Local curlers bring home silver from world championships
Sports Advocate
By Amanda Tayles
Last month, the Canadian wheelchair curling team competed in the World Curling Championships in Gangneung, South Korea. Team Canada included two local residents – Jon Thurston of Dunsford as fourth and Chrissy Molnar of Bobcaygeon an alternate – who proudly donned the red and white. After winning five straight games, including a semi-final win against Sweden to put them in the championship match, it came down to Norway in the final where they were defeated 6-2. Thurston reflects the team has had a good showing as a country, as this is his second medal at the Worlds, but his competitive spirit shines through. “We will learn, bounce back and come back stronger; it was a good showing as a country, but we want to win it.”
Neither Thurston nor Molnar curled prior to their accidents, and it was in 2012 that they were first exposed to the sport when their coach, Carl Rennick, reached out and enticed them to give it a try. They found success quickly, winning provincials their first year out. Thurston was hooked from there and hasn’t stopped (this was his fifth World Championship) while Molnar took a break to have her third child but was drawn back into competition after COVID.
With eight ends, and a mixed team, the rules for wheelchair curing vary only slightly in that it allows for rocks to be thrown by hand or with the use of a delivery stick. It also does not include any sweeping of the rocks, which means the delivery must be incredibly accurate. Both Thurston and Molnar use the term “chess on ice” to refer to the strategic nature of the sport which keeps them engaged, as Molnar reflects “you’re always learning.” But it’s also the friendships that keep her at the rink, depicting the camaraderie of a team to be similar to “one big family to experience new things with,” such as travelling the world.
Many athletes must move to be close to training facilities, and accessibility at the rinks add another layer to the challenge for wheelchair athletes. Thurston shared many of his fellow curling athletes around the world spend hours travelling to rinks that can accommodate their wheelchairs. Fortunately, Kawartha region has three fully accessible rinks within 30 minutes of his home – Peterborough, Bobcaygeon and Lindsay. Thurston notes the updates are “a testament of the community support in the area that made it possible.”
Next year’s Worlds is expected to be held at the Olympic facilities currently under construction for the 2026 Winter games in Milano Cortina. For Molnar and Thurston, they get back to the rink to start the training process in August. Thurston won’t be idle long though as he spends his summers training in water skiing, another sport he also represents Canada on the world stage.
“Luckily it’s two different seasons, so I don’t have to pick between the two sports,” he remarked. Both curlers are looking beyond Worlds though as the Paralympic Winter Games, which includes wheelchair curling as one of it’s six events, is just on the horizon in March 2026.
