The long road to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy begins in the Maritimes for Jim and Jaelyn Cotter.

The Vernon father-daughter duo is one of 16 teams in the field for the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials, set for Dec. 30-Jan. 4 in Liverpool, NS.

This is the first step as to which team will represent Canada at the Olympics in Milano-Cortina.

Canada91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s spot in mixed doubles curling at the Olympics is not yet confirmed.

The winning team in Liverpool will earn the right to represent Canada at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Fredericton, N.B., from April 26 to May 3. Performance at that event and results from the 2024 World Mixed Doubles Championship will determine whether Canada secures one of the eight spots available for the mixed doubles competition at the Olympics.

The final eight teams were confirmed following the last trials direct-entry qualifying event in Banff and Canmore, Alta., over the weekend. The top eight teams on the  (CMDR) as of Dec. 9 who had not yet qualified earned their spots. And that list included the Cotters. Jim's longtime second on the men's tour, Tyrel Griffith of Kelowna, and Jennifer Armstrong of Rothesay, NB, qualified out of Banff.

They join eight teams who previously secured berths through the 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, the 2023-24 CMDR standings, or at one of three direct-entry qualifying events held recently. That includes Jim's former third, Steven Laycock of Saskatoon, who will be in the field with Nancy Martin of Wakaw, Sask., having qualified through the 2023-24 CMDR table.

Here are the 16 teams vying for a Trials victory:

• Kadriana Lott/Colton Lott (Gimli, Man.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship gold medallists
• Laura Walker/Kirk Muyres (Edmonton/Humboldt, Sask.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship silver medallists
• Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant (Chestermere, Alta.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship bronze medallists
• Nancy Martin/Steve Laycock (Wakaw, Sask./Saskatoon) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2023-24 CMDR
• Jennifer Jones/Brent Laing (Barrie, Ont.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2023-24 CMDR
• Brittany Tran/Rylan Kleiter (Calgary/Saskatoon) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Canadian Mixed Doubles Qualifier (Maple Ridge)
• Rachel Homan/Brendan Bottcher (Beaumont, Alta./Spruce Grove, Alta.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Canadian Mixed Doubles Qualifier (Guelph)
• Jennifer Armstrong/Tyrel Griffith (Rothesay, N.B./Kelowna, B.C.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Canadian Mixed Doubles Qualifier (Banff)
• Riley Sandham/Brendan Craig (Guelph, Ont.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR
• Lisa Weagle/John Epping (Ottawa/Toronto) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR
• Taylor Reese-Hansen/Corey Chester (Kitimat, B.C./Victoria) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR
• Anne-Sophie Gionest/Robert Desjardins (Alma, Que./Saguenay, Que.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR
• Melissa Adams/Alex Robichaud (Fredericton, N.B.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR
• Jessica Zheng/Victor Pietrangelo (Niagara Falls, Ont.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR
• Paige Papley/Evan Van Amsterdam (Edmonton) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR
• Jaelyn Cotter/Jim Cotter (Vernon, B.C.) 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ 2025 Trials CMDR

The 16 teams will be divided into two pools of eight for a round robin from Dec. 30 - Jan. 2. The top three teams from each pool advance to a six-team playoff, following a format similar to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Montana91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s Brier.

Playoff action begins on Jan. 2, with the top two teams from each pool crossing over to compete for a direct spot in the Page 1v2 game. The losers drop down to play the third-placed teams in each pool for the spots in the Page 3v4 game.

From there, the winner of the Page 1v2 advances to the final, while the loser will play the winner of the Page 3v4 game in the semifinal. The semifinal winner moves on to the gold-medal match on Jan. 4, where the Trials champion will be crowned.

Streaming for the Trials will be available on .

For more details and updates, .