What to Watch: 2026 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Mixed Doubles Curling

February 6, 2025, marked the official one-year-out date from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, and Team USA will know its first two athletes that will have the "hammer” advantage on qualifying for those games in a few short days.

As of late January, 10 teams of two U.S. curlers – one man and one woman – are set to compete in the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Mixed Doubles Curling from February 17-23 at Rock Club Curling in beautiful Lafayette, Colorado. The sole winner of the event will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Curling Mixed Doubles Championships, and a high-placing finish at worlds means that team earns a qualification spot for Milan-Cortina 2026.

In NBC’s continued effort to provide the most coverage of Team USA sports in history since the highly successful Paris 2024 Olympic Games, over 100 hours of curling coverage and matches will be broadcast live on CNBC and Peacock throughout the event. A full schedule of match times is available here.

The history of traditional curling at the Olympic Winter Games includes large hiatuses. It was included at the inaugural Olympic Winter Games in 1924 and seen again in 1932. However, after 1932, it was not seen again until it was made a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992. The sport was officially added to the program in 1998 and has been a mainstay ever since. The mixed doubles event only has appeared over the previous two Winter Games starting in 2018.

Siblings Matt and Rebecca Hamilton were the debut Olympic team in mixed doubles for Team USA in 2018 and finished in sixth place. Matt was partially responsible for the boom in curling in the U.S. seven years ago given his position on the 2018 gold-medal winning four-man squad led by team captain John Shuster. The team, colloquially known as “The Rejects,” went viral after their performance. Chris Plys and Vicky Persinger represented Team USA in the mixed doubles event for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and finished in eighth place.

Mixed doubles curling follows the same general rules and scoring format as traditional curling aside from two strategical twists that often increase the intensity of matches. At the start of each end – or round – two stones are positioned at the throwing end. The stones offer blocking support and can also be used for scoring. The second wrinkle is the addition of a “power play.” Once per match, the team that has the right to position the stones for an even greater scoring advantage. A proverbial “chess match” between teams ensues deciding when to use their lone power play advantage. The changes bring a new wave of strategy into this popular game of elite finesse and skill.

The U.S. contingent of mixed doubles teams have been on the rise since 2022, making this discipline highly competitive. Each of the 10 teams will bring their elite curling skills to the sheets. However, only one will earn the right to compete at worlds. Below are three teams to keep an eye on throughout trials:

• Names: Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin
• Hometown: Duluth, Minn.
• Follow: @coryandkorey

If analysts were to pick a favorite to win these trials, several would likely choose the pair that shares the same name. The duo from Duluth is the first-ever U.S. team to capture a world championship title in mixed doubles curling, after they defeated Japan 8-2 in the 2023 world championship final. They also won the national title that same year. Additionally, both curlers have clinched a spot at this year’s world championships for their respective men’s and women’s four-person teams. Thiesse is vice-skip, or second-in-command of the women’s team, while Dropkin is the skip of the men’s team that claimed the qualifying spot. Look for the duo to be the top team to beat in Lafayette. Lastly, they are seeking revenge after the Hamilton siblings bested them for the spot at worlds last year.

• Names: Matt and Becca Hamilton
• Hometown: McFarland, Wis.
• Follow: @hamscurl and @heccabamilton

The Hamilton siblings are no strangers to big-time curling matches. The pair, both of whom are two-time Olympians, are back once again and looking for another chance to represent Team USA on mixed doubles curling’s biggest stage. A win in Lafayette would send the Hamiltons to their fourth career world championships and second in a row. The duo defeated Thiesse and Dropkin last year for the coveted mixed doubles spot for worlds. Currently, the Hamilton siblings are the top-ranked mixed doubles team in the U.S.

• Names: John Shuster and Aileen Geving
• Hometowns: Chisholm, Minn. and Duluth, Minn.
• Follow: @shoostie and @aileencurls

The fearless skip that propelled the U.S. men’s Olympic curling team to a gold medal in 2018 is trying his hand at making the roster for mixed doubles this time around. Curling veteran John Shuster and his teammate, Aileen Geving, are ranked third in the national mixed doubles curling standings behind the Hamilton siblings and Team Cory and Korey, and the margins between the teams are slim. With the pair’s knowledge and experience, nobody should count them out from taking out the top two teams and claiming the world championships spot for themselves. The upcoming trials will be a test of mettle and composure for all involved.

Brendan Rourke is a digital media creator that works with Team USA. Previously, he spent three seasons writing for the NBA's Indiana Pacers. He holds a Bachelor's in Theatre Studies from UCF and a Master's from IU-Indy's Sports Capital Journalism Program.