By Mick Lizmore, Head Coach, Canadian National Wheelchair Curling Program
This past week in Waterloo and London, Ont., we turned a page in the story of wheelchair curling — not just in Canada, but globally. The inaugural GSOC Wheelchair Invitational wasn’t just a tournament. It was a statement. A celebration. A catalyst.
As a lifetime curler and Head Coach of the Canadian National Wheelchair Curling Program, I’ve had the privilege of learning about the brief 25-year history of wheelchair curling in Canada and watching the sport evolve.
But nothing in my time connected to the game — at least not since Vancouver 2010’s gold on home soil — has quite matched the significance, visibility, and emotion of what took place over those few days in late-September.
This event was about so much more than medals — it was about momentum.
THE POWER OF VISIBILITY IN A PARALYMPIC SEASON
This moment couldn’t have come at a more important time. We’re heading into a Paralympic season, and we’re rolling out a refreshed athlete development pathway designed to support sustainable long-term participation and success across all levels of wheelchair curling in Canada.
To have this GSOC event at the beginning of these journeys was a gift. It gave the athletes involved a rare and unmatched chance to play on arena ice, under television lights, in front of packed crowds, and alongside other stars of the global game.
For many, it was their first time in that kind of environment. For others, it was a rare training opportunity for what otherwise only comes around once every four years. These are the moments that have the chance to elevate performance, boost confidence, fuel dreams, and shift paradigms.
Wheelchair curling has often lived somewhat in the margins — relegated to less visible events, rarely broadcasted, and often missing from or misunderstood in mainstream conversations about curling, coaching resources, or even the fabric of local club play.
Last week may well help to change that. And the best part? It was done — quite literally — shoulder-to-shoulder with the very best in the able-bodied game.
INTEGRATED GAMES SHOW THE SPORT'S INCLUSIVE FUTURE
One of the most powerful moments came after hours on Thursday. After the evening draw, at 10 p.m. and with little fanfare as unknowing midweek crowds filtered out of the arena, wheelchair athletes joined forces with able-bodied curlers from the GSOC field.
Reigning world champions Team Homan and Team Mouat, along with Team Epping and Team Whyte, joined Canada Red, Canada White, Great Britain, and Italy for two end games of mixed able-bodied/wheelchair curling.
These were true collaborative matches, with seated and standing players competing together as equals in short exhibition games. Four-time Paralympian (and curling GOAT candidate) Ina Forrest throwing? Reigning world champs Sarah Wilkes and Emma Miskew sweeping? Three-time Paralympian and London’s own Mark Ideson calling line? Why not.
It was more than just a fun exhibition — it was a clear and compelling showcase of what curling can be: inclusive, adaptable, and unified. It was one of those rare occasions where everyone wins, and nobody wanted it to end.
For the wheelchair curlers, it was a validation of their skill and dedication. For the able-bodied curlers, many of whom had never thrown from a wheelchair or played alongside wheelchair curlers, it was a moment of learning, respect, and appreciation.
It proved that curling is uniquely positioned among parasports — it can be played together, competitively, and meaningfully. That’s a message that resonates not just within sport, but in broader conversations about inclusion and accessibility.
FINAL DAYS: A SHARED STAGE, A SHARED SPOTLIGHT
Following a round robin in Waterloo at the KW Granite Curling Club, nothing underscored the event’s success more than Finals Sunday in London, where the wheelchair medal games were played in parallel with the men's and women's GSOC Masters Tier 1 and 2 finals. To have the sport take the same stage, at the same time, and in front of the same fans and cameras, was unprecedented.
The energy in the building was electric. The athletes fed off the crowd and delivered some of the best performances of the week in compelling games.
Perhaps most memorable were the spontaneous serenades of "O Canada" that rang out from the stands at the conclusion of each game for Canada White (Bronze) and Canada Red (Gold) — all while Tier 1 and Tier 2 GSOC finals were entering the final ends on adjacent sheets. It was raw, unscripted enthusiasm, and an emotion-evoking testament of the impact of the week.
It was also a rare glimpse for the public to see that, at its core, curling is curling — no matter the delivery position. An occasion we surely hope becomes a recurring one.
SAYING GOODBYE TO A LEGEND, AND HELLO TO THE FUTURE
This event also gave us a perfect opportunity to say a meaningful goodbye to one of the sport’s great champions: Dennis Thiessen.
After more than two decades representing Canada on the international stage — including three Paralympic medals and induction into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame — Dennis played his final competitive games at this event. And what a fitting place to do it: in front of fans, media, friends, and teammates, with a full tribute to match the size of his legacy and passion for the sport and the people who play it.
Thiessen has been a foundational figure in the growth of wheelchair curling, both in Canada and worldwide. He’s been an equipment developer, leader, and mentor to so many wheelchair curlers, including rising talents like Chrissy Molnar, who made her skipping debut for Canada White with composure and competitive fire, and Jill Hopkins and Karl Allen, who both wore the maple leaf for the first time in international competition.
This event gave newer athletes like Molnar, Hopkins and Allen not just a chance to compete, but to learn firsthand from legends like Thiessen and Marie Wright as they faced off against players like Italy’s Egidio Marchese, a player who attended the first-ever World Wheelchair championship back in 2002 and is slated to compete in Milan-Cortina 24 years later.
BUILT BY MANY, FOR THE FUTURE
Pulling off an event like this was no small feat. It took over a year of planning and spearheaded by The Curling Group and Curling Canada’s National Wheelchair Curing Program, with guidance and support from Curling Canada’s leadership and in collaboration with British Curling and Italian Ice Sports Federation.
We also had key support from the KW Granite Curling Club, our venue partner, a generous accessible vehicle sponsorship from Oxford Mobility, and contributions and backing from other partners, including Fitzrovia, Sport Canada, Own the Podium, and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
Add to that the many volunteers, logistics coordinators, National Program coaches from both wheelchair and able-bodied staffs, and supporters in two venues across two separate cities, and you begin to understand the scale of the collaboration that took place.
Everyone involved believed in the same vision: that wheelchair curlers have earned this stage and that this event could be the meaningful foundation for an annual showcase or even a full series.
It may be bold to say, but we believe that future is now within reach.
A MODEST START, A MONUMENTAL MOMENT
Yes, this was a four-team event. A modest start by Grand Slam standards. But you could feel it in every match, every cheer, every athlete interview: this was something bigger. A new model. A new expectation.
Athletes had the opportunity to experience the GSOC media gambit (make-up, interviews, power poses and all), roll out to the ice with player intro videos, and feel what it’s like to be seen — not as an exception, but as part of the curling mainstream. That’s the kind of visibility that fuels sustainable participation, grows the pipeline, and ultimately strengthens the sport.
LOOKING AHEAD
There’s still work to do. We need more players, more interested partners, commercially available and affordable equipment, and continued investment in facilities and programming. But what this week showed — undeniably — is that the interest is there, the talent is ready, and the appetite from fans and players alike is real.
As we move deeper into the Paralympic season and look to implement an athlete development framework, we’re doing so with more momentum than ever before. The GSOC Wheelchair Invitational showed what’s possible when we bring wheelchair curling into the spotlight — not as a side event, but as a central part of the sport’s identity.
To everyone who helped make it happen — thank you. To everyone who watched, supported, and shared — please help keep this going. This is just the beginning.
