Female coaches make their mark in Olympic curling

One of the well-known challenges in sport is that women continue to struggle for visibility and opportunities in areas that have traditionally been male dominated.

Across the sporting world, men’s sports still tend to receive more attention: there tend to be more superstar male athletes than women, men’s sport gets better media coverage than women’s, bigger crowds attend men’s matches, and even sports administration remains heavily male.

Coaching is no exception — and is reflected in Olympic curling.

Among the ten mixed doubles teams, there were four females sitting on the coach benches. In women’s team curling there are four female coaches involved. And Jordan Moulton of United States of America is the only female team coach amongst the men’s squads.

Breaking barriers on the bench

It would be easy to think that some sort of resistance is happening here, but talk to the female curling coaches involved and that’s not the story they want to tell.

Jordan Moulton spoke for most of them when she said, “I haven’t had resistance so much, more surprise because it’s traditionally a man’s role, even coaching women’s curling.”

While she agrees with Jordan, Sweden’s mixed doubled national coach Alison Kreviazuk has a word of caution, “It can be a little tricky. Sometimes it feels like you have to take up a little more space to have your voice heard.”

Alison Kreviazuk, Sweden mixed doubles national coach © World Curling / Stephen Fisher

Meanwhile Great Britain’s mixed doubles coach Clancy Grandy said, “I would say that my experience in curling is that I’ve never had to think too much about being a female coach in the sport. I’ve never had too much resistance. That’s the way I’ve been treated along the way in my career — I only have positive things to say about that in curling.”

The most experienced of the female coaches in Cortina has been Cathy Overton Clapham, who has been on double duties as mixed doubles and women’s team coach for United States of America.

When told how many female coaches there are in curling at these Games, Overton Clapham said, “I’m not sure what signal that sends.

“I feel pretty honoured, but there should be more female coaches out there.”

And when you consider that both mixed doubles finalists had female coaches supporting them, who can argue?

Clancy Grandy, Great Britain mixed doubles coach © World Curling / Stephen Fisher

The power of perspective

All four coached can agree on another crucial point — female coaches bring valuable perspectives that strengthen teams and broaden strategic landscapes.

“There’s a lot of knowledgeable women out there who are coaches and can make a contribution. Using them would be to everyone’s benefit,” said Overton Clapham.

Jordan Multon echoes this, “I think there should be more female coaches here. There’s an advantage to having different perspectives and our team has shown that over the years. We have five very different people, and that’s what makes our team so good, add me in and there’s even more perspectives.”

“I think it’s just looking at things differently and different interactions with each other. It’s not so much of a male/female thing, we see the game a little differently and that opens different possibilities.”

Meanwhile, Alison Kreviazuk believes, “females bring in another level of understanding and balance.”

Jordan Moulton, United States of America men’s coach © World Curling / Stephen Fisher

Leading the way

All four of these coaches recognise that they are paving the way for others, and they embrace that.

And they are all sure that more female coaches will emerge, because, as Clancy Grandy put it, “it’s good to show females out there that this is an avenue that you can go down.”