This year started with a bang for Scottish curler Robyn Munro when she was crowned World University Mixed Doubles Champion at the FISU World University Games alongside teammate Orrin Carson back in January.
And that was just the beginning for the 21-year-old athlete, who has since picked up her first Scottish women’s title and just last week returned to the ice with mixed doubles partner Orrin Carson, taking home gold in her last-ever Scottish championship as a junior and qualifying for the World Junior Mixed Doubles Championships in April.
“It’s all been a bit mad,” she expressed.
In her final year of university and with just a few weeks to go until her last hand in, the past few months have been an impressive juggling act for Robyn.
“This year has already been my busiest ever – it all feels like a bit of a whirlwind,” she shared.
So how did she get here? We sat down with Robyn to ask her about her journey into the sport and what it takes to compete at the top of the game.
Growing up in the game 
Robyn was never short of curlers to look up to as a youngster and very much grew up surrounded by the sport. Her grandparents, both keen curlers, built the world’s first ever hotel with an ice rink - the North West Castle Hotel in Stranraer.
“I don’t think that there are many people who can say that they literally grew up in an ice rink,” she laughed.
“I really was born into curling. My uncle and cousins all have world titles, and my mum has a European silver and Scottish title too.”
It was Robyn’s mum, Gail, whom she looked up to the most, spending much of her time by her side as she travelled the world curling and managed the Stranraer Ice Rink.
“One of my earliest memories is watching my mum win the Scottish Championships, which is really special,” she shared.
Throwing her first stone at age 5, Robyn quickly took to the sport, claiming her first national title when she was 8 in the ‘Unders and Overs’ competition alongside her mum.
Though Robyn was outnumbered by boys in her early years, she shared that having female role models like her mum and her mum’s best friend, ‘auntie Rhona’ Howie, meant that she never felt out of place on the ice rink.
“My mum was recently awarded an MBE for her services to curling, which just shows what an incredibly powerful woman she is.
“My auntie Rhona as well, she’s an Olympic champion and that’s something I’ve been so proud to share from a young age.
“I remember she even let me take her medal in for show and tell in primary school!”
Stepping up
Curling continued to play a significant role in Robyn’s life throughout her teens, picking up an impressive collection of Scottish and European silverware along the way.
“When I reached U17s, I joined the team I would eventually play with in the Scottish juniors, and it felt like everything ramped up a bit.”
Robyn moved to a new school in S3, which was an hour and a half journey each way.
“I remember during my Highers I would literally be out the door at 7am, back at 7pm and straight back out for training every day.
“It never felt like a chore though, I did it because I loved it.”
Fast forward a couple of years, Robyn found herself moving from her home Stranraer to Glasgow to study at the University of Strathclyde.
“I’d just finished up my first semester of Uni when I got the call to invite me onto the British Curling Performance Foundation programme.
“That period was quite surreal. Suddenly, I wasn’t just curling for fun anymore, and I found myself part of something a lot bigger.
Achieving her goals 
The past 4 years have been a whirlwind for Robyn, who has travelled the world, adding titles to her collection. One in particular, though, stands out for Robyn.
“If anyone ever asks me, my highlight is undoubtedly winning World Juniors in 2023.
“That had been my dream for so long – I remember having it written in my diary and having a picture of the medal on a vision board from when I was so young.
A day before the competition started, Robyn received the news that her grandad, who had built the North West Castle Hotel and played a huge part in her curling journey, had passed away.
“In that moment, I knew I had two choices, and I knew what he would want me to do.
“I posted a photo of him that day with the caption ‘I hope I do you proud.’”
And that she did. Robyn and her teammates came out on top of Japan in the final to take home the gold medal.
A new chapter
Just shy of a month until the World Mixed Doubles Championships in Edmonton, Canada, Robyn is training hard in the gym and on ice 5 days a week as usual.
The championships are, however, not the only deadline Robyn is currently working to. Her dissertation hand-in falls the day before she flies out to Canada later next month.
“I’m going to get on that flight feeling so light,” she laughed.
“This last year of Uni definitely hasn’t been easy – I’d be lying if I said it was.
I’ve always appreciated how good having my Uni life is for me is though, and how much it keeps me balanced.
For Robyn, a new chapter lies ahead.
“I’ve been working so hard up until this point for this competition and my final hand-ins. It’s going to feel strange when it’s all done.
“Graduating from Uni and competing in my last ever competition as a junior is definitely an overwhelming thought just now.
“Right now, I’m not really sure what lies ahead, but I really just want to enjoy these next few months and soak up everything I’ve worked so hard towards.
There is certainly still plenty to come for Robyn as she steps into this new phase of her life.
“Something I’ve realised as I’ve gotten older is that the goalposts are always moving.
“I achieved everything I thought I ever wanted at the World Juniors when I was 19, but there are always new goals to be made and to be achieved.
“Short-term, I want to do well at the World Junior Mixed Doubles and just enjoy that experience.
“Long-term, you’ll just have to wait and see!”
More info
- British Curling
- Scottish Curling
- Follow Robyn's journey on her YouTube channel
