Members of the 1998 Olympic curling teams gathered in Mississauga for a heartfelt reunion, sharing stories from Nagano while supporting the Sandra Schmirler Foundation's 25th anniversary telethon. The event highlights the lasting legacy of Sandra Schmirler, whose foundation has raised over $8 million for neonatal care since 2001. Saskatchewan curler Robyn Silvernagle joined the cause, drawing from her family's NICU experience.
In Mississauga, Ontario, on the eve of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, surviving members of the 1998 Nagano Olympic curling teams reunited on Friday, January 24, 2026. The gathering included the Sandra Schmirler rink—Jan Betker, Marcia Gudereit, Joan McCusker, and George Karrys—along with the men's team members like Collin Mitchell and Richard Hart. They reminisced about their Olympic debut, when curling joined snowboarding as new Winter Games sports.
Stories flowed freely, including mishaps like the men's team attempting snowboarding three days before curling practice, resulting in injuries such as a scraped face, black eye, and sore wrists that hampered their throws. A practice game against Team Schmirler ended in a lopsided 9-1 loss after six ends. The next day, they switched to a mixed game, which nearly tied, with the women carrying the injured men. Joan McCusker later revealed they proposed the mixed format to avoid demoralizing the men before the Olympics.
Other highlights included smuggling a case of Canadian Club whiskey into the athletes' village, bribing security with bottles, and gifting them to opponents. Alternate Paul Savage made headlines with a butt tattoo featured on the Toronto Sun's front cover.
The reunion toasted Schmirler, who died in 2000, and fellow curler Colleen Jones. It coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, aiming to raise over $1 million during its TSN telethon on Sunday, January 25. Since 2001, the foundation has donated more than $8 million in equipment to over 100 neonatal intensive care units across Canada.
Saskatchewan's Robyn Silvernagle, third for Team Jolene Campbell at the Scotties, volunteered to answer phones during the broadcast. Born in Biggar and now near Moose Jaw, Silvernagle's son Kolt spent nearly a year in NICU after a premature birth. "Our son was in NICU and been in the hospital for a long time, almost a year," she said in a recent interview. "So we know firsthand how important the Sandra Schmirler Foundation is." Her mother curled with Schmirler in high school, deepening the personal tie. Silvernagle urged donations: "I just hope everybody will donate what they can to help keep this foundation going and helping babies all over Canada."
The event underscores Schmirler's enduring impact, from her 1998 Olympic gold to the foundation's lifesaving work.
