26 October 2025
Balancing the ice and the operating room: Kristen Tsourlenes’ Olympic dream
Life as a medical nurse is demanding enough, but add in the aspiration of qualifying for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, and the schedule can become even more intense.
This is reality for Australia’s second player Kristen Tsourlenes, who balances operating room shifts with training on the ice: “It’s been the last 12 years of my life that I’ve been curling, so it’s been a long time trying to reap the rewards.”
A friendship that started it all
Tsourlenes’ introduction to curling wasn’t one of serendipity, but rather through a personal connection to the sport.
She attended high school with Australian mixed doubles bronze medallist Dean Hewitt who, alongside Tahli Gill, claimed third place at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2025 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, earlier this year.
She said, “After school, he kind of said, ‘come along and try’, and he hooked me in. It’s is one of those sports that’s a little bit different, and it’s got a great community, so I just kept coming back.”
That invitation would set the course of her sporting career.
“I’m really lucky that I was friends with him, otherwise I definitely wouldn’t have found curling,” she admitted.
“It’s not a big sport in Australia, so you really have to have a connection to someone who is probably Canadian.”
The challenges of curling in the Southern Hemisphere
In a country typically associated with beaches and cricket rather than brooms and stones, curling comes with unique challenges.
“We don’t have curling ice in Australia,” Tsourlenes explained.
“We go to New Zealand a lot, our nationals are held there and we train there sometimes as well. It’s our closest curling ice, so it’s what we find easiest.”
To stay competitive, the team trains overseas whenever possible.
“Before the Pre-OQE we went to Scotland for a while, and this time we came to Minnesota early to prepare.”
“In Melbourne, we use skating ice once a week when we can, but it’s not really enough. So we try to maximise what we can do off the ice, sweeping intervals on the tiles at home and going to the gym.”
From science student to medical nurse
If managing curling logistics sounds complex, it’s nothing compared to Tsourlenes’ day job. Away from the rink, she works as a medical nurse, specialising in operating theatre procedures.
“I was doing a science degree after high school and didn’t really have much direction,” she recalled.
“One of my teammates, Ann Powell, is a doctor, and I did a bit of work for her in her rooms. She said, ‘you should probably become a nurse’, and that kind of led me down that path.”
“My mum had always been saying the same thing, but I had a big phobia of vomit, so I was really apprehensive,” she laughed.
“Now I’ve ended up in the operating room, which is great because everyone’s asleep, there’s no vomit! But there is lots of blood and guts, which doesn’t bother me at all.”
The balancing act
Finding time to train, travel and compete whilst working long shifts is a feat of discipline, and understanding.
Tsourlenes said, “I’m really lucky to have such supportive managers. They’ve given me more time off than I probably should be allowed to have, and that’s the only way I can do this.
“I work long days, usually around ten hours, so when I’m at work, there’s not much time for anything else. I’m just really grateful for that flexibility.”
Building momentum
Alongside teammate Sara Westman, Tsourlenes has been part of the Australian women’s programme for several campaigns, and their results are steadily improving.
“We had success last year in the B- Division and managed to win that”, she said.
“It’s been a long journey, but we’re finally starting to see our hard work pay off. We’ve got a few more wins on the board, which has been great.”
That progress has propelled them to their next major milestone.
“At the Pre-OQE, we qualified for the Olympic Qualifiers in Kelowna,” she said.
“We’re staying overseas between now and then to train, it’s a big commitment from all of us, but hopefully it’ll pay off come December and we can give it our best shot.”
For Kristen, the goal is clear: “Qualifying for the Olympics, that’s the dream, right? That’s what we’re all out here trying to do.”
How to watch the US Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships
All A-Division games will be broadcast on the Curling Channel, however, there may be restrictions due to broadcast partner agreements.
Follow the live scores and results here.
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