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The final grand slam event of the 2025 curling season is being held in Saskatoon at Merlis Belsher Place.
The event, which kicked off on Tuesday and runs until Sunday, offers a great opportunity for curling fans to catch a glimpse of Canada’s two Olympic curling teams: Team Jacobs on the men’s side, and Team Homan on the women’s side.
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Brad Jacobs, skip for Team Canada and Team Jacobs, said the competition provides a great warm up ahead of the Winter Olympics.
“We have a couple of competitions here in Saskatoon and one in Steinbach in the new year,” said Jacobs. “To get some good competitive games against the best teams in the world is always nice for preparation.”
Despite the event in Saskatoon happening at the tail end of the 2025 season, Jacobs said he expects good competition.
“Everyone’s going to want to finish the season strong,” he said. “We’ve had a really awesome 2025, with winning the Brier earlier in the year. We had a great showing at the worlds and were able to get bronze … we were able to accomplish the goals that we had set for ourselves.”
The last time Jacobs made it to the Olympics was in 2014, when the events were held in Sochi, Russia. Jacobs and his team secured a gold for Canada, but he said he’s learned a lot since then.
“The last 11, 12 years, I did a lot of losing,” he said. “To get back now, being 40 years old and feeling like I’m probably the best I’ve ever been in my career, and I just think that comes from a sense of confidence.”
Jacobs believes that the previous Olympic experience his rink has will be very helpful during the competition.
“We’re going to manage it really well this time, and the reason why is we have a lot of experience on our team,” said Jacobs. “Everyone’s been to the Olympics before… so I think we’re just older and wiser.”
Rachel Homan, skip for Team Canada and Team Homan, said while there’s always pressure to do well, that pressure is amplified during the Olympics.
Rachel Homan says she’s well aware of the high expectations Canadians have at the Winter Olympics. (Marija Robinson/650CKOM)
“It’s just a little bit different. There’s only one team per country,” she said.
“Here, there’s quite a few, so there’s just a little bit more pressure that you’re the only one representing your country.”
Homan said she’s well aware of the lofty expectations Canada has for its curling teams at the Olympics.
“Every time the Olympics come around, Canadians want to bring back some hardware,” she said. “That’s always the goal, and that’s what we have our sights set on.”
Homan said her team has two more events before the Olympics get underway in early February.
“We have this slam and then one more slam in January,” she said.
“It’s just more opportunity for us to get more reps in as a team and more practice. Every game here is just as tough as we’re going to see at the Olympics.”
Homan also said that over the last three years she’s played against most of the other Olympic teams, which she said helps her feel more comfortable on the ice.
“There’s no surprises. You know what you’re getting into when you play,” she said. “If you play teams you have never played before, there’s a few more unknowns.”
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games get underway on February 5 in Milan, Italy.
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