Jen Dodds and Rebecca Morrison called for calm heads and positive mindsets after Team GB lost their opening match of the women’s curling round-robin.
The quartet, which also features skip Sophie Jackson and Fay Henderson, were beaten 7-4 by China in a tight and tense game at the Cortina Curling Centre.
Team GB are officially the defending champions but only Dodds remains from Eve Muirhead’s rink that won gold in Beijing four years ago.
A European silver medal last November and a run to sixth in the World Championships suggests they are rounding into form at the right time and, in a gruelling nine-match round-robin phase, there is plenty of curling to play.
Dodds’ experience will be key. She more than has her eye in after impressing with Bruce Mouat in the mixed doubles, even if the other three have a less-than-flattering nickname for her.
“They call me the granny,” she said.
“I just try and give any advice or any of my experiences.
“I try to pass on as much as possible with what the ice conditions could be for the women because the mixed doubles, it's different stones now, so they will react differently.
"We always say that's when we play our best is when we're relaxing and enjoying it, and that's what we did tonight. We just need to keep doing that, and that's my advice.”
Although the match ended in disappointment, becoming an Olympian was still a special experience for Morrison.
The 29-year-old has waited almost a year since qualifying a quota spot and said the experience was special.
“It was absolutely amazing,” she said.
“We've been waiting for this moment for so long. I have been waiting for this.
"It's absolutely amazing to finally be able to say I've played on Olympic ice.
“Even though the results didn't go our way today, I'm going to bed quite happy and excited for the next game and to bring our A game tomorrow.”
Team GB are back on the ice on Friday afternoon to play South Korea and can take plenty of encouragement from their display.
After two ends without a score, Morrison delivered a fabulous clear-out to put Team GB 2-0 up but China reeled them in, with two points in the fourth, seventh and eighth ends to finish strong.
“It is not the result we wanted, but there was a lot of great stuff out there,” Morrison added.
“Spirits were high, vibes were great, and that's one of the key things that we wanted going into today.
“We often build into a championship, so that game was a great start for us.
“We started off fantastic, actually, great first half, so we're really proud of that and proud of what we brought out there. Obviously a few things to work on, but we're looking forward to tomorrow.”
Sportsbeat 2026