Jay Merchant

Jay Merchant
Jay Merchant
Curler
Born	16 May 1982 (age 39); Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Team
Skip	Dean Hewitt
Third	Jay Merchant
Second	Rupert Jones
Lead	Ian Palangio
Alternate	Steve Johns
Career
World Mixed Doubles Championship; appearances	1 (2013)
Pacific-Asia Championship; appearances	6 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Medal record
Men's curling
Representing Australia

Jay Merchant (born 16 May 1982 in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada) is an Australian curler and curling coach originally from Canada.

Teams and events[]

Men's[]

Season	Skip	Third	Second	Lead	Alternate	Coach	Events
2007–08	Guy Hemmings	Pierre Charette	Jay Merchant	Jamie Korab	Mark Homan
2014–15	Ian Palangio	Jay Merchant	Dean Hewitt	Steve Johns			PACC 2014 (4th)
2015–16	Ian Palangio	Jay Merchant	Dean Hewitt			Archie Merchant	PACC 2015 (5th)
2016–17	Ian Palangio	Jay Merchant	Dean Hewitt	Derek Smith		Archie Merchant	PACC 2016 (7th)
2017–18	Dean Hewitt (fourth)	Ian Palangio		Hugh Millikin (skip)	Jay Merchant	Archie Merchant	PACC 2017 (4th)
2018–19	Dean Hewitt	Jay Merchant	Rupert Jones	Ian Palangio	Steve Johns		AMCC 2018
2018–19	Dean Hewitt (fourth)	Jay Merchant (skip)	Dustin Armstrong	Steve Johns		Bob Armstrong	PACC 2018 (7th)
2019–20	Dean Hewitt (fourth)	Sean Hall (skip)		Jay Merchant		Archie Merchant	PACC 2019 (6th)

Mixed doubles[]

Season	Male	Female	Coach	Events
2012–13	Jay Merchant	Lynette Gill		WMDCC 2013 (22nd)

Record as a coach of national teams[]

Year	Tournament, event	National team	Place
2010	2010 Pacific Curling Championships	Australia (men)
2011	2011 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship	Australia (mixed doubles)	16
2017	2017 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship	Australia (mixed doubles)	18

Private life[]

Jay born and grew up in Coronation, Alberta, Canada. His love of curling was a family affair. His father played in national oilman's competitions and his mom and older brother curled as well. Merchant spent the majority of his childhood winters at the rink, either watching the game or developing his skills.

After highschool, Merchant attended the University of Lethbridge where he studied a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.^[1] He spent the majority of his time working in oil and gas as a laborer and then became an executive with M&N Construction in between his studies.

He was a member of then Member of Parliament Rick Casson's steering committee and curled out of the Lethbridge Curling Club. He played juniors for Alberta and made it to provincials a number of times. In 2003 he played for University of Lethbridge on CIS/CCA Curling Championships; they were in the top five. Merchant continued to compete in mens and competed in provincials in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec in various disciplines of the sport.

He has spent 10 years of curling in 2000s with some of the biggest names in the game on the World Curling Tour, and was a key component of Guy Hemmings' 2008 team.^[2]

In 2007 the Australian Winter Olympic Committee asked him to migrate to Australia on a distinguished talent visa. In 2010 he moved to Australia to coach and play with the Australian National Team and pursue his law degree at Bond University, which he completed in 2012.^[3]^[4]

Merchant studied a master's degree in business law at Bond University. He also completed his Juris Doctor and postgraduate diploma in legal practice.^[5] Merchant currently is a sergeant of police and is also a barrister working predominantly in the Queensland Magistrates Courts.^[6]

He is an avid law and government lecturer at universities in Australia and abroad and has a lecture series called 'The Prosecution Rests with Jay Merchant'. Merchant also colour commentates on television, radio and is a contributor to print media in areas of sport, law, and government.