When longtime coach Paul Webster first started working with Rachel Homan and Emma Miskew at a curling camp back in their junior days, he could sense they had the potential for big things on the pebbled ice.
A recent one-off visit to their coach's bench gave him a first-hand look at a women's team at the peak of its powers.
"I just think their expectations of perfection are so high," Webster said.
Homan and her Ottawa-based rink of third Tracy Fleury, Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes were simply dominant over the 2023-24 season. An eye-popping 67-7 record included a perfect run at the national playdowns and a gold medal at the world championship.
They have somehow managed to take their play to a higher level this season.
Homan's crew is a stunning 40-2 on the campaign and has reached all three Grand Slam of Curling finals, winning twice. The top-ranked side takes a 23-game winning streak into the New Year.
"It's completely crazy," said Curling Canada chief executive officer Nolan Thiessen. "If you look back from the start of last curling season, Rachel is 107-9. She hasn't lost double-digit games in the last year and a half.
"That is unheard of in our game."
Homan ran the table at her first two events this season before dropping two games in October at the HearingLife Tour Challenge.
She fell to Italy's Stefania Constantini in her second draw and lost to Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., in the final. That was followed by a 9-0 showing at the Pan Continental Championship and back-to-back Grand Slam titles.
"I think hard work and resilience are both equally important contributors to 2024," Miskew said in a text message.
With the team's coaching position vacated after Brendan Bottcher returned to play in October, Homan's side had Webster, Team Shuster lead Matt Hamilton and curling great Jennifer Jones on the bench at the recent Kioti National in St. John's, N.L.
"It's indicative of a team that isn't done getting better," Webster said in a recent interview. "They want input. They want to get better. Rachel just has no fear right now."
Curling statistician Gerry Geurts, the president of the CurlingZone website, said he's never seen anything like it.
"Best I've seen in my 25 years working in curling is seeing (Jeff) Stoughton and (Kevin) Martin post seasons of (fewer) than 10 losses in the early 2000s, but never a team able to repeat this success over multiple years to this degree," he said.
When Fleury joined the team at the start of the quadrennial after Joanne Courtney stepped back from competitive play, Miskew joined Wilkes on the front end.
There were some growing pains for the team in the early going but the foursome has played with remarkable confidence since finding its rhythm.
"Tracy Fleury has the ability to plop a draw pretty much wherever she wants," said Webster, who coaches Team Brad Jacobs. "I think she has just become better (at draws) with the front end that she has and Rachel's ability with big weight is just deadly."
Homan's team will return to action at the Jan. 14-19 WFG Masters in Guelph, Ont. They will wear the Maple Leaf as defending champions at the Feb. 14-23 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont.
The national champions will represent Canada at the March 15-23 world women's curling championship in Uijeongbu, South Korea.
"There's a few skips out there that every once in a while will give you a highlight-reel shot," Webster said. "Man, Rachel has two or three a game. It's just so much fun to watch."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
