Carson claims Grand Slam berth at Euro Super Series satellite
Scotland's Orrin Carson is headed to the GSOC Invitational in Victoria after picking up the men's berth from the Euro Super Series in Stirling, Scotland — an invitation that first went to Italy's Stefano Spiller before Team Spiller declined the spot.
The Euro Super Series served as a Grand Slam satellite event this season, with the highest-ranked non-qualified team on each side earning a berth in Victoria. With both finalists already holding invitations, the berth passed to the semifinalists, and when Spiller opted not to accept, it moved to Carson as the other semifinal loser.
Carson opened the week with a 7-6 loss to Spiller before rallying through the round robin and edging Joel Retornaz 9-7 in the quarterfinals. Yannick Schwaller's Swiss rink then held off the young Scots 7-6 in the semifinal on the way to a perfect 6-0 week and the title.
The Dumfries foursome of Carson, Logan Carson, Archie Hyslop and Charlie Gibb has been the dominant junior team in Scotland for the past several seasons, winning four consecutive Scottish junior titles from 2022 to 2025 and collecting world junior bronze twice, in Cortina in 2024 and again this past March in Taarnby, Denmark, where they beat Canada 9-8 in the third-place game. Spiller's Italians took silver at that same championship, making Victoria a spot the two junior rivals could each have claimed.
The GSOC Invitational runs Oct. 13-18 at Victoria's Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, with the remaining satellite berths coming from the AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic, Karuizawa International and Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic.
The Euro Super Series served as a Grand Slam satellite event this season, with the highest-ranked non-qualified team on each side earning a berth in Victoria. With both finalists already holding invitations, the berth passed to the semifinalists, and when Spiller opted not to accept, it moved to Carson as the other semifinal loser.
Carson opened the week with a 7-6 loss to Spiller before rallying through the round robin and edging Joel Retornaz 9-7 in the quarterfinals. Yannick Schwaller's Swiss rink then held off the young Scots 7-6 in the semifinal on the way to a perfect 6-0 week and the title.
The Dumfries foursome of Carson, Logan Carson, Archie Hyslop and Charlie Gibb has been the dominant junior team in Scotland for the past several seasons, winning four consecutive Scottish junior titles from 2022 to 2025 and collecting world junior bronze twice, in Cortina in 2024 and again this past March in Taarnby, Denmark, where they beat Canada 9-8 in the third-place game. Spiller's Italians took silver at that same championship, making Victoria a spot the two junior rivals could each have claimed.
The GSOC Invitational runs Oct. 13-18 at Victoria's Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, with the remaining satellite berths coming from the AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic, Karuizawa International and Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic.
Source: Grand Slam of Curling - https://www.facebook.com/thegrandslamofcurling