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The University of Regina Cougars curling teams will look to use home-ice advantage to bring a national championship to the Queen City.
The 2026 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association/U Sports Canadian Curling Championships take place at the Callie Curling Club in Regina from Tuesday through Saturday.
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Women’s skip Chloe Johnston is looking to add her second banner to the roof of the Callie. She won the women’s side in 2025 but lost in the final this season to the Alberta Pandas.
“We were proud of the way we performed the whole week. It was bittersweet not winning that game, but at the same time we knew it was an experience and to build up to this event,” Johnston said.
Johnston, who is from Okotoks, Alta., said it’s extra special to do it in Regina because of her family connections to the Sandra Schmirler rink. Her mom, Atina Ford, was the fifth for the team and her grandmother, Anita Ford, was the coach.
“Looking around the ice and seeing my mom’s banners up there and my grandma’s, I think it’s amazing,” Johnston said. “And last year when we won (Canada West), we’re going to have a banner up there. For me to be a part of that rink now, it just warms my heart.”
Johnston, naturally, has her eyes on the Olympic curling happening in Italy. She said it reminds her of the stories her mom and grandmother had when they went to Nagano in 1998 with the Schmirler rink.
“For me, the Olympics is one of the coolest events ever. I love looking back and hearing the stories of what they got to experience,” Johnston said. “It’s my favourite time of the year.”
Meanwhile, Carter Williamson is looking to win a second U Sports national championship in his U of R career. He was the second on the Josh Bryden rink that won it in 2024. They also competed in the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy.
Now he’s looking to do it as a skip, though it’s a position he hasn’t curled from in a while.
“It’s pretty special. This is my last go. These will be my last games with the Cougars. This is where it all started. My first event with the Cougars was here in that westerns with Rylan (Kleiter),” Williamson said.
“I get a little emotional thinking about it, because I was on the organizing committee as well… I think it’s going to be a storybook way to go out, even if things don’t go well. I’m still going to play my last Cougars games at home, so that’s pretty cool.”
Williamson lost in the semifinal at the Canada West tournament, but he and his rink aren’t disappointed in how they played. They finished with a 7-1 record in the round-robin, exceeding their own expectations.
“That was my first time skipping in seven years. There wasn’t a lot of expectations. It was a tune-up. We don’t get to play a lot of games through our season,” Williamson said. “We don’t have that length of a schedule with this team, so getting reps was the biggest thing. It was like house money – we were just out there saying ‘let’s see what we got.’”
While Williamson is from Dauphin, Man., he said he was always a fan of Kevin Koe and Ben Hebert.
“I always wanted to bring that intensity. I don’t think anyone’s going to match that. Living in Regina and see what a Regina boy is doing on the Olympic stage is pretty inspiring,” Williamson said.
Johnston expects a fun atmosphere once the tournament kicks off.
“Just the scream that comes out when you make a shot, it’s the coolest feeling ever. It should be really cool and we all have our families out there and our friends from school and from home, so it should be lots of fun,” Johnston said.
“It should be loud. That’s the best, when you can just hear everything going on and being able to zone in on your sheet. It should be a lot of excitement, hopefully.”
The Johnston rink consists of lead Hannah Rugg, second Tesa Silversides, third Lauren Speidel, and alternate Makena Bailey.
Williamson’s rink consists of lead Evan Arnold, second Andrew Moulding, third Rhett Whittmire and alternate Nathan Weiss.
The women’s team will take on the Guelph Gryphons on Tuesday with the men’s team meeting the Carleton Ravens. Both of those games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
