A season to be proud of: Fay Henderson’s breakthrough year

A year ago, the back end besties Fay Henderson and Robyn Munro were looking like the future stars of Scottish curling after winning the women’s national title in 2025.

Six months later, they were no longer teammates.

The vice-skip announced her decision to leave the programme ahead of the Olympic season last June, leaving the rink void of their “bright yellow personality”.

For Henderson, it was a surprise that she did not see coming.

“When Robyn decided to move on, I think it was a bit of a shock to us all,” said the skip.

“We go through a selection process every year with British Curling and we didn’t know until the day before the selection process happened that Robyn was actually not going to be considered for selection again.

“We’d probably seen ourselves not really changing much as a team.”

Team Scotland at the BKT World Women’s 2026 © World Curling

Team shake ups

What followed was a period of change for Team Henderson. Alternate Lisa Davie came in as the new third, with Laura Watt joining them on the bench. Hailey Duff and Katie McMillan, also returned for their third season together.

She praised Davie for her peel weight and her ability to throw six-second shots, as well as Watt’s reliable all-rounder quality.

Missing that “fieryness” of Munro led the team to working with a sports psychologist to bring more assertion to the team, ensuring opinions were aired.

The skip admitted it took a “little bit longer to find our feet” including switching Duff – who she considers a valuable analyst and sweeper – as the vice-skip ahead of the BKT World Women’s Curling Championship 2026.

First stop: Milano Cortina Olympics

But before the world championship skip debut could be made, she was making her first Olympic appearance shortly before as part of Great Britain (Team Rebecca Morrison), serving as the team’s alternate. Despite the juggling between two rinks, she has “really enjoyed” her start to 2026.

“We’ve definitely had a lot of highs and lows in our journey together,” said Henderson about Team Morrison, noting the team’s 2022 World Championship withdrawal due to COVID-19.

Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games © World Curling

“The Olympic Games was definitely mixed emotions.

“They played so, so well and every game they just got better and better, which was amazing to see.

“My time watching them just from the bench, the level of performance at the Olympics was absolutely amazing.”

Olympic experience ended BEING ‘ripped away’

It was nearly a fairytale comeback for Team GB after vice-skip Rebecca Morrison pulled off an incredible angle double take-out that ultimately led to a crucial win over the United States in their penultimate round-robin game.

While both Rhona Martin and Eve Muirhead won Olympic gold after claiming a playoff berth at the dead, the US’ extra-end victory over Switzerland in the following draw denied the Scots a spot. The alternate admits she did not remember much from their game with Italy as she remained focused on the other sheet.

Scotland versus Italy at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games © World Curling

“Hope was there” when Team Switzerland scored three to force the extra end against the Americans, only for the USA to win with the hammer and end Team GB’s tournament.

“For it to just stop in time by a couple of inches, it was just heartbreaking,” said Henderson, “From us thinking it was there to just having it ripped away by a couple of inches. I know that’s curling, but it was very, very tough.”

The team were inconsolable in the mixed zone following the result, knowing that despite being an outside shot of qualifying with two games to go, they had come so close. Although the youngest squad member, she felt the need to be resilient and be there for her teammates.

“I had a couple of tears roll down my cheeks…but I just knew I had to keep it together and carry the jobs that needed done and just try not to show my emotion as much as it was horrible,” she said, adding that she has since spoken to a sports psychologist about her Olympic Games experience.

“It was just trying to separate your emotions and fill that fifth player role as what they need in every single moment. I think that’s something that’s really hard.

“I know as much as joining them on that emotional rollercoaster would have been really good, somebody needed to be the level and the stable.”

BKT World Women’s Curling Championship 2026 © World Curling

Breakthrough season: world debut

Unsurprisingly, a skip is more at home on the ice, stating she enjoys having “a bit of control rather than the one that’s sitting nervously watching on”. She had an impressive resume in the support role last season at the Olympics and helping Team Morrison to European silver, before signing off with her team’s debut at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Calgary, Canada.

It would have felt long overdue for the 24-year-old who won the 2024 and 2025 Scottish Championships, but her rink was overlooked on both occasions. With a third consecutive title to their name and Team Morrison opting to miss the World Championship, it was a moment to show their capability on the international stage.

A record of 4-8 does not tell the whole story, having placed 10th from 13. They ran some of the best rinks in the world incredibly close, losing just two games by a deficit of more than two. Two losses came after an extra end, and one of their victories was over Fujisawa Satsuki of Japan, who finished fourth overall. On reflection, Henderson summarises the last nine months as a “pretty impressive season”.

“To finally be able to make me debut at the Worlds in skip, I think I smiled the whole game,” she said.

“To be able to play with so many of our fans there as well was just great. I didn’t have anybody there for me, but the rest of the girls did.

“We all came off after the first game against China and we lost on an extra end, but we all just looked at each other and said, ‘we’re going to be competitive this week’.

“I think next time, hopefully, that we manage to get out there and get challenging, we can just keep building on that experience and make it better every time.”

But what that future will look like is still to come. Between national selection and career changes, the landscape may look very different by autumn time, which she admits is “outwith our control”.

While writing this article, Rebecca Morrison announced her retirement from the sport at the age of 29, seeking pastures new and leaving a spot to be filled.

“From what we’ve learned this year about ourselves and each other is we’re there now and we’re ready to just push on from that.

The team announced that Hailey Duff will be retiring from the sport and taking in Sophie Sinclair as alternate moving forward next season.

A pivotal time for Henderson to establish herself as a top skip in the game.

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