Y. Schwaller wins in Italy as X. Schwaller victorious in Norway
Published
It was a busy weekend of curling as a handful of notable teams ventured to the pebbled ice for the first time in the 2025-26 season.
At the Trentino World Cup in Italy, home of February's Winter Olympics, Switzerland's Team Yannick Schwaller defeated Team Daniel Casper of the Untied States, 7-6.
Schwaller's crew went 6-0 in Trentino, including an 8-4 semifinal victory over Sudbury's Team John Epping, one of two Canadian teams in the field. Saskatoon's Team Rylan Kleiter fell in the other semifinal, 7-4 to Team Casper.
Team Schwaller, featuring Benoit Schwarz van-Berkel at fourth, Schwaller at skip and third stones, Sven Michel at second and Pablo Lachat-Couchepin at lead, took silver at last year's World Men's Curling Championship in Moose Jaw. They are ranked second in the world behind Team Bruce Mouat of Scotland.
Italy's Team Joel Retornaz, who will serve as the host team at the Olympics, struggled at their hometown event, missing the playoffs with a 1-3 record.
American Win in Oslo
Team Casper fell short in Italy, but fellow American curlers Team John Shuster of Duluth, Minnesota took home the Oslo Cup after defeating Sweden's Team Niklas Edin in the final, 7-2.
Shuster defeated Edin in the 2018 Olympic final to capture the gold medal in stunning fashion.
Team Shuster, with third Christopher Plys, second Colin Hufman and lead Matt Hamilton, posted a 7-1 record in Norway.
The 42-year-old Shuster will look to earn his sixth straight trip to the Olympics when he and his team compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials form Nov. 11-16.
On the women's side of the event, Switzerland's Team Xenia Schwaller won all six of their games, including a 7-2 victory over Norway's Team Torhild Bjørnstad in the final, to claim the title.
Team Schwaller won four times on tour last year and are off to a solid start already in 2025-26.
Xenia and Yannick Schwaller are cousins.
Breaking the Ice
At the Icebreaker Challenge in Morris, Man., Team Kate Cameron, now featuring new third Briane Harris, made it all the way to the final before losing to Victoria's Team Kayla MacMillan, 7-3.
Team Cameron added Harris this off-season after she was let go by Team Kerri Einarson. This was the first competitive event for Harris after she was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance ahead of the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Harris was eligible to return to competition in January 2025 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport stated Harris bore "no fault or negligence" for the violation.
Team Cameron, also featuring second Taylor McDonald and lead Mackenzie Elias, won their first five games in Morris before falling in the final.
Nova Scotia's Team Christina Black, who finished third at the 2025 Scotties, dropped the Icebreaker Challenge semifinal to Team MacMillan, 6-5.
In the men's event, Team Chase Sinnett defeated Team Caden Hebert, 6-3, in an all-American final.
Other Winners on Tour
U25 NextGen Classic
Men - Sam Mooibroek
Women - Serena Gray-Withers
ARGO Graphics Cup
Men - Takumi Maeda
Curling1Spoon Elite 8
Women - Bobae Kang