It was a distinct type of gathering contained in the Royal Montreal Curling Membership on Tuesday: no stones sliding down ice and no sweeping calls echoing throughout the sheets. As a substitute, pages had been turning, books had been being signed, and households had been lining as much as meet Canadian Olympic medallist Rachel Homan, who has now stepped into a brand new position—youngsters’s creator—marking the subsequent chapter of her profession.
Recent off Milano Cortina 2026, Rachel Homan arrived on the Royal Montreal Curling Membership together with her medal, however the focus shortly shifted from competitors to connection as she signed copies of her new youngsters’s e-book “Curling ABCs: Slide, Sweep, and Discover.”
A narrative that began at dwelling
Born in Ottawa and now based mostly in Beaumont, Alta., Homan is one in every of Canada’s most achieved curlers. She is an elite athlete, a mom of three, and a first-time creator.
For Homan, the concept behind the e-book didn’t start in a boardroom or publishing home, however within the quiet rhythm of bedtime studying together with her youngsters.
“It began from my youngsters studying them books for the final six years each evening and there was by no means something about curling,” she stated. “It’s a giant a part of my life and so they watch it a ton and there isn’t actually something on the market to introduce youngsters and even adults which can be entering into the sport, studying tales to their youngsters and possibly it’s one thing that they wish to take up with their households. It’s a social sport. You may get concerned in many alternative methods. In order that was type of the start of making an attempt to make a cool youngsters’s e-book about curling.”
That hole grew to become the inspiration for a 26-page alphabet e-book designed to introduce curling by each language and creativeness.
“There’s a web page for each letter of the alphabet after which I linked up a curling time period or phrase that pertains to curling after which it’s outlined,” Homan defined. “So you possibly can be taught 26 phrases that relate to curling after which throughout the pages there’s some enjoyable details.”
Homan added that additionally it is a search-and-find expertise, with every web page that includes hidden pictures for readers to search for, making it interactive for youthful audiences whereas nonetheless academic.
The place creativeness meets the ice
The story combines easy curling language with imaginative scenes of animals enjoying the sport in artistic settings—from outer house to skilled stadia, and even contained in the Royal Montreal Curling Membership (RMCC) ice shed, well known as one of many oldest energetic sports activities golf equipment in North America.
That connection to historical past was one thing Homan and the membership shared early on within the course of.
“They had been as excited as I used to be to have the Royal Montreal Curling Membership featured within the e-book because the oldest curling membership in Canada. They had been actually excited and wished me to come back and present me some actually outdated artifacts and an image of the primary ladies’s curling membership. So I’m excited to go see these right this moment and excited to be right here and absorb the fantastic thing about such an outdated constructing, so historic.”
Seeing it in particular person added that means to the go to, bringing the venture full circle from concept to actuality.
“I’ve by no means been to this membership though I’ve been to Montreal so many instances. So it’s neat to see.”
A profession constructed over three many years
Homan’s journey in curling started early. She began at age 5 and was competing by 12, ultimately changing into one of the crucial profitable skips in Canadian historical past.
She has represented Canada at three Olympic Video games:
- PyeongChang 2018 (ladies’s group)
- Beijing 2022 (blended doubles)
- Milano Cortina 2026 (ladies’s group)
At Milano Cortina, she led Canada’s ladies’s group — Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, Sarah Wilkes, and alternate Rachelle Brown — to a bronze medal end.
After a 1–3 begin, the group rebounded with 5 straight wins to succeed in the playoffs. They misplaced within the semifinals to Sweden however bounced again with a ten–7 victory over the USA to safe bronze, incomes Canada its first Olympic ladies’s curling medal in 12 years.
Homan’s success extends far past the Olympics. She has:
- Gained back-to-back world championships in 2024 and 2025
- Captured the 2017 world title with an undefeated 13–0 document
- Earned 5 Canadian nationwide championships together with a number of podium finishes
- Collected 20 Grand Slam of Curling titles as of late 2025, probably the most ever by a skip
Her consistency has made her one of the crucial dominant figures in fashionable curling.
Curling has been a part of Homan’s household historical past for generations. Her great-grandfather and grandfather performed whereas serving within the Royal Canadian Air Drive, and her dad and mom and brother had been additionally concerned within the sport.
That legacy helped form her early rise by junior championships and nationwide competitors
A heat welcome
Tuesday’s occasion on the RMCC gave followers a uncommon probability to satisfy Homan in an intimate setting. She signed pre-ordered books, posed for photographs, and hung out talking with attendees.
For a lot of within the crowd, the prospect to satisfy Homan went past a e-book signing—it was a chance to attach with an athlete who has impressed them from afar, and to see that affect up shut.
Edward Pichovich, a junior roller on the RMCC and skip of his U-18 group, stated assembly Homan was the rationale he got here.
“She’s a tremendous roller and a tremendous participant for Canada.” He added that assembly an Olympian in particular person was unforgettable: “it’s fairly particular to have the ability to meet an Olympian. That’s type of cool. It’s my first time doing so, and I hope I get to do it extra.”
For one fan, the affect went past sport.
“I simply love assembly these superstars as a result of they’re so thrilling. They encourage you. They provide you a lot hope to every thing which you could be.,”
“She’s such an inspiration to each feminine that that is what we might be. It’s not that dangerous. It’s not that tough, and you are able to do it. Simply put within the hours that she does. That’s all that issues. Put within the hours. Onerous work, schooling, train, and follow,” she added.
For Homan, this new chapter isn’t nearly a e-book—it’s concerning the individuals who have been a part of her story all alongside.
“We gained the Olympics. We gained the bronze medal on the Olympics and it’s been actually enjoyable to come back again and you realize, hear tales of individuals cheering us on, been watching us for years and listening to about watch events we didn’t know existed. And you realize, we gained the bronze nevertheless it’s actually, you realize, to rejoice with each Canadian that shared us on and was, you realize, alongside for the trip. That’s type of probably the most particular half is sharing that pleasure and the journey with followers.”
