Jan. 26—BEMIDJI — Somewhere, Steven Kawleski was smiling.

His younger sister, Rachel Kawleski, had reached the mountaintop on Sunday at the 2026 Mixed Doubles National Curling Championship at the Bemidji Curling Club. Along with teammate Connor Kauffman, she won the gold medal and will represent the United States this April at the World Championship in Geneva, Switzerland.

After the gold medal match was over, she shook hands with competitors Ella Fleming and Jackson Bestland before embracing Kauffman.

Kauffman raised his fists in the air in triumph. Rachel, overcome with emotion, reached into her pocket and pulled out a creased picture, showing it proudly to the crowd.

It was a photo of her brother.

In June, Steven died suddenly at the age of 35. He was a competitive curler himself in central Wisconsin and had taught Rachel everything he knew.

He was the one who introduced the sport to her when she was just 8 years old. She attributes everything she’s accomplished in curling so far to him.

Throughout the week, even through the ups and downs, he was with her every step of the way.

“I loved my brother to bits and pieces,” Rachel said, fighting back tears. “I’m very much feeling him here today.”

Kawleski and Kauffman were not the favorites heading into the Mixed Doubles Nationals. They started 5-0 in pool play before losing their last two matches heading into the qualification round. In the semifinals, they met No. 1 seed Fenson/Stopera, who were undefeated and had just shut them out earlier in the week.

Old wounds between Rachel and Kauffman almost prevented them from playing at all. And somehow, they walked away with gold.

“If I’m going to be honest, our goal coming into this was to medal,” Rachel said, “so mission accomplished.”

Kawleski and Kauffman were more than just teammates. They were romantic partners. However, by December, they had enough.

Their two and a half year relationship was just getting too hard to keep up with. They lived three and a half hours from each other — Kauffman in Blaine, Kawleski in Fargo.

Their breakup was amicable. Both knew that being in a long-distance relationship was just too hard to maintain, especially with their busy curling schedule.

But the two had already qualified to play in the Mixed Doubles Nationals.

“We were like, ‘You know what? We could probably still medal,'” Kawleski said. “But we were cautiously optimistic, given the interpersonal issues, about our ability to then play together.”

Originally, everything was going smoothly, as if their breakup never happened.

They started pool play 5-0, pulling out close games and putting themselves in a good position for the playoffs.

By Friday evening, however, the ugly side of being exes started to show.

Communication between the two cratered, especially during their match against Fenson/Stopera. They lost 7-0 in four ends without scoring a point. Things didn’t get any better Saturday morning, losing to Fleming/Bestland 10-3 in seven ends.

Kawleski and Kauffman ended pool play 5-2, heading into the qualification round spiraling.

Both knew they needed to clear the air with each other and switch things up, or they’d go home empty-handed.

“We had a pretty serious conversation about how we needed to change team communication to be more positive,” Kawleski said. “It was make or break.”

With a newfound attitude, Kawleski/Kauffman defeated Senneker/Visnich 6-4 to advance to the semifinals Sunday morning.

They’d meet Sarah Fenson and Andrew Stopera once more, who received a bye after going 7-0 in pool play. The team had been a local favorite all week, thanks to Fenson, who is the daughter-in-law of Bemidji curling legend Pete Fenson.

In the beginning, Fenson/Stopera were playing like a No. 1 seed, jumping out to a 4-1 lead after four ends. In a crucial moment in the fifth end, though, Kawleski attempted a crosshouse double for two.

“I was sitting there like, ‘All right, we’re going to make this and keep playing, or we’re going to miss it, give up two and go home,'” Kauffman said. “She made a beauty, and I think that helped change the momentum a little bit and started to get the belief train rolling.”

Kawleski/Kauffman scored three more in a row to clinch the 6-4 victory and a date in the gold medal match.

They already accomplished their goal of winning a medal; the only question was which kind.

Kawlseski has been through a lot the past year.

The death of her brother and the end of her relationship with Kauffman, along with the stresses of everyday life, have taken a toll on the 26-year-old curler.

The only place where she truly feels like herself is at the curling rink, where all her problems are checked at the door.

“It’s the only place where I feel normal,” she said. “Once I’m off the ice, I go back to grief, my life and just stress. But when I’m curling, that’s all I’m thinking about. The outside world just doesn’t exist.”

Kawleski first started curling in her hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She was a last-minute substitute for her brother’s team in a bonspiel.

“They needed a third hand just to sign up,” she recalled. “They couldn’t convince anyone to play with him. And so he’s like, ‘I’m going to take my 8-year-old sister and teach her how to curl in a day.’

“I don’t think I threw anything in play — I was a child. But I loved it, obviously.”

For school, she went to North Dakota State, where she’s curled competitively in the Fargo area ever since.

After her brother’s death, she started carrying a picture of him in her pocket whenever she competed. When she found herself getting anxious, she’d rub her pocket where she kept the picture. It would allow her to mellow out and help her focus on the shot ahead.

The picture helped her and Kauffman score five unanswered points in the gold medal match against Fleming/Bestland Sunday afternoon. Their 8-4 win punched their ticket to Switzerland, allowing the two to represent the U.S. on a world stage.

“It hasn’t set in yet,” Kauffman said of qualifying for the World Championship. “It’s definitely a surreal type of thing.”

“I had a realization when someone asked about Switzerland … I’m going to wear the flag on my back for the first time,” Kawleski added. “I know curling’s not a huge sport, at least in this country, right? But ultimately, that flag represents 350 million people. So you’re them, you get to represent that country. And I think that’s just such a cool, cool thing.”

As the two received their gold medals, Kawleski made sure to pose with her brother’s picture. As she gets ready to represent the U.S. this April, she won’t forget to bring it with her.

After all, she wouldn’t be where she is now if it weren’t for him.