Decorated curling Scot Kelly Schafer to wear Maple Leaf at world mixed championship

Kelly Schafer is now on the other side of curling's intense rivalry between Canada and Scotland.

A regular podium contender for the Scots for two decades, Schafer will represent Canada for the first time at the 2024 world mixed curling championship in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Shaun Meachem, Schafer and Chris and Teejay Haichert won the Canadian mixed title earlier this month in Swift Current, Sask.

So Schafer will represent Canada for the first time just 65 kilometres from her Scottish hometown of Montrose.

"It's pretty ironic if you think about all the permutations that could have happened," Schafer told The Canadian Press. "The times we could have won and didn't win and now we have.

"The fact that it's really close to my hometown and a couple of my old teammates are from there, it's really familiar territory."

Schafer skipped Scotland to bronze at the 2007 women's world championship in Harbin, Japan. She's played for Britain in three Olympic Games and for Scotland in seven world championships.

Wearing the Maple Leaf in international curling has caused a stir among her siblings, friends and former coaches in Scotland.

"One of my old national coaches has said 'I can't believe that you'll be wearing a Maple Leaf on your back. I'll make this exception once that I will cheer for a Canadian team,' because there's usually such a rivalry between Scotland and Canada" Schafer said.

The 2024 world championship is Oct. 12-19, 2024 at the Curl Aberdeen facility.

Kelly Schafer was Kelly Wood when she threw third stones for Scotland's Eve Muirhead at the 2010 women's world curling championship in Swift Current.

Not only did the Scots win the silver medal there, but their vice met Jerrod Schafer, who was the city's mayor then.

Kelly Wood