Written By Jan Sims
ILDERTON - The Ilderton Curling Club will be well represented at the upcoming World Junior Mixed Doubles Championships.
Brooklyn Ideson and Owen Henry will represent Canada at the event, which takes place May 5-10 in Edmonton. They earned the honour after claiming top prize at the U-21 Mixed Doubles World Qualifier last month in Sudbury.
“We had a great event in Sudbury,” says Brooklyn. Owen and I both have an abundance of national championship experience in four-person curling, but this was our first time competing at that level in mixed doubles with the discipline being so new. Earning the opportunity to play against such skilled competitors… was a great reminder of why we work so hard,” adds Brooklyn.
“The Canadian Championships was an aligning of the stars for us. We have worked very hard at mastering our craft and the hard work shone through in all the shots we were able to string together in Sudbury,” says Owen.
Curling success runs in the Ideson family. Brooklyn’s father, Mark won a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games. This time he’s behind the bench as team coach. “I enjoyed watching Brooklyn’s curling skills and knowledge develop over the years. She’s very dedicated to the learning process and I’m incredibly proud that the effort she’s put in has given her an opportunity to represent Canada,” says Mark. “To be able to officially coach her at her first world championship is very special and something I’ll cherish,” adds Mark.
Owen is quickly becoming a familiar figure on the curling winners’ podium, having earned the opportunity to represent Ontario at the 2026 Brier.
Brooklyn and Owen started curling in Ilderton through the Little Rocks and Junior program, forming a strong friendship along the way.
The focus for the team in the coming weeks is preparing for the World Championship. “Brooklyn and Owen are both experienced players and have competed at a high level, including multiple national championships. Worlds are a little different though and can bring on a new set of emotions and challenges. Our conversations are less about technique and tactics, although very important, and more about mindset and the mental preparation required to succeed,” says Mark.
“The field at Junior Mixed Doubles Worlds is unique, with 31 countries competing and only the top two from each of the four pools making playoffs. In mixed doubles, you only really need two talented junior athletes in your whole country to field a great team. Italy, Sweden and Korea were among the top competitors last year, but we are looking forward to some strong competition across the board,” adds Brooklyn.
