Longtime Yukon curling coach Wade Scoffin has been selected to coach the Korean National Mixed Doubles program.

According to the Yukon Curling Association (YCA), Scoffin "has been a certified curling coach since 1986 and has coached at over 20 national and international events including The Scott Tournament of Hearts, Tim Hortons Brier, Junior Nationals, Canada Winter Games and World Mixed Doubles for Team Brazil."

Scoffin "has contributed to curling in the Yukon for more than 25 years, including being president, past-president and technical director for the YCA.

“He was also the recipient of Curling Canada’s National Junior Men’s Coaching Award in 2009 and the Bert Boyd Memorial award for contributions in curling in the Yukon."

Scoffin has also acted in the role of learning facilitator for the Yukon, helping develop coaches at many levels, from club to competitive coaching, including many who are still actively training athletes in the Yukon.

Scoffin has represented the Yukon at the Brier, Mixed Nationals and Mixed Doubles 15 times. He and his wife, Helen Strong, represented Canada for Mixed Doubles at the World Winter Masters Games in Austria in January 2020 as well.

Scoffin and the Korean contingent are currently in Europe travelling the Mixed Doubles world circuit to try to qualify Korea for a spot at the 2022 Winter Olympics. If successful, he will take the team to compete in Beijing in February.

Scoffin started with the Korean team on Sept. 1. The Star reached him in Kitzbuhel, Austria, where he was coaching his two young Korean charges. The Korean mixed doubles team competed at the nationals about a month before that.

"They really then were looking towards doing a fast-track development of a short seasonal plan and program aimed at helping the team to be as prepared as possible for the event coming up in December,"explained Scoffin.

The Korean team will be competing in a 16-country Olympic qualifying event in Leeuwarden, Holland Dec. 5-9 for two remaining spots in the Olympics.

"Because of COVID, it was impossible for me to meet up with the team in Korea," related Scoffin.

"So the alternative was for us to do a lot of distance-based planning and communicating through the month of December, and then on the 26th of September, I left Whitehorse and then arrived in Europe on the 27th, and they also arrived on the 27th.

“We met up in Zurich, Switzerland, and then proceeded to participate in one event, and a number of exhibition games and what I sort of described as a bit of a training camp as well, so I could become more familiar with the team … being right on the ice with them."

The team moved from Switzerland to Kitzbuhel on Tuesday. Their second event starts today.

The Star will have much more on Scoffin coaching the Korean mixed doubles team in Friday's edition.