Official publication of the United States Curling ...
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PLAN YOUR SEASON / CAMPS / PARADES / BONSPIEL CALENDAR Official publication of the United States Curling Association August 2013 $ 6.50 Volume 68 Issue 6 www.usacurl.org Established 1945 Champs Crowned Curling's newest championship a roaring success! Find out who won on, P. 14-15 Camp Time What's been going on this summer? P. 7, 19-20 July Jubilation
Transcript of Official publication of the United States Curling ...
PLAN YOUR SEASON / CAMPS / PARADES / BONSPIEL CALENDAR
Official publication of the United States Curling Association
Aug
ust 2
013
$6.
50Vo
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e 68
Issu
e 6
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Established 1945
Champs Crowned
Curling's newest championship a roaring
success! Find out who won on, P. 14-15
Camp TimeWhat's been going on this summer? P. 7, 19-20
July Jubilation
Official publication of the United States Curling Association Established 1945
EDITOR Terry Kolesar, [email protected] EDITOR Rick Patzke EMERITUS EDITOR David GarberDESIGN Terry Kolesar
UNITED STATES CURLING ASSOCIATION
OFFICERSPRESIDENT James PleasantsVICE PRESIDENTS Dave Carlson, Sam WilliamsTREASURER Sean SilverSECRETARY Gwen Krailo Lyons
DIRECTORSPaul Badgero [2015]Kent Beadle [2015]Craig Brown (AAC) [2013]Dave Carlson [2016]Maureen Clark (AAC) [2013]Gabrielle Coleman [2014]Pete Fenson (AAC) [2013]Dave Flippo [2014]Dean Gemmell (AAC) [2013]Troy Gorans [2016]Peggy Hatch** [2014]Cyndee Johnson [2014]Nick Kitinski [2015]Jan Legacie [2014]Rich Lepping [2015]Gwen Krailo Lyons [2016]Gordon Maclean [2016]James Pleasants [2016]Allison Pottinger (AAC) [2013]Leland Rich** [2015]Sean Silver [2015]Chris Sjue [2013]Jennifer Stannard [2015]Scott Stevinson [2016]Mark Swandby [2014]Ann Swisshelm (AAC) [2013]Beau Welling* [2014]Sam Williams [2014] * Board-elected** Voice, no vote
USA CURLING NATIONAL OFFICE
5525 Clem’s WayStevens Point, WI 54482Office: 715-344-1199 // Fax: [email protected] // www.usacurl.org
NATIONAL OFFICE STAFF
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Rick Patzke, [email protected] OF COMMUNICATIONSTerry Kolesar, [email protected] Robinson, [email protected] SERVICES MANAGERDawn Leurquin, [email protected] ASSISTANTChristy Hering, [email protected] & DEVELOPMENT MANAGERKim Nawyn, [email protected]
OFF-SITE NATIONAL STAFF
DIRECTOR OF HIGH PERFORMANCE Derek Brown, [email protected]: +1 715-254-5024 // UK: +44 7793 099668NATIONAL COACHES Scott Baird, [email protected] Hackner, [email protected] 2018 NATIONAL COACHESJohn Benton, [email protected] Phill Drobnick, [email protected] WHEELCHAIR COACHSteve Brown, [email protected] WHEELCHAIR ASSISTANT COACHRusty Schieber, [email protected] WHEELCHAIR CURLING OUTREACH DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORMarc DePerno, [email protected] ICE TECHNICIANDave Staveteig, [email protected]
AMERICAN CURLING FOUNDATION & MUSEUM
The Museum is located at the Chicago Curling Club,555 Dundee Road, Northbrook, IL 60062
USCA HALL OF FAME
The United States Curling Association Hall of Fame is located at the national office, 5525 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482.
UNITED STATES WOMEN’S CURLING ASSOCIATION
OFFICERSPRESIDENT Shelley DropkinFIRST VICE PRESIDENT Jeannie BorlandSECOND VICE PRESIDENT Donna PearsonSECRETARY Elaine RitchieTREASURER Mary GlowackiUSCA LIAISON Jennifer StannardCOMMUNICATIONS Nancy WilhelmPROMOTIONS Nancy Seitz
Next editorial deadline: Sept. 13Please send all correspondence for submission to Editor, U.S. Curling News, 5525 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482 or via e-mail to [email protected].
The United States Curling News (ISSN 1064-3001; USPS 392-020) is published quarterly by the United States Curling Association, 5525 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482. Subscription price for non-USCA members: $24.95 per year (North America), $34.95 per year (overseas), payable in US currency. Single copy price: $6.50. Advertising rates on request. Established 1945. Periodicals postage paid at Stevens Point, Wis., and additional offices. Postmaster sends address changes to U.S. Curling News, 5525 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482.
DEPARTMENTS // GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT 6-7
// COLLEGE CURLING 08
// USWCA NEWS 09
// 2014 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS 10-13
// GOVERNANCE 16
// BONSPIEL CALENDAR 17
// IN MEMORIAM 17
// ROCKET EXHAUST 19
// HIGH PERFORMANCE 20
// CHAMPIONSHIPS CALENDAR 22-23
// COMICS 23
// CHAMPIONSHIPS 24
// DONATIONS 26-27
COLUMNS // FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK 04
// TRAINING TIPS FROM JON 05
// REPORTS FROM THE WARM ROOM 06
// TALES FROM SHEET NINE 28
// TUCKED IN THE BACK PAGE 29
CONTENTS
14 Arena National Championships
21 On Parade!
7, 19, 20, 22 Camps
10-13 Olympic Team Trials
USA CURLING SPONSORS
On the cover: Arena National ChampionshipsPhoto by Cheryll Iddings
"Terry, did you do anything fun this summer?" People keep asking me that, which I appreciate. Well, I (willingly) got in a car with my boss and drove for two days across Minnesota and North Dakota to spread the curl-ing gospel, trumpet the upcoming 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials ... and I survived. Does that count? (I think the boss might be reading this so ...). I got to visit the new year-round curling mecca in Blaine, Minn., while work-ing at a High Performance Camp (see Tuck's take on Page 29). �at sounds like fun, right?
�at car ride helped put the polishing touches on the FANdango contest that I've been blurting about on social media for the past two weeks. Es-sentially, we want to �nd out how rabid our curling fans are across the U.S. and reward you with a VIP trip to Fargo this November to experience the Olympic Team Trials and all that Fargo has to o�er. People o�en laugh at me when I talk up Fargo but truly, you need to experience it for yourself to �nd out just how great this gem of a city is. You might even �nd yourself saying "How Fargo of you" long a�er you leave. So, get your creative juices �owing and enter our FANdango contest (Go to www.usacurl.org for all the details). �e entries are due Sept. 6 with the winner announced somewhere around Sept. 13. Not feeling up to sending in an entry? Well, you can vol-unteer or just buy tickets and sit back and enjoy the curling. Can't make it to Fargo? Don't fret, we'll keep you captivated on your warm cozy couches. If all goes according to plan, in the next edition of the Curling News we'll be announcing the NBC Sports Network TV schedule and 12th End Sports Network webstream schedule for the Trials.
New writers soughtWe're going to be adding a couple of new features to the Curling News
this fall that I'm pretty exicted about. �e �rst is an opportunity for clubs to share more of their news in a region-by-region feature titled "Around the House," which will be a collection of short snippets of activities going on around the U.S. in our member clubs. I have some other ideas in the hopper but need some help. So, what I need from our readers is to �nd out if there are any aspiring writers out there in need of some writing samples to use for future job interviews. Ideal candidates are college media/communication/public relations/marketing type students. So, if you know anyone, have them reach out to me at [email protected]. (Ask Mielke, Garber and Tuck about the pay.)
Aloha indeed!In an earlier column I talked about curling in Hawaii and many of you
thought I was kidding. I kid not. �is October we will be making curling ice in Honolulu for a celebrity curling competition. Our chief icemakers Dave Staveteig and Kevin Madsen like challenges so this seems right up their al-ley. �e event is being backed by American Savings Bank with pro�ts going to the Kapiolani Hospital for Women and Children in Honolulu and USA Curling. �e curling fundraiser will take place Oct. 17 at �e Ice Palace in Honolulu. Even better, four sets of rocks have been purchased and will stay
By Terry Kolesar, Editor, [email protected]
// FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
in Hawaii to help in the formation of a curling club. Now, who wouldn't want to go to an annual bonspiel in Hawaii?!? We've twisted the arms of 2010 Olympians Tracy Sachtjen and John Benton to join us in Honolulu to add some star power to the event.
Website platform: Your thoughts?As summer fades to fall, you've had a few months now to digest our new
USA Curling website at www.usacurl.org. What do you think so far? We're still building out some pages and some sections have some bugs in them that the United States Olympic Committee techies are tweaking for us, in-cluding one of the most important areas – the bonspiel calendar – so please visit o�en.
Oh, and I did manage to have some fun outside the curling world this summer. Ask me about walking across the skywalk at Grand Canyon the next time you talk to me. n
While in Fargo for the Olympic Team Trials, you too can take your turn donning an authentic ear�ap hat and pretend to stu� someone down the woodchipper a la the movie "Fargo." Be the �rst to identify the curler in this picture and I' ll send you a present. (Editor's note: Mysteriously, this photo and caption were not on the proofs during the editing process. Huh, how did that happen?)
Should you head to Fargo in November? You betcha.
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By Jon Mielke, USCA Level III Instructor & Level III Coach
I started curling 40 years ago. �ere was plenty of room for improve-ment and I was anxious to get better, plus the game was changing rapidly. In order to get better and to keep up with the way that the
game was evolving, I started each season with a goal to improve something about my technique or my approach to the game. Here are some things that I did over the years, roughly in chronological order (some of you long-time curlers can relate to some of the things on this list):
• Learn to sweep with a brush instead of corn• Convert from a half to a full slider• Learn to sweep without a slider• Learn to sweep in an upright position• Go from a tuck delivery to �at-foot slide• Learn to sweep on both sides of the stone• Start using a stopwatch and “long times” to judge keenness• Convert from a backswing to a no-li� delivery• Consistently set-up in the hack to get my delivery “on the broom”• Work to consistently throw with 2 ½ to 3 rotations• Pay attention to every shot thrown in order to learn the ice• Learn to play to your team’s strengths and the other team’s de�cien-
cies • Start using interval timing to aid sweeping decisions• Learn how to throw interval times to achieve various weights• Take hips farther behind the hack in order to throw more weight
Have a goal for the season
• Understand and remember to use “SHEETZ” and have a goal for each end
• Use the free guard zone rule to exert my will and achieve my goalsSome of the things on this list are physical and some are mental, but they
all require an honest self-assessment of personal strengths and weakness. We all have things in our game that we could do better. Physical changes may be the toughest because we have to be willing to work at them and not be too stubborn to give up. It is always easy to just say that you can’t, but, unless a player has a physical limitation, there is nothing on my list that an average curler can’t do. It just takes determination and maybe a little help from someone in your club who is accomplished and who is willing to work with you. You can also look at my previous articles on USA Curling’s web-site for the insights on many of the topics listed above.
�e start of the season is the perfect time to set some goals and to make some changes. Give it a shot and make yourself a better curler. In the end, you will make more shots, win more games, and have more fun. Until next time – Good Curling! n
Planning paves the way to future successes
// TRAINING TIPS FROM JON
tweet corner
FollowConnect with USA Curling on Twitter (@terry_usacurl)
@suecassidy: �is is how we roll in Orange County! #Fargo#FANdango##FUNdango
5USA Curling ((
// REPORTS FROM THE WARM ROOM
Rocking back-to-school
By Kim Nawyn, USA Curling Growth & Development Manager,
The start of the school year is around the corner in most areas of the country. While kids are spending their last few days at the pool with friends or shopping with parents for school clothes and
supplies, some curling clubs are preparing to introduce the sport to a new batch of students in their local districts.
Falmouth, Mass., a seaside town of about 30,000, has hosted a success-ful school curling initiative since 2007. �e Gym Curling Program was the brainchild of Bernie Garrett, a member of the Cape Cod Curling Club. Gar-rett envisioned gym curling as a way to mentor students while introducing them to a lifelong sport. Curling traditions, such as starting each game with a handshake and greeting opponents with “good curling,” support the pro-gram’s focus on good sportsmanship, team spirit, and courtesy.
�e Gym Curling Program began with the third and fourth grade classes in a single elementary school. With support of local physical education teachers, volunteers from the curling club, and donors providing funds to build the simulated "stones," the program has expanded to four elementary schools and one middle school.
Teams of four students delivering one stone each compete against their classmates. Masking tape is applied to the gym �oor to serve as the house when the basketball rings are not used, with a smaller taped o� square serv-ing as the button. Games consist of three or four ends, with students ac-cumulating points. Following a few weeks of curling in gym classes, the grade champions for each school earn the honor of competing against the grade champions in other schools. �e students on the winning team for each grade receive a trophy and have their school’s name engraved on a traveling plaque.
A local community member, who was not a curler, volunteered to con-struct the original 42 gym "stones" a�er Garrett raised funds from local businesses to pay for the materials. �e cost of materials is approximately $50 per stone, with eight, rather than 16, stones per group. More informa-tion about how the club constructed the stones can be found in the box at right. Following the Gym Curling Program, the Cape Cod Curling Club typically hosts a few hours of ice time during which students, parents, and teachers can try the sport on curling ice. �e club has had student partici-pants join their Little Rockers youth program, and several parents have also become members of the club.
�e Gym Curling Program is just one example of how members of the curling community can use their ingenuity to make a di�erence in the lives of others through the sport. For more information on this program, please contact me at [email protected]. n
GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
Gym Curling StonesSupply list:• ¾” Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) cut into 12” diameter
circles (two circles per stone) • Steel plates (8” x 8” x ¼”) with hole drilled in center (to give
stones some weight)• Fabricated U-shaped steel handles with hole drilled in bottom
(may also check hardware store for a suitable substitute)• Ball caster wheels (2”x2”) that can be screwed into the wooden
circles (four per stone)• High gloss paint; optional spray lacquer• Assorted screws, nuts, bolts and washersPaint half of the wooden circles with one color of high gloss paint
and the remaining with the contrasting color. Optional: spray with lacquer to �nish. Attach the two wooden circles to the steel plate (in the middle) and U-shaped handle (on top) with a bolt (don’t forget the washers) and secure with a nut on the bottom. Attach the caster wheels with screws. n
Cape Cod's Gym Curling Program not only helps teach the basics of sport to Massachusetts youth, it teaches them the curling traditions – good sports-manship, team spirit, and courtesy.
Successful Gym Curling Program introduces the sport, traditions to area youth
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GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
By Dan Lieburn, Wisconsin Junior Camp
Director–Intermediate
It's summer and most curlers are busy with boating, �shing, shopping, gol�ng, and camping. However, some curlers have
been busy on the ice as we marked the 25th an-nualWisconsinJuniorCurlingCampJuly26-28.
�is camp o�ered two tracks to choose from: (1) an intermediate camp for juniors who curl in their local junior programs and want to become competitive or just want to brush up on their curling technique, and (2) an advanced track for those campers who have played down and need the extra summer training to hone their skills.
Over the years, the camp has seen several changes, including location and directors. �e camp was originally held in Eau Claire, Wis., at the Hobbs Ice Center under the direction of Bev Schroeder and Lynita Delaney. At the time, the camp could handle more than 100 juniors with lodging at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire dorms.
In the early 2000s, Todd and Patrice Gabower took over leadership. In 2007, the committee de-cided it was time for a location change, and the camp moved to the Green Bay Curling Club in Green Bay, Wis. Campers bunked at St. Norbert
Kids from all across the U.S. arrived at the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minn., for an annual summer tradition for some – curling camp! �e Wisconsin Junior Camp marked its 25th season in July.
Wisconsin Junior Camp marks 25th year
�e Katie Beck Award is presented annually at the Wisconsin Junior Camp and the junior camp held in the GNCC region. �e award was established in memory of two-time U.S. Junior National Champion and 2002 World Junior Gold Medalist Katie Beck. �e award is presented to athletes who represent qualities that Katie exhibited including coachability, positive attitude, and commit-ment to competitive junior curling. �is year’s Wisconsin Junior Camp recipients were (l-r) Katie Sigurdson, Grand Forks Curling Club; Jenna Burchesky, Broomstones Curling Club and Andrew McDonald, Midland Curling Club.
College.In 2009, Todd and Patrice handed the reins
over to Phil Janusiak and myself, who since 2010 have worked to continue this Midwest summer tradition.
�e year 2013 marked another milestone in
the camp’s history. For the �rst time, camp directors were unable to locate summer ice in Wisconsin. Organizers at the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minn., stepped up and welcomed the campers to the new six-sheet facility. The camp included 48 junior curlersfrom several states including New Jersey, Mas-sachusetts, North Dakota, Michigan, Wiscon-sin, and Minnesota.
�e camp also had 14 volunteer instructors who hold Level I or Level II Instructor certi-�cations from USA Curling. �ey included Helen Bera, Kettle Moraine CC; Pete Carl-son, Midland CC; Mike Graves, Midland CC;Todd Gabower, Madison CC; Grace Gabower,Madison CC/Green Bay CC; Courtney George,Four Seasons CC; Chris Viau, Stevens PointCC; Chris Horak, Wausau CC; Matt Proehl,Willmar CC; Vietta Kampen, Portage CC; DanWennberg, Dakota CC; Ben Vorpahl, PortageCC; Jim Shlimovitz, Camp Director–Ad-vanced, Portage CC; and Dan Lieburn, CampDirector–Intermediate, Green Bay CC.
Plans for the 2014 Wisconsin Junior Curl-ing Camp are scheduled to be released early next year. Stay informed by adding/joining the camp's Facebook group at https://www.face-book.com/groups/WIJrCurlingCamp/.
For more information, contact me at [email protected]. n
7USA Curling ((
By Gordon Maclean, Chairman, College Curling Championship
College Curling is holding a contest to produce the 2014 College Curling Championship logo. �e championship will be held March 14-16 at the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minn.
Eligibility:1) One entry only per person.2) �e entry MUST be submitted from a valid college or university email
address.3)The entryMUSTbe submitted inTIF format, 8 bits/channel,RGB,
with no �le dimension less than 1,500 pixels, nor more than 2,500 pixels.4) Minimum space from any point on the logo to the edge of the �le may
not be less than 50 pixels nor greater than 75 pixels.5) �e background MUST be white, with a maximum of four colors other
than the background.6) Submission must include, as a separate �le, a "line drawing" of the
edges with no colors other than black and white, at the same size as the color version.
College Curling Championship logo contest announced
7) Submissions are to be sent to Gordon Maclean, [email protected], with the email subject line of "College Curling Logo Submission," no later than 10 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 30. Please include your name and phone number as part of the submission email.
Selection:�e submissions will be judged by the USCA College Curling Commit-
tee, with the winners announced no later than Oct. 10.Submissions will be judged on the clarity with which they project the
"College Curling Championship" theme, the best inclusion of the event dates and location, and the legibility of the design when scaled up or down.
Prize:We are pleased to announce that, thanks to a generous donation from
Brooms Up Curling Supplies, the school club of the winning submission will receive six BalancePlus Fiberglass Brooms, which comes with the pat-ented Equalizer Pad (pictured below). n
COLLEGE CURLING
8 usacurl.org))
By the Ends# of teams competing to become Team USA at the upcoming Olym-pic Team Trials
9# of athletes in the Trials field born in North Dakota, which will host the event Nov. 10-17 in Fargo.
2# of seats that fans can fill at Scheels Arena for the Trials
5,000# of times curling has been a full-medal sport in the Olympic Winter Games (1924, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010)
5Estimated cost per beer for the event at Scheels.$5
USWCA NEWS
Mark your calendars!By Nancy Wilhelm, Chairwoman,
USWCA Communications CommitteeFall Board Meeting
The United States Women's Curling Association (USWCA) Fall Meeting hosted by the Broomstones Ladies
Curling Club will be held at the Hampton Inn in Boston/Natick, Mass., Sept.20-22. Rooms must be reserved by Aug. 23. Check www.uswca.orgfor details.
Senior Women’s BonspielThe 32nd USWCA Senior National Bonspiel
– “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” – will be held Nov. 20-24 at the Itasca Curling Club in Minne-
sota. �e event Intent Form submission deadline is Sept. 15. Please �nd details at www.uswca.org.
Winter Board Meeting�e USWCA Annual Meeting will be held in
Boston Feb. 10-13 hosted by the Broomstones Curling Club, Wayland, Mass. Details will be posted at www.uswca.org.
2014 USWCA National Bonspiel�e USWCA National Bonspiel will be held at
the Broomstones Curling Club Feb. 12-16. Check with your USWCA representative for details. In-formation will also be available on the USWCA website: www.uswca.org. n
�e fall meeting of the United States Curl-ing Association Board of Directors will take place Sept. 13-15 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis South, 27800 Nor-mendale Blvd., Minneapolis, Minn. For more details, call the USCA office at 1-888-287-5377.
USCA Board of Directors
meeting planned
// MEETING NOTICE
�e United States Olympic Committee is ac-cepting grant applications, via an online system, for the William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes.
For information about the grant’s focus and application process, and for instructions on how to access the online application, go to www.us-acurl.org or reach out to Sandy Robinson at USA Curling ([email protected]).
Past USOC President William E. Simon, Sr.,
Athletes invited to apply for grantsestablished the endowment in 1998. Grants areintended to provide partial support for training and competition expenses, and are awarded to athletes showing �nancial need.
�e deadline to request a password to the on-line system is 5 p.m. MT, Sept. 27, 2013. You must have a password by this time to be able to apply for the grant.
�e application process deadline is 5 p.m. MT, Oct. 1, 2013. n
9USA Curling ((
// 2014 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
© 2013 United Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.
United has flown Team USA for over 30 years, and we strive to be the airline of choice for Olympicfamily members as well. That’s why we offer discounted fares for USOC/NGB associated events.Go to united.com/USOC to book your flight, or to learn more.
Take advantage of partnership travel discounts.
Being a family member of Team USA has its benefits.
Job Number 3UA021b
Publication NGB Program
Event Language English
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Headline Being a family member of Team USA has its benefits.
Ad Style Interim Blue
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16858 Royal CrestHouston Texas 77058281-480-3660
2013
1/15/2013Half page non bleed
Ticket packages now on sale for Olympic Trials
By Amelia Young, 2014 Olympic Trials Host Committee
Less than three short months until we once again hear the gentle hum of rocks going down a sheet of ice at Scheels Arena for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling. �e local organizing
committee has been busy working with United States Olympic Committee (USOC), United States Curling Association (USCA) and the local commu-nity to make this an event that the fans and competitors will not forget!
A few unique aspects of this event are the Road to Sochi and the “Fi�h Man” sheet. �e Road to Sochi bus is a traveling show containing oppor-tunities for fans to experience simulations of a variety of di�erent winter sports that will be part of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. �is will be coming to Fargo, N.D., toward the end of the event and will be set up at the Scheels All Sports store just north of the arena.
�e “Fi�h Man” sheet allows the fans to have an opportunity to experi-ence and/or learn how to curl on world class ice next to the sheets that they just watched the aspiring Olympians compete on. �is experience is cur-rently part of the VIP Experience package that also includes the use of a suite during the event, event ticket vouchers, and much more.
All event ticket packages are currently on sale and single game tick-ets are planned to go on sale in early September. Volunteer recruitment
has also begun for areas such as o�ciating, ice making, hospitality and much more. Additional information regarding ticket packages, the VIP experience, and volunteer packages is available on the event website, www.2014usacurlingtrials.com. When you review the ticket and volun-teer packets online you'll notice a great design. We held a branding contest to help us design some of our marketing materials and are pleased to an-nounce that David Boggs, a professor of art and director of graphic design at Minnesota State UniversityMoorhead, was the winner.The ad on Page 18of this edition features his winning design.
Will you be in Fargo in November? We hope to see you there!
10 usacurl.org))
Visit www.usacurl.org to learn more!
Are you curling’s Most Creative Fan?
Win a Fargo-esque VIP adventure to the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials!
#FANdango
Contest ends 9/6 so hurry hard!
11USA Curling ((
Men's field
// 2014 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
Team Clark (l-r): Brady Clark, Sean Beighton, Darren Lehto, Philip Tilker, and Greg Persinger (back).
Team Clark, 2013 national champions:Brady Clark, 35, Lynnwood,Wash., 2013 U.S. national champion; 9-time
U.S. mixed national champion; 3-time U.S. mixed doubles national cham-pion; competing in third Olympic Trials
Sean Beighton, 24, Seattle; 2013 U.S. national champion; 2010 U.S. junionational champion; 2012 U.S. mixed national champion; competing in firstOlympic Trials
Darren Lehto, 45, Seattle; 2013 U.S. national champion; 2005 U.S. mixednational champion; competing in first Olympic Trials
Philip Tilker, 36, Seattle; 2013 U.S. national champion; 2-time U.S.mixed national champion; competing in first Olympic Trials
Greg Persinger, 35, Anchorage, Alaska; Persinger has competed in sev-eral national championship events and has served as an alternate at two world championships (2013 Men's Worlds & 1997 World Juniors). n
By Terry Kolesar, Editor
It's no secret that the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Tri-
als for Curling are right around the corner. �e nine competing teams have been busy this sum-mer preparing for the Trials and what lies beyond in the rest of the upcoming season.
At the Trials, teams will com-pete in a double round robin with the top two teams advancing to the play-o�s at Scheels Arena in Fargo, N.D. �e playo� format will be a best two-out-of three competition.
If you're thinking about attending the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, the tentative schedule is below:
Sunday, Nov. 10:Men'sDraw#1,1p.m.;Men'sDraw#2,7p.m.Monday, Nov. 11:Men'sdraw#3,12p.m.;Men'sDraw#4&Women's
Draw #1, 7 p.m.Tuesday, Nov. 12:Men'sDraw#5&Women'sDraw#2,12p.m.;Men's
Draw #6 & Women's Draw #3, 7 p.m.Wednesday, Nov. 13:Men'sDraw#7&Women'sDraw#4,12p.m.;Men's
Draw#8&Women'sDraw#5,7p.m.�ursday, Nov. 14:Men'sDraw#9&Women'sDraw#6,9a.m.;Men's
Draw#10&Women'sTiebreaker#1(ifneeded),2:30p.m.;Men'sTiebreaker1 (if needed) & Women's Tiebreaker #2 (if needed), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 15:Men'sTiebreaker#2(ifneeed,9a.m.;Men'sFinal,Game1 & Women's Final, Game 1, 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 16: Men's Final, Game #2, 2:30 p.m.;Women's Final,Game 2, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 17:Men'sFinal,Game#3(ifrequired),11a.m.;Women'sFinal, Game 3 (if required), 2 p.m.
Visit www.2014usacurlingtrials.com to order tickets or to �nd out how to sign up to volunteer. Or, if you want to win your way there, check out our FANdango contest at www.usacurl.org. You could �nd yourself in Fargo this November! Believe me, you don't want to miss an end of the action! n
Tentative schedule for Olympic Trials announced
Draw for Olympic Qualifier in Germany setWhile the women's berth for Sochi is secured, the men still have to earn
theirs for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. �e men's team that wins the Olympic Team Trials in November will head to the Olympic Quali�cation Event Dec. 10-15 in Fussen, Germany. �e draw schedule was released this summer and is posted at www.worldcurling.org and www.usacurl.org.
�e American men will compete with the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea and New Zealand for the �nal two men's berths to Sochi. �e teams will play a single round robin with the top three teams advancing to the playo�s. �e team ranked �rst will play the team ranked second with the winner advancing to Sochi. �e losing team will play the country ranked third with the winner of that game also qualifying
to the 2014 Olympic Games. Seven women's teams also will be competing from China, the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Japan, Latvia, and Nor-way for the �nal two women's spots in Sochi.
Here is a sneak peek at the schedule for the American men in Fussen:Tuesday, Dec. 10: USA v. Czech Republic, 4 p.m. (all times local)Wednesday, Dec. 11: USA v. New Zealand, 8 a.m.; USA v. France, 4 p.m.,Thursday, Dec. 12: USA v. Germany, 9 a.m.; USA v. Japan, 7 p.m.Friday, Dec. 13: USA v. Korea, 12 p.m.; USA v. Finland, 8 p.m.Saturday, Dec. 14: Tiebreaker games at 12 p.m. & 4 p.m. (if needed) fol-
lowed by the first playoffmatch at 8 p.m. between the top two ranked teams.Sunday, Dec. 15: 12:30 p.m., second men's playo� game. n
12 usacurl.org))
13USA Curling ((
2014 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS //
Team George, 2013 nationals runner-upTyler George, 30, Duluth, Minn.; 2010 U.S. national champion; compet-
ing in second Olympic TrialsChris Plys, 25, Duluth, Minn.; 2010 Olympian; 2008 world junior cham-
pion; 5-time U.S. junior national champion; 2007 World University Gamesgold medalist; will compete for Team USA at the 2013 Winter World Uni-versity Games; competing in second Olympic Trials
Rich Ruohonen, 42, Minneapolis, Minn.; 2008 U.S. national champion;competing in third Olympic Trials
Colin Hufman, 29, Seattle; 2002 U.S. junior national champion; compet-ing in third Olympic Trials n
Team McCormick, 2012 national championsHeath McCormick,36,Sarnia,Ontario;2012U.S.nationalchampion;
competing in �rst Olympic TrialsBill Stopera, 44,BriarcliffManor,N.Y.; 2012U.S. national champion;
competing in �rst Olympic TrialsMartin Sather,29,Hastings-on-Hudson,N.Y.;2012U.S.nationalcham-
pion;2002U.S.juniornationalchampion;competinginhisfirstOlympicTrials
Dean Gemmell,45,ShortHills,N.J.;2012U.S.nationalchampion;com-peting in �rst Olympic Trials n
Team Fenson, 2012 nationals runner-upPete Fenson, 45, Bemidji, Minn.; 2006 Olympian & bronze medalist;
7-time U.S. national champion; competing in fourth Olympic TrialsShawn Rojeski, 40, Chisholm, Minn.; 2006 Olympian & bronze medal-
ist; 5-time U.S. national champion; 2-time U.S. junior national champion;competing in second Olympic Trials
Joe Polo, 30, Duluth, Minn.; 2006 Olympian & bronze medalist; 4-timeU.S. national champion; 2-time U.S. junior national champion; competingin third Olympic Trials
Ryan Brunt, 27, Portage, Wis.; 2011 U.S. national champion; competingin �rst Olympic Trials n
Team Shuster, 2013 & 2012 nationals bronze medalistsJohn Shuster, 30, Duluth, Minn.; 2-time Olympian; 2006 Olympic
bronze medalist; 4-time U.S. national champion; 2007 Winter WorldUniversity Games gold medalist; 2004 U.S. junior national champion;competing in third Olympic Trials
Je� Isaacson, 29, Gilbert, Minn.; 2010 Olympian; 2009 U.S. nationalchampion; 2007 Winter World University Games gold medalist; 2005 U.S.junior national champion
Jared Zezel, 22, Duluth,Minn.; 2011 U.S. junior national champion; willcompete for Team USA at the 2013 Winter World University Games; com-peting in �rst Olympic Trials
John Landsteiner, 23, Duluth, Minn.; Team USA's alternate at 2011World Juniors; competing in first Olympic Trials n
Team Fenson (l-r): Pete Fenson, Shawn Rojeski, Joe Polo, and Ryan Brunt.
Team McCormick (l-r): Heath McCormick, Bill Stopera, Martin Sather, and Dean Gemmell.
Team Shuster (l-r): John Shuster, Je� Isaacson, Jared Zezel, and John Landsteiner.
Team George (l-r): Tyler George, Chris Plys, Rich Ruohonen, and Colin Hufman.
13USA Curling ((
// ARENA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
by Terry Kolesar, Editor, [email protected] • Photos By Cheryll Iddings, Still N Action Sports Images
The San Francisco Bay Area CC ladies (below) advanced to the finals of the 2013 Arena National Championships before losing the final to Darcy Ellarby's Dakota rink.
Sweeping to the FinalsDakota ladies, Kalamazoo men win inaugural titles
It started with 32 teams and a�er four days of thousands of granite stones being thrown, two champions prevailed at the home of the Fort Wayne Curling Club in Indiana as USA Curling's newest championship debuted.
14 usacurl.org))
CHAMPIONSHIPSARENA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS //
Dakota Curling Club’s Darcy Ellarby and Kalamazoo’s Garnet Eckstrand rinks became the very �rst champions of the Arena National Champion-ships a�er winning the event �nals July 21 at the Lutheran Health Sports Center in Fort Wayne, Ind.
"My team and I are very proud to have taken home the gold medal and we want to thank the USCA for putting on such a great event," Ellarby said. "I think this new national championship will de�nitely help motivate arena curlers to develop competitive skills."
�e four-day championship also featured seminars on a variety of top-ics from team building to growing a curling club with Sandra McMakin, who coaches the Cassie Potter rink, one of nine teams quali�ed for the 2014 Olympic Team Trials.
Eckstrand’s team defeated the Nick Myers rink from the Dallas-Fort Worth Curling Club, 7-6, in an extra end, while Ellarby’s squad swept past Sarah Walsh’s rink from the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club, 9-3.
"In that �nal game – there were nerves �ring in my hands that hadn’t �red in more than 20 years," said Eckstrand, who had Canada's Kevin Mar-tin as his second during his junior years.
Eckstrand (Portage, Mich.) and teammates Kent Elliott (Kalamazoo, Mich.), Marcus Gleaton (�ree Rivers, Mich.), Chris Gleaton (Kalamazoo, Mich.), and �omas Deater (Kalamazoo, Mich.) had control of the �rst half of the men’s �nal and a chance to break the game wide open in the third end. Eckstrand had a shot at possibly four points but his �nal stone was heavy and Kalamazoo only scored a deuce. Myers was heavy with his �nal stone of the fourth end and Kalamazoo stole a single to take a 4-2 advan-tage.
Dallas-Fort Worth’s team of Myers (Mans�eld, Texas), Je�rey Knott (Lancaster, Texas), Stephen Kleppe (Denton, Texas), and John Lambert (Frisco, Texas) scored a single in the ��h and grabbed the game’s momen-tum in the sixth end when Eckstrand missed his �nal shot in the sixth and the Texans stole three points for a 6-4 advantage. A�er blanking the sev-enth end, Kalamazoo sent the game into an extra end when Eckstrand was able to draw for two points in the eighth.
A beautiful double takeout by Myers, who won the U.S. club national title in 2007 and has competed at several U.S. men’s national champion-ships, with his �rst stone of the extra end put his team in a position to win. Eckstrand used his �nal stone to draw into the house. He was hoping to
�e Darcy Ellarby rink of the Dakota Curling Club in Minnesota won the women's title at the 2013 Arena National Championships. Team members include (l-r) Julie Wennberg, Robyn Farm, Jennifer Witschen, Darcy Ellarby, and Beth Lundquist.
�e Garnet Eckstrand rink of the Kalamazoo Curling Club in Michigan won the men's title at the 2013 Arena National Championships. Team members include (l-r) Chris Gleaton, Marcus Gleaton, Kent Elliott, Garnet Eckstrand, and Tom Deater (not pictured).
bury the stone behind a corner guard in the four-foot but it sunk behind the tee-line, giving Myers the shot for the win. �e �nal stone of the game by Myers needed to curl more as it �nished and it ended up rubbing o� of a stone in the top of the house and landed in second position as Kalamazoo stole the win.
"It was wonderful to play against other quality teams and especially against some high-quality skips. [Guy] Scholz, [Nick] Myers and others we played call a nice game – and knowing that they are going back to their arena clubs with that curling knowledge to share does nothing but good to help our game grow," Eckstrand said. "Let's keep the Arena Nationals as competitive as possible - while honoring its original intent."
�e women’s �nal was a little more straight forward as Ellarby and the Dakota ladies – Jennifer Witschen (Eagan, Minn.), Robyn Farm (Shakopee, Minn.), Julie Wennberg (Burnsville, Minn.), and Beth Lundquist (Eagan, Minn.) – scored in the game’s �rst four ends to build a 7-0 lead over San Francisco’s Walsh rink. Walsh (Oakland, Calif.) and her team of Kimberly Chapin (San Francisco, Calif.), Emily Schermerhorn (San Francisco, Calif.), and Jessica Tudor (Oakland, Calif.) earned three points in the ��h end but didn’t get on the scoreboard again as the Minnesota ladies took home the title with a 9-3 victory.
"Overall, I was very impressed with the ice conditions at Fort Wayne. Also, having Sandra McMakin on site o�ering seminars was really great," Ellarby said. "Too many arena curlers seem to su�er from the mindset that arena ice is always terrible so there is no hope of developing into a really good player. �e fact is, playing on more challenging ice conditions forces you to read ice and execute strategy �awlessly, simply because the ice is not forgiving. A curler who works hard at developing competitive skills while playing on arena ice will only �nd their skills ampli�ed when they get the opportunity to play on high quality ice."
In the bronze medal games, Broadmoor's Guy Scholz led his Colorado team to a 9-6 win over David Wiesen's team from the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club. Kalamazoo's Stephanie Senneker helped her team de-feat Liana Knott's rink from Dallas-Fort Worth, 8-1, to win the women'sbronze medal. n
Editor's note: Look for more stories about the Arena National Champion-ships in the �rst printed edition of the 2013-14 season in late September.
15USA Curling ((
By Dave Carlson, Vice President of Operations & Marketing
The American Players �eatre is a Southern Wisconsin theatrical group that has been in existence for 34 years. �ey started with a “ramshackle stage and rickety farm buildings” to evolve into a
theatre company with “smart new buildings” and a stature and permanence recognized nationally. A recent quote from David Frank, producing artistic director, struck me as being applicable to the transitions that the United States Curling Association (USCA) is undertaking a�er their existence in excess of 50 years. Mr. Frank stated:
“Careful, disciplined strategic thinking frees us to be �exible in the face of an ever-changing world. By de�ning that which is unchangeably impor-tant – our core aesthetic and mission, our culture and our critical disci-plines – we open ourselves to the possibility of challenging everything else. ... �ese essential creative freedoms only reliably occur in the context of a healthy institution: humane, disciplined, strategic and con�dent in the knowledge that it is the authentic outcome of the community that called it into existence 34 years ago . . .”
In the context of the pending governance reform, a foundational concept for all curlers, their clubs and states and regions to understand is what are the strategic goals of the USCA as an Olympic sport National Governing Body (NGB). If the curling community does not agree upon the strategic goals as an NGB, then there is no foundation upon which to build the gover-nance of the USCA. To de�ne these strategic goals, the curling community need not become distracted by the myriad of operational details.
One of the goals is to become a sta�-driven, volunteer-supported organi-zation. �is means, in its most basic sense, a reversal of how the USCA has conducted its business in the past. A consequence of this goal is that the au-thority to make operational decisions necessarily is vested in the sta�. �is is a sta� led by a board selected and evaluated chief executive o�er (CEO). �us, it is the CEO, not the Board, who has the decision-making author-ity on operational matters. In delegating that authority to the CEO, there mustbeafoundationoftrustbetweentheCEOandtheBoard;atrustthatis respectful of the expertise and the experience of the CEO. Without that trust, the organization reverts to the structure of the past, volunteer-driven, sta�-supported. With that trust, the CEO can and will have the authority to be an e�ective leader, collaborating with all of the curling constituencies.
Another goal, symbiotic with the one above, is for the Board to become purposefully focused on the strategic thinking needed to keep the USCA healthy and progressing. �e Board, freed from operational matters, may concentrate on de�ning what is unchangeably important, setting policies to recognize the same. Complementing the inspiration of strategic thinking and the discipline of policy setting, the Board may become the leaders in fundraising for the USCA both within and outside the curling community.
�ere is the challenge to be both the Olympic NGB for curling and the national organization for recreational curling. �is dual-track purpose is structurally recognized in the proposed governance reform. Graphically it is demonstrated on the organization chart published in the last digital edi-tion of �e Curling News.
A substantive change is needed to be made in the context of being the Olympic NGB for curling. �e change is required because the international
competitive environment for curling has evolved. �e reality is that inter-national competitive curling is no longer populated by players who curl only in the winter, a couple days a week at their clubs and bonspiel occasion-ally, taking six months o� in the summer and who are basically self-taught, infrequently practicing with any technological aids much less a coach. �e competitive curlers today and into the future have given curling their full attention and e�ort throughout the year.
In addition, a slot in the Olympics no longer is guaranteed to the USA just because of our nation’s stature. Soon, a slot in the Worlds may also be open to challenge and have to be earned by consistently being success-ful. To address these demands requires that a professional sta� be engaged to oversee the international competitive programs; requires that the ath-letes competing take tangible steps and make a priority commitment to the sport of curling. �e reality is that the stakes are much higher today and the commitment demanded is substantially more, much more than having the dream to be a champion.
To adapt to this change in competitive curling and yet retain room for and recognize the strength recreational curling gives to the sport is what the governance reform is seeking to achieve. Maintaining this dual rela-tionship, each part creating a greater whole is a characteristic which makes curling the sport it is and what the governance reform seeks to maintain. n
GOVERNANCE
Why the USCA needs to complete its goverance reform
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16 usacurl.org))
// BONSPIEL CALENDAR
Most events below are listed Friday through Sunday but some may begin earlier. Check the club’s website or the registration form for more information.
Key: O=Open; M=Men’s; W=Women’s; St=Stick; XD=Mixed DoublesWc=Wheelchair; J=Junior; Col=College; X=Mixed; C=Cashspiel; Y=Youth
AUG. 23-25Rice Lake, WI O
AUG. 30-SEPT. 1Wine Country, CA O
SEPT. 7-8Bowling Green, OH O
SEPT. 20-22Dakota, MN OEdmond, OK OMt. Washington Valley, NH O
SEPT. 27-29Rice Lake, WI O
OCT. 4-6Four Seasons, MN OKettle Moraine, WI M
OCT. 11-13Nutmeg, CT OPotomac, MD O
OCT. 18-20Anchorage, AK OChicago, IL OMidland, MI O
OCT. 25-27Broomstones, MA XDEvergreen, OR WGranite, WA MKettle Moraine, WI WLas Vegas, NV OMadison, WI ORochester, NY O
NOV. 1-3Blackhawk, WI WBroomstones, MA ODetroit, MI MGranite, WA WNashua, NH OPortage, WI MPotomac, MD J
NOV. 8-10Belfast, ME OEvergreen, OR OExmoor, IL X
Mayfield, OH MMedford WI OCRice Lake, WI WSchenectady, NY WWauwatosa, WI St
NOV. 15-17Fairbanks, AK OItasca, MN WMilwaukee, WI High SchoolRochester, NY ColSchenectady, NY MSuperior, WI OWausau, WI O
NOV. 22-24Broomstones, MA JFairbanks, AK XDItasca, MN SWPortage, WI XD
NOV. 29-DEC. 1Duluth, MN MWCFairbanks, AK OGranite, WA OC
DEC. 6-8Anchorage, AK OAppleton, WI XBelfast, ME SWBrainderd, MN OChicago, IL SMColumbus, OH OCurl Mesabi, MN ODetroit, MI SMFargo-Moorhead, ND OFour Seasons, MN OGranite, WA OItasca, MN OMilwaukee, WI WNashua, NH XNutmeg, CT WRice Lake, WI ColRochester, NY OSchenectady, NY ColSt. Paul, MN MUtica, NY Wc
DEC. 13-15Albany, NY WCurl Mesabi, MN OCExmoor, IL MLake Region, ND OSchenectady, NY M
// IN MEMORIAM
Cliff AnderoliCli�ord V. Andreoli, 75, a 40-year veteran of the Madison Curling Club,
died July 18, 2013. Originally from Iron Mountain, Mich., Clifford andspouse, Karyl, moved to Madison in 1963. Andreoli was long-time regis-trar of Madison Area Technical College, retiring in 1995. A highlight of his curling career was his membership on the 2001 United States Curling Association (USCA) men’s Scotland Tour team, where his convivial nature was much appreciated. In his spare time, he was a woodworker who, among other projects, made wooden curling stones.
He is survived by Karyl, sons Aric and Aren, four grandchildren and his sister, Anita (Jan) Bovee.
Memorials can be made to the Karyl (Hoyle) Andreoli Scholarship Fund, 205 South Owen Drive, Madison, WI 53705. Send condolences to his family online at JacobsFuneralHomes.com.
– David Garber, Emeritus Editor
Denis FoxFormer United States Curling Association (USCA) President Denis John
Fox, 69, died unexpectedly July 1, 2013. Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, Fox served in theUnited StatesCoastGuard from1965-68.After college, hespentacareerwiththeAlaskaDepartmentofHighways,retiringin1998.
Fox joined the Fairbanks CurlingClub in1968, thebe-ginning of a notable career as a builder of curling locally, nationally and internation-ally. He represented Alaska on the United States Curling Association board of direc-tors, became USCA president, then a U.S. representative to the World Curling Federation (WCF) and later, WCF Direc-tor of Finance from 2001-04, when he was forced to retire for health reasons. While he could not be as active in the curling club in later years, he continued to be involved with curling as one of the directors with the Fairbanks Curling Club Foundation.
Fox was a popular and respected �gure in the curling community world-wide, known for his quick wit, analytic mind and his generous and gregari-ous nature. He had a great ability to combine an engaging sense of humor with a serious sense of purpose when business was at hand.
He is survived by his wife, Pat; three daughters, Nikki (Randy) Curtis;Meagan (Eric) Janssen; and Aimee Fox; four grandchildren; two sisters,Janice (Rod) Platzke and Sheila (Ron) Foster.
A celebration of life is planned for Aug. 31 from 3-6 p.m. at the Fairbanks Curling Club, 1962 2nd Ave., Fairbanks, Alaska. In lieu of �owers, the fam-ily asks that donations be made in Denis' name to the Fairbanks Curling Foundation or the charity of your choice.
17USA Curling ((
US_Curling_News_Mag_Ad.indd 1 6/20/2013 3:06:54 PM
18 usacurl.org))
DEC. 21Curl Mesabi, MN O
DEC. 26-29Ardsley, NY O
2014
JAN. 3-5Appleton, WI MBroomstones, MA OChicago, IL WDetroit, MI MEau Claire, WI OLodi, WI MRochester, NY W
JAN. 10-12Appleton, WI WBroomstones, MA WChicago, IL MCopper Country, MI ColCurl Mesabi, MN ODuluth, MN MFairbanks, AK OGranite, WA WItasca, MN JKettle Moraine, WI StMarshfield, WI WMilwaukee, WI XRice Lake, WI XUtica, NY MWausau, WI JWilliston, ND O
JAN. 17-19Belfast, ME WBlackhawk, WI XBroomstones, MA MCenterville, WI SXClintonville, WI MCopper Country, MI OFargo-Moorhead, ND JMarshfield, WI MMayfield, OH WPortage, WI JRice Lake, WI SMSuperior, WI XUtica, NY WWausau, WI W
JAN. 20Milwaukee, WI–WISCA M
JAN. 21-22Itasca, MN SM
JAN. 24-26Albany, NY MArlington, WI M
Boise, ID OClintonville, WI XCurl Mesabi, MN (Eveleth) OFargo-Moorhead, ND OMilwaukee, WI WSt. Paul, MN OWausau, WI OMWJ
JAN. 28-29Chicago, IL W
JAN. 31-FEB. 2Brainerd, MN WCenterville, WI WDetroit, MI WMilwaukee, WI MRice Lake, WI MSchenectady, NY O
FEB. 7-9Anchorage, AK OCenterville, WI XDetroit, MI XMilwaukee, WI OMinot, ND XStevens Point, WI WWausau, WI M
FEB. 12-16Broomstones, MA WWausau, WI SM
FEB. 14-16Belfast, ME MCopper Country, MI ColDetroit, MI XDuluth, MN OGreen Bay, WI MItasca, MN OPlainfield, NJ JRochester, NY XSchenectady, NY JUtica, NY ColWaltham, IL MWausau, WI SMWauwatosa, WI O
FEB. 21-23Albany, NY WAnchorage, AK OArdsley, NY MCenterville, WI MKettle Moraine, WI XMayfield, OH XNutmeg, CT JUtica, NY X
// BONSPIEL CALENDAR
rocket exhaust
Top 10 Curling-Related "Words of Wisdom" From Jane Austen
10] “It is a rule with me, that a person who can throw an upweight takeout, with ease, cannot throw ill.” – Pride and Prejudice
9] “She was not much deceived as to her own skill either as a sweeper or a shotmaker, but she was not unwilling to have others deceived, or sorry to know her reputation for accomplishment o�en higher than it deserved.” – Emma
8] “Angry skips are not always wise.” – Pride and Prejudice7] “Runback as o�en as you choose, but do not faint!” – Love and
Friendship6] “�e removal of one stone generally makes way for another.” –
Emma5] “I assure you. I have no notion of treating leads with such respect.
�at is the way to spoil them.” – Northanger Abbey4] “And proceeded to spend as much time as she could locating and
removing this irritating, non-existent pebble.” – Sanditon3] “What strange creatures front enders are!” – Mans�eld Park2] “A simple delivery is much better calculated to inspire devotion.”
– Lady Susan1] “You must learn some of my skipping philosophy. �ink only
of the past ends as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” – Pride and Prejudice
By Richard Maskel
US_Curling_News_Mag_Ad.indd 1 6/20/2013 3:06:54 PM
// USA V. CHINA EXHIBITION GAME
China's elite national squad spent a few weeks practicing in the U.S. at the year-round curling facility in Blaine, Minn. �e Chinese ladies scrimmaged two U.S. teams – Erika Brown and Allison Pottinger (pictured above) –when the American teams were in town for a High Performance Camp in August.
19USA Curling ((
20 usacurl.org))
Project 2018 teams for 2013-14 announcedBy Terry Kolesar, Editor, [email protected]
USA Curling, in partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee, has selected six teams to be part of the Project 2018 Programfor the 2013-14 season. The Project 2018 Program is part of the
2013-14 High Performance Program aimed at identifying and developing the USA's best young talent for future competitive success and is under the direction of Derek Brown, USA Curling's Director of High Performance. John Benton (women) and Phill Drobnick (men) will once again lead the 2018 Program as National Program Coaches.
The Project 2018 tier includes four junior teams skipped by KoreyDropkin (Southborough, Mass.), Jake Vukich (Seattle), Sarah Anderson (Broomall, Pa.), and Jenna Haag (Milton, Wis.), as well as the winning teams from the recent playdown to select Team USA for the upcoming Winter World University Games (WWUG). �ose teams are skipped by 2012 U.S. junior champion Cory Christensen (Duluth, Minn.) and 2010 Olympian and 2008 world junior champion Chris Plys (Duluth, Minn.).
Athletes and teams can be invited to become part of the USCA High Performance Project 2018 Program based on performances and results atinternational and national events during the preceding two-year period. For the avoidance of doubt for season 2013-14, performances and results from seasons 2011-12 and 2012-13 were considered, with the most recent season prioritized. Performances and results from the following may be used to assess prospective athletes and teams - Olympic Games, World Championships, World University Games, World Junior Championships, World Curling Tour, U.S. National Championships and U.S. Junior Na-tional Championships.
�e Dropkin rink won the 2013 USA Curling Junior National Champi-onships and went on to �nish seventh at the 2013 World Junior Champion-ships. �e Vukich rink was runner-up to Dropkin's team at Junior Nation-als. Haag led her team to a third-place �nish at the 2013 Junior Nationals while Anderson's team was fourth at the 2013 Juniors Nationals and ninth at the 2013 U.S. Women's National Championship. Sarah Anderson, 18,also served as alternate for Team USA at the 2013 World Women's Cham-pionship in Latvia in March. All of the selected Project 2018 teams haveput together very competitive schedules for the upcoming year including events on the World Curling Tour, Ontario Junior Curling Tour and Great Lakes Curling Tour, among others.
Complete rosters of 2013-14 Program 2018 High Performance Programteams/individuals include:
Project 2018 WWUG teams:* Cory Christensen (Duluth, Minn.), Becca Funk (McFarland, Wis.),
Anna Bauman (Duluth, Minn.), Sonja Bauman (Duluth, Minn.), Macken-zie Lank (Lewiston, N.Y.), Coach Linda Christensen (Duluth, Minn.)
* Chris Plys (Duluth, Minn.), Stephen Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.), Jared Zezel (Hibbing, Minn.), Korey Dropkin (Southborough, Mass)
Project 2018 junior teams:* Sarah Anderson (Broomall, Pa.), Katie Dubberstein (Portage, Wis.),
Taylor Anderson (Broomall, Pa.), Leilani Dubberstein (Portage, Wis.), Coach Wayne Anderson (Broomall, Pa.)
* Jenna Haag (Milton, Wis.), Erin Wallace (Green Bay, Wis.), Grace Gabower (Milton, Wis.), Brittany Falk (Poynette, Wis.), Coach Wally Hen-ry (Beaver Dam, Wis.)
* Korey Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.), �omas Howell (Brick, N.J.), Mark Fenner (Bemidji, Minn.), Alex Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) , Coach Keith Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.)
* Jake Vukich (Seattle), Evan McAuley (Sammamish, Wash.), Luc Vio-lette (Granite Falls, Wash.), Kyle Lorvick (Lake Forest Park, Wash.), Coach Tom Violette (Granite Falls, Wash.)
�e nine teams quali�ed to compete in the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Tri-als are the adult teams funded for the 2013-14 season. �ose teams are led by Erika Brown (Oakville, Ontario), Courtney George (St. Paul, Minn.), Cassie Potter (St. Paul, Minn.), Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Brady Clark (Lynnwood, Wash.), Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.), Tyler George (Duluth, Minn.), Heath McCormick (Sarnia, Ontario), and John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.). n
�e Project 2018 teams recently took part in a camp at the Four Seasons Curl-ing Club in Blaine, Minn. �e Sarah Anderson rink (above) works won their delivery skills with Lino Di Iorio of Balance Plus. �e Jenna Haag rink (be-low) spent some time on the ice with reigning national champion and 2002 Olympian Ann Swisshelm during the camp.
Photos by Carrie Benton
HIGH PERFORMANCE
20 usacurl.org))
FEB. 28-MARCH 2Albany, NY MCurl Mesabi, MN XEvergreen, OR JFargo-Moorhead, ND OGranite, WA OLake Region, ND SMarshfield, WI XSchenectady, NY MTri-City, WI MVikingland, MN OWaltham, IL X
MARCH 7-9Bemidji, MN MCenterville, WI OColumbus, OH OCurl Mesabi, MN OGreen Bay, WI WLa Crosse, WI ONashua, NH MSchenectady, NY MStevens Point, WI MSuperior, WI OCWauwatosa, WI MWilliston, ND X
MARCH 14-16Belfast, ME OBroomstones, MA YJCenterville, WI SMCurl Mesabi, MN MDuluth, MN XGranite, WA (Seattle) JGreen Bay, WI JLodi, WI XNutmeg, CT (Bridgeport) OPlainfield, NJ MUtica, NY X
MARCH 21-23Arlington, WI SMBlackhawk, WI (Janesville) MCurl Mesabi, MN (Eveleth) OEvergreen, OR (Beaverton) OGranite, WA (Seattle) OItasca, MN (Grand Rapids) OSuperior, WI J
MARCH 28-30Four Seasons, MN (Blaine) OMinot, ND OPotomac, MD (Laurel) ORochester, NY OStevens Point, WI X
APRIL 4-6Broomstones, MA (Wayland) OFairbanks, AK OGranite, WA (Seattle) OGreen Bay, WI XLake Region, ND (Devils Lake) O
APRIL 11-13Anchorage, AK OCoyotes, AZ (Scottsdale) OPlainfield, NJ O
APRIL 25-27Broadmoor, CO (Monument) O
APRIL 26-MAY 4Caribbean Sea (cruise) O
JUNE 13-15Granite, WA (Seattle) O
JULY 4-6Hollywood, CA (Panorama City) OPittsburgh, PA O
// BONSPIEL CALENDAR// PARADES
Curling was the theme for �oats manned by the Chicago Curling Club (top two photos), San Francisco Bay Area CC, and Hibbing Curling Club (bottom) in summer parades recently. Club members did a great job show-ing o� their curling spirit!
21USA Curling ((
// CALENDAR
SEPT. 13-15 High Performance Junior Camp, Blaine, Minn.
OCT. 4-6Fall Competitive Open Camp, Seattle, Wash.
NOV. 10-172014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Fargo, N.D.
NOV. 20-24USWCA Senior National Bonspiel, Itasca CC, Grand Rapids, Minn.
DEC. 4-82014 U.S. Mixed Doubles National Championship, Medford, Wis.MOPAC Men's Club Playdown, Evergreen CC, Beaverton, Ore.
DEC. 10-15Olympic Qualification Event, Fussen, Germany
DEC. 12-15Wisconsin State Club Playdowns, Rice Lake, Wis.GNCC Men's Club Playdown, Potomac CC, Laurel, Md.MOPAC Women's Club Playdown, Evergreen CC, Beaverton, Ore.
DEC. 13-15Alaska Junior Playdowns, Anchorage, Alaska
DEC. 11-212013 Winter World University Games, Trentino, Italy
DEC. 26-30Minnesota Junior Playdowns, Duluth, Minn. (Dec. 26-29)North Dakota Junior Playdowns, Williston Basin CC, Williston, N.D.At-Lg/CO/NE/MOPAC Junior Playdowns, Evergreen CC, Beaver-ton, Ore. (Dec. 28-29 only)GNCC Junior Playdowns, TCC, Brookline, Mass. (Dec. 27-30)
JAN. 8-122014 Women's Challenge Round, Grafton, N.D.
JAN. 8-122014 Men's Challenge round, Blaine, Minn.
JAN. 10-12GLCA Club Playdowns, Detroit, MIMOPAC Mixed Playdown, Evergreen CC, Beaverton, Ore.
JAN. 16-192014 Continental Cup of Curling, Las Vegas, Nev.North Dakota Club Playdowns, Minot, N.D.
JAN. 17-19Alaska Club Playdowns, Anchorage, Alaska
// JUNIOR CAMP
�ree American junior curlers (l-r) Kent Suslavich (Nutmeg), Joey Sipzner (Schenectady) and William Pryor (Ardsley) traveled to Fussen, Germany, for the 2013 WCF/DCV Hummelt Junior Curling Camp in July. For a week, they curled with 120 junior curlers and international coaches representing such countries as Scotland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia and Canada.
EVENTS
Become a member of our Volunteer Team!
Volunteers are the backbones of events – it is the value of these extra hands that enables organizations to o�er
activities that may not otherwise happen. �eir meaningful contributions both behind and in front of the scenes are indispensable and their tireless e�orts are o�en as profound as the event itself.
�e World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling brings together the best in curling from competitors, to spectators, to volunteers – becoming a community with one goal in mind – a great curling event. Volunteers invest their time, ensuring that this year’s competition is not only successful, but memorable for all parties – from organization to participant level, attendees and everyone in between.
�e 2014 World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling in Las Vegas, Nevada, will require approximately 175 volunteers to �ll a wide range of positions in the months leading up to the event, as well as during the week of the championship. Duties range from roles in event services, security and hospitality to o�cials and timekeepers. �e competition will take place Jan. 16-19.
Go to http://www.curling.ca/2014continentalcup-en/volunteer/ today and register!
22 usacurl.org))
SEPT. 13-15 High Performance Junior Camp, Blaine, Minn.
OCT. 4-6Fall Competitive Open Camp, Seattle, Wash.
NOV. 10-172014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Fargo, N.D.
NOV. 20-24USWCA Senior National Bonspiel, Itasca CC, Grand Rapids, Minn.
DEC. 4-82014 U.S. Mixed Doubles National Championship, Medford, Wis.MOPAC Men's Club Playdown, Evergreen CC, Beaverton, Ore.
DEC. 10-15Olympic Qualification Event, Fussen, Germany
DEC. 12-15Wisconsin State Club Playdowns, Rice Lake, Wis.GNCC Men's Club Playdown, Potomac CC, Laurel, Md.MOPAC Women's Club Playdown, Evergreen CC, Beaverton, Ore.
DEC. 13-15Alaska Junior Playdowns, Anchorage, Alaska
DEC. 11-212013 Winter World University Games, Trentino, Italy
DEC. 26-30Minnesota Junior Playdowns, Duluth, Minn. (Dec. 26-29)North Dakota Junior Playdowns, Williston Basin CC, Williston, N.D.At-Lg/CO/NE/MOPAC Junior Playdowns, Evergreen CC, Beaver-ton, Ore. (Dec. 28-29 only)GNCC Junior Playdowns, TCC, Brookline, Mass. (Dec. 27-30)
JAN. 8-122014 Women's Challenge Round, Grafton, N.D.
JAN. 8-122014 Men's Challenge round, Blaine, Minn.
JAN. 10-12GLCA Club Playdowns, Detroit, MIMOPAC Mixed Playdown, Evergreen CC, Beaverton, Ore.
JAN. 16-192014 Continental Cup of Curling, Las Vegas, Nev.North Dakota Club Playdowns, Minot, N.D.
JAN. 17-19Alaska Club Playdowns, Anchorage, Alaska
JAN. 23-262014 U.S. Senior Men's National Championship, Portage, Wis.2014 U.S. Senior Women's National Championship, Eau Claire, Wis.
JAN. 30-FEB. 2Minnesota Club Playdowns, Curl Mesabi, Eveleth, Minn.
JAN. 25-FEB. 12014 U.S. Junior National Championships, Seattle
FEB. 6-9GNCC Mixed Playdown, Chesapeake CC, Easton, Md.
FEB. 7-232014 Olympic Winter Games, Sochi, Russia
FEB. 7-9North Dakota Mixed Playdown, Lake Region CC, Devils Lake, N.D.Alaska Mixed Playdown, Fairbanks, Alaska
FEB. 12-16U.S. Senior Men's Curling Association National Bonspiel, Wausau, Wis.USWCA National Bonspiel, Broomstones, Wayland, Mass.
FEB. 15-222014 U.S. Club National Championships, Two Harbors, Minn.
FEB. 26-MARCH 52014 World Junior Championships, Flims, Switzerland
MARCH 1-82014 U.S. National Championships, Aston, Pa.
MARCH 7-162014 Paralympic Winter Games, Sochi, Russia
MARCH 14-16College National Championship, Duluth, Minn.
MARCH 15-222014 U.S. Mixed National Championship, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
MARCH 15-232014 World Women's Championship, St. John, New Brunswick
MARCH 29-APRIL 62014 World Men's Championship, Beijing, China
APRIL 22-292014 World Senior Championships, Dumfries, Scotland2014 World Mixed Doubles Championship, Dumfries, Scotland
// CALENDAR
// COMICS
// TV APPEARANCE
2012 Winter Youth Olympians Sarah and Taylor Anderson from the Philadelphia Curling Club recently appeared on Nickelodeon's game show "Figure It Out." �e girls won prizes a�er each segment including a ping pong table, an electric guitar and amp system, and eventually the grand prize of a trip for four to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. �e girls also got "slimed" in the process.
IN THE NEWS
By Dawn Leurquin, Event Services
Manager, [email protected]
�e �rst of this year marked the date that the new USA Curling Coaches Association opened for registrations. �e transfer occurred dur-ing last season’s registration period, requiring all coaches from that point on to register with the Coaches Association. Coaches, age 21 and over, can also register under each Sports Signup event, allowing them to see who on the team has completed their registrations and who has not. Coaches Association members must suc-cessfully complete a National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) background check and the
SafeSport training elements, which also are now in place. �is allows for better informed coaches and greater safety of USA Curling athletes at all levels.
If you haven’t visited our new website, this is a great reason to see our new look. Everyone in-volved with curling should read the USA Curling SafeSport Handbook. It’s posted online at www.usacurl.org. �en click on “sport education” and “SafeSport.” We all need to work together to keep each other safe and USA Curling's coaches have been very willing to take this necessary step to help ensure that athlete protection is part of their processes. n
Check out the Coaches Association online
23USA Curling ((
Event Dates Site Registration deadline Entry fee Early registration discount date
Mixed Doubles Dec.4-8 Medford, Wis. Oct. 30 $340 Oct. 16
Men's Challenge Round Jan.8-12 Blaine, Minn. Nov. 20 $580 Nov. 6
Women's Challenge Round Jan.8-12 Gra�on, N.D. Nov. 20 $580 Nov. 6
Junior Nationals Jan. 25-Feb. 1 Seattle, Wash. Dec. 11 $330* Nov. 27
Senior Nationals – Men Jan. 22-26 Portage, Wis. Nov. 27 $360 Nov. 13
Senior Nationals – Women Jan. 23-26 Eau Claire, Wis. Nov. 27 $360 Nov. 13
Club Nationals Feb. 15-22 Two Harbors, Minn. Dec. 26 $360* Dec. 12
National Championships(See Challenge Round info above)
March1-8 Aston, Pa.
Mixed National Champion-ship
March 15-22 Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. Jan. 22 $360* Jan.8
* plus regional fees Go to: https://usca.sportssignup.com/
Championship registration deadlines announced
Labatt named presenting sponsor of 2014 USA Curling National Championships
By Terry Kolesar, Editor, [email protected]
USA Curling, in partnership with IceWorks Skating Complex, Brandywine Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Phila-delphia Sports Congress, is proud to announce that Labatt has
been named the presenting sponsor for the 2014 USA Curling National Championships.
�e 2014 USA Curling National Championships presented by Labatt will take place March 1-8 at the IceWorks in Aston, Pa., on the heels of the clos-ing ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
“We are very excited to have Labatt on board as the presenting spon-sor of the 2014 USA Curling National Championships here in Aston,” said Anthony Lorusso, co-chairman of the event. “Working with such a largely recognized company such as Labatt adds a great deal of awareness and vis-ibility to the 2014 Nationals and the sport of curling. �e partnership will bring added marketing components to the event and make this the most enjoyable curling event of 2014 in the United States. Labatt is the perfect partner to have for an event that involves broomstacking!”
�e tournament will bring to the area the top 10 men’s and top 10 wom-en’s curling teams from across the country. �e winners of the 2014 Nation-als will be one of the top contenders to represent the U.S. at the 2014 World Championships.
“Labatt USA is proud to sponsor the 2014 USA Curling Nationals in Phil-adelphia,” said Glen Tibbits, Director at Labatt USA. “We’re excited to be a part of a historic game that is close to our roots and brings together such
CHAMPIONSHIPS
an elite group of athletes. We wish them all the best of luck come March.”
As presenting sponsor of the 2014 National Champi-onships, Labatt will be in-denti�ed in the title of the event and receive signi�cant promotion on signage, in-ice logos, promotional materi-als, the event website and more. Labatt Blue will be poured as the o�cial beer of the 2014 National Championships.
“Labatt’s partnership with the 2014 Nationals and the Aston organizing committee is a great �t, and will no doubt add signi�cant value to the event overall and the fan experience,” said Rick Patzke, USA Curling’s chief oper-ating o�cer. “Labatt and curling have a long history together, particularly in Canada, and we are excited to see this relationship beginning to grow in the United States.”
Visit the 2014 USA Curling Nationals website to learn more about the event http://2014usacurlingnationals.com/ and check out the event page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/2014CurlingNationals.
24 usacurl.org))
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27USA Curling ((
By David Garber, Emeritus Editor, [email protected]
Capes
It is my belief that if skips routinely wore capes, curling TV and In-ternet coverage would not be shrouded. �e late Ray Finlay of the Wilmette Curling Club was known to wear a cape while curling
throughout the Midwest, and he looked great. Capes can interfere with sweeping, billowing and the like, so I do not recommend their use for front ends.
Curling coaching key to future competitive successA�er winning 12 of the �rst 14 men’s world championships, Canada
went seven years without a men’s world championship, from 1973-79. �e late great Canadian Ray Kingsmith (Canadian Curling Association Hall of Fame)wasquoted in theMarch1980,North American Curling News (in turn quoting the Canadian Curling News) with his take on the problem, saying, “Yes, we lost on the ice, but �rst we lost o� the ice. �e CCA has to shoulder some of the blame for this. I mean, do you know any sport that has a world championship in which the coaches (and/or managers) aren’t employed? Only Canada and the U.S. teams showed up (in Berne) without.” Kingsmith added that Canada skip Barry Fry had to spend time on site looking for a room for his wife.” Ray’s suggestions, including on-site train-ers, became standard practice for North American world teams. (Of course, many readers are aware that the real reason for this Canadian drought was �e Curse of Labonte.)
So, what of the issue of coaching adult curlers? (�ere is not much debate about the need for coaching at the junior level.) �e concept can be a hot topic in some quarters. Some are adamant that U.S. adult teams need to develop a professional coaching cadre to keep up with the rest of the world. Full-�edged coaches (as opposed to mere provision of logistical support) would handle the full range of duties in team formation and development. �is concept is anathema to some curlers: the North American tradition of self-formed teams, under athlete control, remains a strong part of the curling culture. Money is also a limiting factor, since curling is not a var-sity high school or collegiate sport and thus lacks an infrastructure to pay coaches beyond just a few at the very top level.
Some say curling is “di�erent” than other sports, and thus full-�edged coaches are not needed. Others say curling is like any other team sport: great coaching helps virtually all athletes and teams. �ey add that great coaches in any sport are athlete recruiters, innovators, teachers, technique improvers, game planners, opposition scouts, and most important, motiva-tors and team psychologists.
�ere are many skilled, dedicated coaches serving curlers around the country today. But it is argued that, with some exceptions on the junior level, coaches’ limited authority limits the potential for positive impact on team performance. To complicate matters, all this may be a moot point be-cause, until curling coaches can make a living as curling coaches, attain-ment of a professional coaching cadre to serve many teams (not just the top elite) will be very di�cult.
40 years agoIn an editorial in the May 1973 North American Curling News: “Curling
// TALES FROM SHEET NINE
Coaching debates date back decades
is losing ground to other sports in the U.S., and is going nowhere. �e U.S. Men’s Curl-ing Association should hire Bud Somerville to go around the country to have curling schools.” (�e B&B Curling Clinics – Bud and Bobby Nichols, privately oper-ated – attracted a number of students in the Midwest in the late 1970s and early 1980s.)
Olympic curling history (an addition to my November 2012 column)
�e International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Committee added curling to the program of the Olympic Games in 1992, due to e�orts of many people, including the late Gunther Hummelt, then World Curling Federationpresident;SwisscurlerFranzTanner;andpastIOCpresident,Juan Antonio Samaranch. Once the WCF became a member of the IOC as a full-medal sport, the USCA was eligible to join the United States Olym-pic Committee as the National Governing Body for curling. �is process included a 1992 meeting in Dallas where the USCA passed muster with the USOC Membership and Credentials Committee with an unprecedented (at that time) no gigs. �is step, followed by the USCA earning respect in the U.S. Olympic sport community, required smart and sustained e�ort by key USCA volunteer leaders, including athlete representatives and several di-rectors.The effort commenced in 1986 when the USCA added women to theUSCA board to foster gender equality.
�e Olympic presence has generated mixed feelings within the curling community, for o�-discussed reasons. I think the impact of the Olympic Games on U.S. curling is best illustrated by the presence of thousands more U.S. curlers, scores more U.S. curling clubs, and this summer’s Arena Club National Championship. “Who woulda thunk it” before the Salt Lake Games?
Date to be announced: Science meets curling with the concert Ben Tucker Sings Songs of High Plains Beet Farming on Ground �at in Winter is Good Draw Ice. n
28 usacurl.org))
// TUCKED IN THE BACK PAGE
Good ice, good food, good people
By Ben Tucker, [email protected]
The fates conspired this month and forced me to take a long drive. �e perfect storm of a little business with
a little touch of fatherhood sprinkled with a dash of my curling addiction made a trip to the Min-neapolis/St. Paul area practically unavoidable.
�e business aspect was no big deal. �e farm just needed some pickups moved around. �e fatherhood aspect was a slightly bigger deal. My daughter is starting her �rst Big Girl Job and needed a signi�cant upgrade in her wardrobe. I am told that the hoodies and sweatpants that saw her through college are inappropriate now that she’ll be teaching high school. �e clincher, how-ever, was my dang curling addiction.
We pulled into �e Cities on Tuesday night and checked into a motel adjacent to the Al-bertville Outlet Mall. I then talked my wife and daughter into going to the brand new Four Sea-sons Curling Club in Blaine. Blaine is a commu-nity on the northwest side of the Twin Cities.
�e Four Seasons Curling Club is attached to a skating facility with a couple of hockey sheets. Hockey, by the way, is nothing but a ter-rible waste of curling ice. �e Four Seasons will have ice year ‘round. I talked to Todd Birr and he thinks they’ll melt it out once a year, but he’s not sure when and how just yet. �ey certainly have the compressor power … three anhydrous V-4s plumbed in series in the cleanest compres-sor room you have ever seen.
�e facility is very nice, but the atmosphere is even better. We were greeted by Olympians like Jessica Schultz and John Benton … 2014 Olympic hopefuls Dean Gemmell of TeamMcCormick;Steph Sambor from Team Potter; and JessicaSchultz (listed again) from Team Brown. Also saying “hi” in a thick Scottish accent was Derek Brown, the High Performance Director. David Staveteig, Head USCA Icemaker, was there with Lino Di Iorio, the inventive mind behind Bal-ance Plus Curling Supplies. Despite all of that star power, I think the best curler at the table was Birr … World bronze-medal winning skip for the USA in 2007.
�e sheets were �lled with curlers and ice-makers working over the National rocks with
Lino’s rock pairing contraption. �e bar was fully stocked and the conversation was excellent. �e best part of the atmosphere, however, was the food. Surf your internet browser over to the Four Seasons website and check out the menu at Gabe’s. It gives you a great view of the ice and a great meal to boot. I can personally vouch for the greatness of the pizza and the Curler’s Re-venge Burger. Stephen Dropkin’s (national ju-nior champion skip in 2012) recommendation of chicken nachos, alas, will have to wait for a second tasting.
Seriously, the best menu and the best food I’ve ever seen at a curling club … and I’ve been to more than a few curling clubs.
So Tuesday night was �lled with curling cama-raderie, curling talk, watching the Tuesday night league and really good food. It was a wonderful evening.
Wednesday morning broke late. I dropped my wife and daughter o� at the mall while I skipped back to the club to throw some practice rocks with Dean “Duck” Gemmell. Duck was in town to shake the summer rust o� his game and start getting ready for an ambitious schedule leading up to the team's appearance at �e Trials in Far-go this November. He had invited me to throw a couple of practice rocks with him and that was the �nal ingredient for forcing me to make the long drive. I was not going to pass up that invita-tion.
Now leaving one’s wife and daughter at the mall while one throws practice rocks can be an expensive proposition. I �gure that it cost me about $20 per stone … but the girl really did need to upgrade her wardrobe to something a little more professional and a little less Seattle grunge chic.
I found Todd Birr’s ice to be excellent. Heck, even I could make shots on that ice. I’m not say-ing that the ice was “excellent for August.” I’m saying that it was excellent. Some friendly locals were practicing on the sheet next to us. I got to eat at Gabe’s again. It was a good day. I even stuck Duck with the lunch tab to ease pocketbook pain of the mall. Drat, the daughter will soon be cash-ing real paychecks and won’t need her dad as much. �e pain just moves to a di�erent place,
my heart … but it was a really good day.So, here is my curling advice for today: Eat at
Gabe’s while curling at the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine … or even if you just watch curl-ing … or even if you just like to eat food.
For �e Good of �e Game:In the last edition of the U.S. Curling News,
Dave Garber brought up the subject of the na-tional championship format. If I was younger and more hip, I would write something like “OHHH…SNAP! NO HE DIDN’T!” Alas, I am no longer young, and I don’t remember ever be-ing hip.
Passions run insanely deep among some curl-ers when it comes to the format used to deter-mine our national champions. If you ever want to start a loud argument at a club, just wait until some experienced players are within earshot and start talking about changing �e Format. Round robin or triple knockout? Regional or open? Ten-team �eld or eight-team �eld? Any and all chang-es will be met with unforeseeable passion.
Allow me to phrase this another way: In polite society, one does not discuss religion, politics or sex. In polite curling society, one does not dis-cuss religion, politics or changes to the format. Sex is OK, but you better have lots of friends in the room if you want to talk about the Nationals Format.
For �e Good of �e Game Extra End:If you do take my advice to check out Gabe’s
menu on the Four Seasons Curling Club web-site, make a little extra time for another one of their pages. �ey have a nice beginner’s primer on basic curling strategy. It’s not enough pages to make you a strategic whiz, but it is a good start if strategy interests you.
Please say hello if our paths should cross. Drop me an email if you have the time. n
29USA Curling ((
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