Paul Webster, a former Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawk, is heading to Italy as the coach for Team Jacobs in men's curling at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. This will be his fifth Olympic Games, drawing on his background in university curling and coaching achievements. The team, featuring experienced Olympians, begins competition on February 11 against Germany.
With the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games approaching, attention in Waterloo Region turns to local connections, including Paul Webster. A former player for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Webster began his competitive curling in the region during his university years. He helped the team win provincial championships in 1994 and 1996 while also competing in men's rugby. After graduation, Webster coached the Golden Hawks in his first year out, but teaching commitments led him to focus on coaching.
Webster's career highlights include capturing a Brier title in 2025, receiving the Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award in November 2025, and serving as a consultant at Curling Canada's national training centre in Calgary. For the past 14 years, he has been the Curling Director at The Glencoe Club in Calgary.
Reflecting on his Laurier experience, Webster emphasized the value of university sports programs. "That ability to have a student athlete be both a student and an athlete at the same time is inherently important to not only curling, but a ton of sports across Canada," he said. He praised Laurier's curling program for its facilities, coaching, and success in attracting top athletes, noting how it allows students to pursue degrees while training competitively.
Team Jacobs qualified for the Olympics by winning the Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax. The squad includes skip Brad Jacobs (his third Olympics), third Marc Kennedy (fourth), second Ben Hebert (second), lead Brett Gallant (second), and alternate Tyler Tardi—all previous medal winners. Webster highlighted the mental preparation challenges: "The pressure, the mental side, is probably the trickiest. I’m really lucky on this team that everyone’s been to an Olympics."
Excited about inspiring the next generation, Webster noted that young curlers must start on the ice to realize their dreams. The team arrives at a hotel near a ski hill, though skiing is off-limits for the athletes. Webster and Team Jacobs throw their first stone on February 11 against Team Germany in the round-robin phase.
Notably, Sarah Wilkes, the lead for Canada's women's Team Homan, is also a former Golden Hawk.
