After returning home from the Provincial Stick Curling Playdowns as Ontario champions, husband-and-wife team Don and Nancy Sheppard are gearing up to compete nationally in Nova Scotia later this month.
Back in February, while representing the Brighton and District Curling Club, the Sheppards conquered the mixed two-person category in Forest, Ont., earning them a spot to compete at the National Stick Curling Championship being co-hosted by the Windsor and Wolfville clubs in Nova Scotia starting March 25, 2026.
The couple is getting ready to start their journey to represent Northumberland and the province this weekend.
What’s more, Nancy says with growing interest in the sport and this year’s competition, she just heard they’ll be adding a third club to accommodate all the players in Kentville, N.S.
“Two-person stick is slowly catching on in Ontario,” she explains, adding it’s already huge out west in places like Manitoba and Alberta, as well as down east. “It’s very, very popular (in those places) but Ontario is just starting to catch on to this form of curling.”
“There are 12 teams in the championship round for the mixed,” she adds.
The husband-and-wife team has been playing 2-person stick for about six years now – and Nancy previously also conquered the ladies’ division and won nationals with Caroline Watt in 2024.
But their ties to curling actually go back decades after Don retired from the air force in 1989 and later became the ice maker at the Brighton-based club. While there were breaks over the years, that’s the origin story of their ties to the sport, explains Don.
To secure their recent provincial win, the couple had to beat four other teams in the semi-finals and finals in February.
They also in earlier years competed in the open national championships but didn’t previously have to qualify to participate, notes Don.
Nancy tells us more about their upcoming championship journey.
Then, the competition will heat up for several days.
The couple says they’re hopeful they’ll get to play in the last battle on March 29 and in the meantime, the curling community continues to inspire them.
“I would just like to give a great big shoutout to the Brighton curling club” says Nancy, noting the club has been putting on a fundraiser to help them take this trip. “They are supporting us incredibly.”
There’s also been a lot of support shown beyond the club as the couple gears up to represent the community and broader region at the national level.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)