GSOC Lake Tahoe & Red Deer Curling Classic

From November 4th to 9th, 2025, our first Grand Slam in the USA took place. And in a truly idyllic location: Lake Tahoe. Between matches, we enjoyed the stunning surroundings, and we were even lucky enough to see several bears up close. A fantastic experience!

Round-Robin:

Things went exceptionally well on the ice, too. Just like in the first two Slams, we won all of our round-robing-games:

• 7:6 victory against Team Wrana

• 9:2 victory against Team Fujisawa

• 6:4 victory against Team Einarson

• 8:3 victory against Team Wang

  
  

Special rules at the Grand Slam:

There were also two additional rules at this Grand Slam:

1. Only one blank end per game is allowed. A second blank end would automatically transfer the hammer (right of the last stone) to the opposing team.

2. No extra end. In case of a tie after 8 ends, a single draw to the button (shootout) decided the winner.

   
   

Points awarded:

• Victory in regulation time: 3 points

• Shootout victory: 2 points

• Defeat in the shootout: 1 point

• Defeat after 8 ends: 0 points

  
  

With four wins in regulation time and thus 12 points, we easily qualified for the quarterfinals. We won the quarterfinal against Team Gim 6-4. We then won the subsequent semifinal against Team Schwaller, also by a score of 6-4.

This meant we reached the Grand Slam final for the third time in a row this season. And once again, our opponent was Team Homan. Unfortunately, we were defeated for the third time.

Nevertheless, we are very proud of reaching three finals in the first three Grand Slams of the 25/26 season.

Immediately after Lake Tahoe we travelled to Calgary, where we trained on and off the ice for three days before continuing on to Red Deer for the next tournament.

The Red Deer Curling Classic was played in a triple-knockout format. We won the first two games, qualifying us for the A-final on Saturday evening against Team Fujisawa. This was a crucial game, as a win would have secured us a free Sunday and direct entry into the semifinals.

After a good start, we were leading 4-2. However, an aggressive fourth end gave Team Fujisawa four runs, and suddenly we were down 4-6. Despite solid finishes, we went into the final end trailing by two stones and without hammer. An extremely difficult situation.

But with a perfect 8th end on our part and mistakes by our opponents, we were actually able to steal 3 stones and turn the game around. This meant a free Sunday and direct qualification for the semifinals. We won the semifinal 9-5 against Team Fujisawa and then went on to win the final against Team Tabata after six ends.

After a Grand Slam final and a subsequent tournament victory, we deserve some quieter days before we start again with intensive training and another trip to Canada.