Team Rachel Homan picking up where it left off after dominant curling season

As one of the top women's rinks in the world over the last decade, expectations are usually quite high for the members of Team Rachel Homan.

The season after one of the most dominant campaigns in curling history is no exception.

Homan, Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes remain the top-ranked team in the world after going 67-7 in 2023-24 and claiming national and world championships.

"We're not looking to have to surpass what we did last year in order to have a successful season," Miskew said. "We're trying to build off all of the work that we put in and try to be as consistent as we can out there.

"That's all that we can really control. We're going to try our best and that's all we can do."

The Ottawa-based team picked up where it left off last weekend by running the table at the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic.

Homan's side — guided by new coach Brendan Bottcher — completed an 8-0 performance with a 6-5 final victory over second-ranked Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland at the Cornwall Curling Club.

The squad outscored the opposition 51-23 overall.

Bottcher, who split with his four-player men's team last spring, is also playing mixed doubles with Homan this season. He succeeded Don Bartlett as coach of Homan's four-player team and is off to a perfect start.

"He's got just a wealth of knowledge in strategy," Homan said. "Obviously he was No. 1 or 2 in the world on the men's side and that's pretty tough to do. He's got a few things that he thinks can help us.

"We're trying to find a few percentage points here and there. He's just such a positive person and just really great to be around."

The team will return to the ice as defending champions at the Sept. 25-29 PointsBet Invitational in Calgary.

Bartlett decided