Phill Drobnick, the longtime coach for USA Curling, is set to attend his fourth and final Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, expressing optimism about Team USA's readiness. Meanwhile, Canadian women's skip Rachel Homan, fresh off a dominant qualification at the 2025 trials, receives advice from her first coach to relax and perform at her best. Both teams enter the Games with high expectations in the sport.
Phill Drobnick, an Eveleth native with 20 years of experience coaching curlers on the world stage, departs for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, marking his last Games in the role. "We’re probably in the best spot we have ever been going into an Olympics, just in terms of all the systems that we have in place," Drobnick said on January 23, 2026. He highlighted the team's progress, noting, "This last year has been incredible. Just a couple of months ago, we only had one team in the Olympics. And here we are. All three disciplines were qualified for the games. We’re one of five countries that have all three disciplines qualified."
The qualified disciplines include the men's team, women's team, and mixed doubles, featuring Duluth's Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse. Drobnick has also boosted the sport's profile on the Iron Range by hosting nationals, Curling Night in America, and the 2025 U.S. Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships. Post-Games, he plans to prioritize family time, stating, "I’ve spent a lot of time in hotels, and missed enough of my kids’ stuff."
On the Canadian side, Rachel Homan leads the world-ranked No. 1 women's team with a 49-12 record in the 2025-26 season. Her rink—third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes, and alternate Rachelle Brown—qualified for the Olympics by winning eight of nine matches at the 2025 Canadian Olympic Trials in Halifax, including a best-of-three sweep over Chelsea Carey in the final. This marks their second four-player Olympic appearance, after a sixth-place finish with a 4-5 record at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
Homan's first coach, Doug Kreviazuk, who guided her inaugural team in 2002-03, advises relaxation amid the pressure. "It’s about relaxing and being Rachel Homan," he said. "She’s the best player in the world and has the best team in the world." Kreviazuk praised her technical skills, strategy, and balance of family life with husband Shawn Germain and their three children. Homan's Olympic schedule begins February 12 against Denmark, facing top opponents like Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni and Sweden's Anna Hasselborg before semifinals on February 20.
These preparations underscore curling's growing prominence at the Winter Games, with both nations poised for strong showings.
