15 March 2026
Team Schmirler officially inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame
One of the highlights of Saturday’s opening day at the BKT World Women’s Curling Championship 2026 in Calgary was a special presentation to the three surviving members of Canada’s renowned Team Schmirler, officially inducting them into the World Curling Hall of Fame.
They were the first-ever women’s curling team to become Olympic champions in 1998, and are three-times world champions — in 1993, 1994 and 1997.
Skip Sandra Schmirler, who died in 2000 at the age of 36 from cancer, was posthumously inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame in 2009, but the other three members of her team — Jan Betker, Joan McCusker and Marcia Gudereit — were inducted in 2022. This achievement was formally marked on Saturday.
Induction into the World Curling Hall of Fame is the highest non-playing accolade that can be bestowed by World Curling, and the Schmirler team members now join outstanding company.
World Curling Board member Jill Officer — an Olympic champion herself — made the presentation, and she gave some insight into the calibre of this team both on and off the ice.
She said, “Today’s recognition is not only a celebration of competitive excellence but also the acknowledgement of a legacy that has elevated the sport of curling. Team Schmirler stands as one of the most decorated and influential teams in the history of our sport.”
She continued, “Team Schmirler inspired future champions like myself, brought new fans and demonstrated the importance of unity and respect in our sport.”
After Sandra’s death, the rest of her team, along with other friends and family, founded the Sandra Schmirler Foundaton, whose mission is to raise funds to “save the lives of babies born too soon, too small or too sick”, a cause that was close to Sandra’s heart.
Now celebrating 25 years, the Foundation has raised more than $8 million CAD for more than 100 hospitals in every province and territory across Canada.
Jan Betker explained some of the background to their involvement, “We always felt that one of us should have been involved all the time (in the Foundation), especially in fundraising.”
And the good work continues.
Turning to the Hall of Fame Award itself, Joan McCusker said, “When Sandra died, World Curling recognised her posthumously and we understood that. But now, I think it’s a really, really big deal to be entered as a threesome.
“Now, this many years later to be notified that someone thought of us and said that team did everything together, I am really thrilled.”
Although the actual award came in 2022, it has taken this long for a formal presentation to be made. However, Marcia Gudereit explained, “We felt we wanted our spouses involved, and we wanted to make sure everyone could make it, but it took some time. They give us a couple of options and Calgary came out.”
As it happened, for the first time ever, this type of celebration was made in the Patch — the legendary social hub at curling events in Canada — rather than in a more formal setting.
When told that this was the first time this had happened, Marcia said, “Anybody who knows us would know how appropriate that is — of course we would be presented in The Patch!”
Further information on the World Curling Hall of Fame is available here.
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