Less than 24 hours after contesting their respective finals at the Euro Super Series, some of Scotland’s top curlers were straight back into elite level action at the National Curling Academy as the Stirling Mixed Doubles Invitational got underway.
Among those first in action with an 8.30am start time were reigning men’s World Champion skip Bruce Mouat and Olympic gold medallist Jen Dodds, the former mixed doubles World Champions who were looking to continue a run that saw them reach the final of every international tournament they played in last season.
That included a second appearance in the World Championship final at the end of the season, where they had to settle for silver this time around and the pair looked to be picking up where they left off as they defeated compatriots Laura Watt and Kyle Waddell 7-2, before they beat Australia’s world number two ranked Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt 9-7. 
With Mouat having led his men’s team to victory in the Euro Super Series the previous day, while Dodds and her teammates were being squeezed out by the USA’s Team Petersen in the women’s final, they could have been forgiven for finding it tough to switch disciplines overnight, but instead they were raring to go again.
“Obviously myself and Bruce got to our respective finals yesterday, so I guess for us it was very good to get some really good competitive games under our belts with our teams and we are straight into the mixed doubles, which is a great way for us to start our season,” said Dodds.
“It’s not often you get to spend five days on ice before your competition and it’s not practice, so this event is great for me.
“In the women’s I do more sweeping so lots of energy required, then in mixed doubles it is more about the mental energy so it just great to get that physical and mental fitness in the pre-season and I feel like I am in the best shape I have ever been in.
“We probably felt we didn’t get enough mixed doubles in our schedule last year because of team commitments, whereas this year it is really important for us to get that balance right which can be a real challenge in terms of scheduling but I feel that we have got a good amount in of both.”
Getting that balance right is vital for the pair who found out over the summer that they would be representing Team GB in mixed doubles at the Winter Olympics as well as the team event and they were encouraged by their return to competing together.
“We have shown today that our pre-season has gone well and we felt good out there,” said Dodds.
“It was tricky this morning figuring out the ice, it was a little straighter than it was yesterday so it was just trusting that you can leave the sweep late and not have to panic sweep when the curl is not really there.
“However, in the second game against Australia the curl was back, so it was about switching back and almost anticipating the curl.” 
In a meeting of two of the three top teams in the world rankings, they were given a bit of a fright when they conceded a four at the opening end, but after a brilliant final delivery from Dodds, easing her stone through the narrowest of ports to effect a delicately weighted takeout, the scores were immediately levelled at the second end and the Scots gradually took control.
“We didn’t do much wrong in the first end but she played a good shot for four but we kind of knew in mixed doubles we would be able to fight back and fortunately we were able to get a shot for four in that second end,” said Dodds.
“That was a great team shot and Bruce swept it great and trusted my line calling and got it through the port for four.”
Following the experience gained at the last Winter Olympics, where she and Mouat finished fourth in the mixed doubles before she went on to win gold in the women’s competition, while her partner claimed silver in the men’s, Dodds believes that mixing the competitions can be as beneficial as it is challenging.
“At the Olympics it is great to do both disciplines and you saw mine and Bruce’s success at the last Games,” she noted.
“After the disappointment of the mixed doubles we took everything we learned from that experience into the men’s and women’s game and shared all that information with the teams and I think that really showed.
“I find it easy to switch between the two disciplines and there are so many different shots in mixed doubles that I never play in the women’s game.
“Bruce always says as a junior you learn so much from mixed doubles like the tap back, the hack weighters and those finesse shots and Bruce started when he was really young and look at him now, he is the best in the world so mixed doubles is great to play.” 
The strength in depth in the British Curling squad was further demonstrated as Ross Whyte and Hailey Duff defeated Estonia’s world number one ranked Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill on the opening day, while Bobby Lammie, another former mixed doubles World Champion and Rebecca Morrison made a winning start to their campaign against compatriots Fay Henderson and Bobby Lammie.
And having started the day on the red eye shift, Laura Watt and Kyle Waddell showed their stamina by finishing their day after 10pm with a fine 7-4 win over the Swiss pairing of Blair Schwaller-Hurlimann and husband Yannick, skip of the team ranked second behind Mouat’s in the men’s world rankings.
Every game from the Stirling Mixed Doubles Invitational at the National Curling Academy (August 25-27) will be live streamed on the Curling Stadium Europe platform.
Event passes can be obtained here
Results on Curling Zone
British Curling teams:
Team Dodds/Mouat
Jen Dodds
Bruce Mouat
Team Henderson/Hardie
Fay Henderson
Grant Hardie
Team Duff/Whyte
Hailey Duff
Ross Whyte
Team Jackson/CWaddell
Sophie Jackson
Craig Waddell
Team Watt/Waddell
Laura Watt
Kyle Waddell
Team Morrison/Lammie
Rebecca Morrison
Bobby Lammie
