Curling - MIDDAUGH Wayne

SPORTING FAMILY
Wife, Sherry (nee Hamel) is a six-time provincial curling champion, finishing third at the Canadian women’s championship four-times (2001, 2002, 2004, 2008), a second-place finish at the Olympic Trials in 2013, and two Grand Slam titles.

Oldest daughter, Kelly, competes on the Wilfrid Laurier University curling team.

Cousin, Peter Corner, was Middaugh’s teammate from 1986-94, winning the Canadian and World Championship together in 1993.

Grandfather, James Mulliss, is a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

FORCED RETIREMENT
Involved in a skiing accident in January 2016. Claimed he landed “very poorly” off a training jump, breaking his leg in 11 places, requiring multiple surgeries, including insertion of a titanium rod, and two years recovery. His injuries forced him into retirement but allowed him to transition to coaching, joining Team Hasselborg in September 2018.

“Everything happens for a reason. It hurt, but on the other side it opened a door of coaching, a door that I truly love. If I was still playing, I wouldn’t have met the Hasselborg team. Coaching covers my addiction. I love the game.” (tsn.ca, 6 Mar 2020; winnipegsun.com, 6 Mar 2020)

WIFE APPROVAL
The team called his wife first. “They asked my wife, how would you feel if we asked your husband to coach us, and travel the world with five Swedish women? Because not everybody’s wife might like their husband doing that. So she said ‘yeah, take him away.’” (Coach, 20 October 2021)

DOUBLE TRYOUT
He met Team Hasselborg at a Grand Slam event – an event which they won – to see if the arrangement would work. “I had to try out for them, to see if the personalities fit, and they had to try out for me to see if we could make it work. Everyone got along, things meshed together and now it’s four years later.” (Coach, 20 October 2021)

COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENT
He appreciates the five Grand Slam tournaments his team has won since his first day with them. “They’ve been fantastic. When I first met them, their goal was just to qualify (for the playoffs) in the Slams; they had never won one. Now they’re really amped up to play them and they know they can win.” (Coach, 20 October 2021)

ULTIMATE TEAMMATE
First curler to win the Canadian and World Championship at three different positions: skip (1998), third (2012), and second (1993). “My goal was to always be the best teammate possible. I tried to play the best that I could ever play and be the best person at whatever position. It didn’t matter to me. I just wanted to play on a great team and I was lucky to play with some outstanding players.” (tsn.ca, 6 Mar 2020)

COMPETITIVE NATURE
His grandfather “was just an ultra-competitive man. When we were young he would never let the grandkids win. Not only would he try and beat us, he’d try and beat us bad. That’s probably where my competitive streak came from. I grew up around playing to win, all the time.” (Coach, 20 October 2021)

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