Edinburgh resident, Luke Samuels, whose grandfather arrived in the United Kingdom on the Windrush in 1948, is hoping to honor both his Scottish and Jamaican roots by representing Jamaica in the sport of curling. Samuels emphasized the need to recognize the Windrush generation as the first major emigration of people from the Caribbean to the UK, which is important for individuals like him who have mixed heritage and dual nationality. To Samuels, working with the Curling Jamaica organization is a way to honor this heritage.

The Start of His Journey

Samuels believes now is a good time to become involved with Curling Jamaica because it was founded in 2020 and only joined the World Curling Federation in 2022. He noted that he is taking things slowly, one step at a time, in his work with Curling Jamaica to attain his personal goals and inspire others to join him. He would like to encourage Jamaicans living in the UK through coaching and potentially to develop a Jamaican team in Scotland. Samuels is currently the only Jamaican curler in Europe who is part of Curling Jamaica.

Inspired by Olympic Curlers

Samuels shared that he often watched curling on television, but it was when he watched the sport at the Olympics that he became interested in playing. He said that he told his wife at the time he was going to represent Jamaica in curling one day, even though he had never curled. Following this conversation, Samuels attended various groups, including Try Curling, and joined the 37 Club based at Curl Edinburgh. He took lessons in coaching as well, and the more he worked at it, the more he enjoyed playing. At a curling camp, he met Scottish curling medalist Gail Munro, who told him he was very good at the sport. She also told him to believe in himself and encouraged him to continue pursuing his goals.

His View of Curling in Jamaica

Samuels noted that there is no curling in Jamaica because there is no ice in Jamaica. Curling Jamaica comprises people who were Jamaican-born but moved to Canada, the United States, and Scotland. There is plenty of room for growth in the organization since it is still very new. He is in contact with the captain of the Jamaican curling team that won a silver medal at the 2023 Pan Continental Curling B Championships, Cristiene Hall-Teravainen, and he has seen Jamaica play in the World Mixed Doubles qualifiers. He said Jamaica’s team is looking to expand and get more people involved, including sponsors. He is involved with the Edinburgh Caribbean Association and hopes to spur interest through that organization.

His Greatest Achievement

The “Scottish Jamaican” said that his greatest achievement to date was being chosen to represent Jamaica in the play-downs for the 2024 Pan Continental competitions in Canada in February 2024. The competition could be hosted in Asia or North America. The play-downs are the first official competitive game that Samuels will be playing for Jamaica. His dream is to play at the Olympics, but he is happy to go to the match in February as a representative of the country.

Coaching the Ultimate Goal

Samuels stated that his ultimate goal is to coach individuals in Scotland and Jamaicans living in Jamaica. Since he has dual nationality and holds both UK and Jamaican passports, he is proud of both heritages, noting that curling was invented in Scotland so it would be fitting to have both countries linked in this way. “In the very near future, I would like to be in Jamaica for six months and in Scotland for six months. That way I can live and teach in both countries,” he said. Curling Jamaica has a Grassroots Program in which eight young Jamaicans under the age of 18 are chosen to receive coaching and education. Samuels believes that once he has completed his coaching qualification, this would be another opportunity for him as well.