Kyle Waddell (born 15 December 1993 in Bellshill) is a Scottish curler from Hamilton, Scotland.[2] He currently skips his own team. In 2018, he competed for Great Britain at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, placing fifth. He has represented Scotland at three European Curling Championships and three World Junior Curling Championships, winning gold at the 2013 World Junior Curling Championships as a member of the Kyle Smith rink.

Kyle Waddell
Born (1993-12-15) 15 December 1993 (age 30)
Team
Curling clubHamilton & Thornyhill CC,
Hamilton, SCO[1]
SkipKyle Waddell
ThirdCraig Waddell
SecondMark Taylor
LeadGavin Barr
Curling career
Member Association Scotland
 Great Britain
World Championship
appearances
3 (2022, 2023, 2024)
European Championship
appearances
6 (2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Olympic
appearances
1 (2018)
Grand Slam victories1 (2018 National)
Medal record
Men's Curling
Representing  Scotland
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Ottawa
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Östersund
Gold medal – first place 2023 Aberdeen
Silver medal – second place 2017 St Gallen
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Helsingborg
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Sochi
Silver medal – second place 2014 Flims
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Östersund
Representing  Great Britain
Winter Universiade
Silver medal – second place 2013 Trentino

Career

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Juniors

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During his junior career, Waddell played second for the Kyle Smith rink. The team represented Scotland at three World Junior Curling Championships from 2012 to 2014. In 2012, the team, consisting of Thomas Muirhead, Kerr Drummond and Hammy McMillan Jr. went 7–2 through the round robin before losing the 3 vs. 4 page playoff game to Norway's Markus Høiberg. However, they avenged this loss in the bronze medal game when they defeated the same Norwegian team to finish third.[3] In 2013, the team, now with Cammy Smith playing lead instead of Drummond, topped the round robin with an 8–1 record. They then beat Canada's Matt Dunstone in the 1 vs. 2 page playoff game and then defeated Russia's Evgeny Arkhipov to secure the gold medal.[4] It was Scotland's first time winning the event since 1996.[5] At the 2014 World Junior Curling Championships, the team, now with Duncan Menzies at alternate instead of McMillan went 6–3 in the round robin, but were able to defeat Norway in the 1 vs. 2 game to once again qualify for the final. There, they were bested by Switzerland's Yannick Schwaller, settling for silver.[6] Waddell was also part of the Smith rink that earned a silver medal for Great Britain at the 2013 Winter Universiade. After a 6–3 record in the round robin, they lost to Sweden's Oskar Eriksson in the final.[7]

Men's

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Following juniors, Waddell continued to curl with the Smith rink. The team immediately found success on the World Curling Tour, reaching the finals of the Dumfries Curling Challenge, the Mercure Perth Masters and the European Masters during the 2014–15 season.[8] Team Smith competed in their first Grand Slam of Curling event at the 2015 GSOC Tour Challenge Tier 2 where they reached the semifinals. They also made the semifinals of the Swiss Cup Basel before being eliminated by the Brad Gushue rink. In October, the team won the qualifier for the 2015 European Curling Championships, defeating the Tom Brewster rink in the best-of-three final.[9] They would go on to miss the playoffs at the Europeans after losing in a tiebreaker to Sweden's Niklas Edin.[10] The 2015–16 season also marked Team Smith's first tour win together at the Edinburgh International where they defeated Jaap van Dorp to claim the title.[11]

The 2016–17 season was a breakthrough season for the Smith rink, beginning at the Oakville Fall Classic where they captured the event title.[12] They also reached the semifinals at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, the Swiss Cup Basel and the Red Deer Curling Classic. In Grand Slam play, the team in four events. The team's best finish came at the 2016 GSOC Tour Challenge where they made it all the way to the final before being defeated by the Edin rink.[13] They also made the semifinals at the 2017 Players' Championship but were again eliminated by Team Edin. At the Scottish Men's Curling Championship, they finished third after losing both the 1 vs. 2 page playoff game and semifinal to the David Murdoch and Bruce Mouat rinks respectively. They ended their season at the 2017 Euronics European Masters where they beat the Edin rink in the final.[14]

In June 2017, it was announced that British Curling had selected the Smith rink to represent Great Britain at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.[15] The team were chosen as they were the top ranked British team on the 2016–17 World Curling Tour rankings, despite having never won the Scottish Men's Championship.[16] They were also chosen over the Murdoch, Mouat and Tom Brewster rinks, which caused controversy due to the Murdoch rink winning the 2017 Scottish Championship. However, because they missed out on the playoffs at the 2017 World Men's Curling Championship, the advantage was ultimately handed to the Smith rink.[16]

Leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympics, the Smith rink did not have the best season on tour. They failed to make it past the quarterfinals in any of their fall events and missed the playoffs at both the 2017 GSOC Tour Challenge and the 2017 Masters. Due to their selection as the British Olympic team, they already qualified to represent Scotland at the 2017 European Curling Championships. There, the team went 6–3 through the round robin, qualifying for the playoffs. They then defeated the higher seeded Switzerland's Peter de Cruz rink before losing in the final to the Edin rink, earning the silver medal.[17] Before the Games, they played in three more tour events, with their best finish coming at the German Masters where they lost in the final to Marc Pfister.[18] At the Olympics, the team had mixed results throughout the round robin, ultimately finishing tied for third with a 5–4 record.[19] This put them into a tiebreaker against the Swiss de Cruz rink, which they lost 9–5, eliminating them from contention.[20] Immediately following the Games, the team played in a best-of-three playoff against the Mouat rink to determine who would represent Scotland at the 2018 World Men's Curling Championship, which the Mouat rink won two games to one. In their final event of the season, Team Smith reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 Players' Championship, where they once again were defeated by the Edin rink. Following the season, Waddell left the Smith rink and joined the newly formed Ross Paterson rink at third for the 2018–19 season. The team also included second Duncan Menzies and lead Michael Goodfellow.[21]

The Paterson rink had a successful first season on tour. In their first few events together, they reached the semifinals of the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic and the Red Deer Curling Classic as well as the final of the Ashley HomeStore Curling Classic where they were defeated by the Glen Muirhead rink in an all-Scottish final.[22] Team Paterson played in six of the seven Grand Slam events during the season, finding the most success at the 2018 National where they defeated Team Bruce Mouat in the final, in the first all-Scotland Grand Slam final.[23] They also made the playoffs at two other Slams, reaching the semifinals of the 2019 Players' Championship and the quarterfinals of the 2018 Masters. At the Scottish Championship, the team finished in third place after losing in the semifinal to the Muirhead rink. Team Paterson were selected to represented Scotland at the third leg of the 2018–19 Curling World Cup. There, they finished in third place after finishing the round robin with a 5–1 record. They also qualified for the grand final of the Curling World Cup, where they again finished in third.[24]

In their second season together, the Paterson rink found more success on tour, making the finals of both the Swiss Cup Basel and the Aberdeen International Curling Championship. In October, they defeated both the Mouat and Muirhead rinks to earn the right to represent Scotland at the 2019 European Curling Championships.[25] There, the team finished with a 5–4 round robin record, enough to qualify for the playoffs. They then lost to Sweden in the semifinal before defeating Denmark to claim the bronze medal.[26] In Grand Slam play, the team played in three events, only making the playoffs at the 2019 Masters. They finished third at the Scottish championship.[citation needed]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a limited number of tour events held during the 2020–21 season. Team Paterson did play in a series of domestic events put on by the British Curling Association, finishing third at all three events hosted.[27] After the season, Michael Goodfellow retired from competitive curling and Waddell's brother, Craig Waddell, joined the team as their new lead.[citation needed]

During the 2021–22 season, Team Paterson reached the finals of the KW Fall Classic where they were beaten by the Ross Whyte rink.[28] They played in two Grand Slams, finishing winless at both the 2021 Masters and the 2021 National. In February, the team went 8–2 during the round robin at the 2022 Scottish Curling Championships and later defeated the Whyte rink in the championship final.[29] They were also picked to represent Scotland at the 2022 World Men's Curling Championship after being selected over the Bruce Mouat rink that won silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics, a decision that caused controversy due to how it was handled.[30][31] For the championship, the team altered their lineup, with Waddell being named as the team's skip while Paterson continued to throw fourth stones. At the Worlds, the team qualified for the playoffs with a 7–5 record. They then lost in the qualification game to the United States' Korey Dropkin, settling for fifth place.[32]

In June 2022, both Paterson and Menzies announced their retirement from elite level curling. Waddell then formed his own team with third Craig Waddell, second Mark Taylor and lead Gavin Barr for the 2022–23 season.[33]

Personal life

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Waddell is the grandson of 1979 European champion Jimmy Waddell.[34] His younger brother Craig is also a curler who currently plays third on his team. They also played together in the 2019 European Championships.[35] Waddell studied at University of the West of Scotland's Hamilton Campus graduating with a BSc (Hons) Sport Development in 2016.[citation needed] Waddell is employed as a Protection Specialist.[36]

Grand Slam record

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Key
C Champion
F Lost in Final
SF Lost in Semifinal
QF Lost in Quarterfinals
R16 Lost in the round of 16
Q Did not advance to playoffs
T2 Played in Tier 2 event
DNP Did not participate in event
N/A Not a Grand Slam event that season
Event 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Tour Challenge T2 F Q Q DNP N/A N/A DNP DNP T2
Canadian Open DNP Q DNP DNP Q N/A N/A DNP DNP DNP
The National DNP DNP DNP C Q N/A Q DNP DNP DNP
Masters DNP Q Q QF QF N/A Q DNP DNP
Players' DNP SF QF SF N/A DNP DNP DNP DNP
Champions Cup DNP DNP DNP Q N/A DNP DNP DNP N/A N/A
Elite 10 DNP DNP DNP Q N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Teams

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Season Skip Third Second Lead
2010–11[37] Graeme Black Kyle Waddell Peter MacIntyre Craig Waddell
2011–12 Kyle Smith Thomas Muirhead Kyle Waddell Kerr Drummond
2012–13 Kyle Smith Thomas Muirhead Kyle Waddell Cammy Smith
2013–14 Kyle Smith Thomas Muirhead Kyle Waddell Cammy Smith
2014–15 Kyle Smith Grant Hardie Kyle Waddell Cammy Smith
2015–16 Kyle Smith Thomas Muirhead Kyle Waddell Cammy Smith
2016–17 Kyle Smith Thomas Muirhead Kyle Waddell Cammy Smith
2017–18 Kyle Smith Thomas Muirhead Kyle Waddell Cammy Smith
2018–19 Ross Paterson Kyle Waddell Duncan Menzies Michael Goodfellow
2019–20 Ross Paterson Kyle Waddell Duncan Menzies Michael Goodfellow
2020–21 Ross Paterson Kyle Waddell Duncan Menzies Michael Goodfellow
2021–22 Ross Paterson Kyle Waddell Duncan Menzies Craig Waddell
2022–23 Kyle Waddell Craig Waddell Mark Taylor Gavin Barr
2023–24 Kyle Waddell Craig Waddell Mark Taylor Gavin Barr
2024–25 Kyle Waddell Craig Waddell Mark Taylor Gavin Barr

References

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  1. ^ "Kyle Waddell". British Curling. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Kyle Waddell". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  3. ^ "World Junior Curling Championships 2012 Men's Medal Games". World Curling Federation. 11 March 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Bronze medal for Canada at the World Juniors". Curling Canada. 10 March 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  5. ^ Richard Winton (28 March 2013). "Curling: One-upmanship is Muirheads' recipe for success". The Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  6. ^ "2014 World Junior Championships latest". Scottish Curling. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  7. ^ "2013 Winter Universiade". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Team Kyle Smith". CurlingZone. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  9. ^ "2016 European Playdowns". CurlingZone. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Tie-breaker win sees Sweden into men's semi-finals". World Curling Federation. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  11. ^ "2015-16 WCT Men's Schedule". TSN. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  12. ^ "WCT Recap: Smith, Hasselborg capture OCT Fall Classic in Oakville". TSN. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  13. ^ Jonathan Brazeau (13 November 2016). "Edin wins Tour Challenge for 2nd straight GSOC title". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  14. ^ "2017 EURONICS European Masters". CurlingZone. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  15. ^ Andy McGilvray (4 September 2017). "Hamilton curler Kyle Waddell reckons team spirit can help him to Winter Olympics glory". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  16. ^ a b Amy MacBeath (22 June 2017). "Eve Muirhead will be joined by brothers Tom and Glen at the 2018 Winter Olympics". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  17. ^ "Sweden win at fourth consecutive Le Gruyère AOP European Curling Championships". World Curling Federation. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Marc Pfister wins German Masters". CurlingZone. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Switzerland secure last Olympic semi-final place". World Curling Federation. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  20. ^ "SUI v GBR (Tie-Breaker) – Men's Curling". Olympics. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Anna Sloan Stepping Away as British Curling Announces Teams". CurlingZone. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Scotland's Muirhead wins Ashley HomeStore Classic". Curl BC. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  23. ^ Jonathan Brazeau (16 December 2018). "Paterson edges Mouat in extra end for Boost National title". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Scotland miss out as China celebrate comeback at Curling World Cup". Euro Sport. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  25. ^ "European Curling Championships: Team Paterson wins Scottish play-off as champions Team Mouat bow out". BBC. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Switzerland women and Scotland men claim European bronze medals". World Curling Federation. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Team Ross Paterson". CurlingZone. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  28. ^ "Team Whyte Look To Build On Breakthrough Win In Canada". British Curling. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Team Paterson are the 2022 Scottish Curling Men's Champions". Scottish Curling. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Team Paterson selected for 2022 World Championship". Scottish Curling. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Statement regarding 2022 World Mens selection 🚨". Facebook. Team Mouat. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Italy and United States advance to semi-finals". World Curling Federation. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Farmer joins Olympic golden girls as British Curling teams are finalized". British Curling. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Jimmy Waddell". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  35. ^ "Craig Waddell joins big brother Kyle in bid for European Champs glory". Scottish Curling. 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  36. ^ "2023 World Men's Curling Championship Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  37. ^ "Kyle Smith Past Teams". CurlingZone. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
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