korte, third Darrell McKee, second Kory Kohuch, lead Rory Golanowski, and alternate Arlen Hall — earned a 9-2 win over Slovenia’s Team Mitja Resman (1-1).

The Canadian men opened with a five-ender to grab a comfy lead, but it didn’t come easy.

Slovenia tried for a perfect freeze on their last shot, but left just enough space for Team Korte to pick it out, leaving the Canadian stone in play. With Canadian granite scattered all over the house, that meant five on the board.

“We had a little bit of room, but it still had to be pretty good,” McKee said. “So to get that out of there and stick it — and for five. We were maybe hoping for four, but getting that extra point was good. It was a nice start; it makes it much easier. You can be a little more relaxed and then get to work on learning for the next games.”

Slovenia got a single in the second, but Team Korte answered with two in the third and then stole singles in the fourth and fifth. Slovenia grabbed one more in the sixth before conceding.

The win keeps Canada tied atop the pool, with a big game next: Team Korte faces Latvia’s Team Ansis Regza (2-0) on Tuesday at 2 a.m.

“We’re just going to keep trying to learn as much as we can every game, and keep grinding it out and never take our foot off the gas and keep playing hard,” McKee said. “That’s the biggest thing, because we’re going to have certain things that will get harder from here, so that’s what we’ve got to keep going.”

For the latest scores, draws, and team lists, visit the event’s official scoring website.

Live streaming of games is available on Centre Sportif Sous-Moulin’s Curling Club Trois-Chêne Genève’s YouTube Channel.