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Thank you for the great ice!
Under the leadership of Dave Staveteig, USCA chief icemaker, once again the competitors have great
ice to compete on at this year’s Nationals. The key ice team includes (back, l-r) John Kram, Eric Palmer,
Shawn Olesen (a.k.a. David’s first lieutenant), Kevin Madsen, Keith Turk, (front, l-r) Dewey Schmidt,
Quentin Way, Dave “Dad” Staveteig, and Jonathan Penney.
Quinn Evenson (right) of Team Meyers had to sweep
alone Tuesday afternoon after skip Ethan Meyers had to
sit out due to illness. Emilia Juocys of Team McCormick
sports some feline apparel. Meow!
Photos by Rich Harmer
Tweet of the Day
Standings:
MEN:
Craig Brown
John Shuster
Brandon Corbett
Korey Dropkin
Dean Gemmell
Mark Haluptzok
Heath McCormick
Paul Pustovar
Brady Clark
Ethan Meyers
WOMEN:
Erika Brown
Cory Christensen
Aileen Sormunen
Patti Lank
Kate Bert
Debbie McCormick
Nina Roth
Joyance Meechai
Jordan Moulton
Kim Wapola
5-1
5-1
3-3
3-3
3-3
3-3
3-3
2-4
2-4
1-5
6-1
6-1
6-1
5-2
3-4
3-4
3-4
1-6
1-6
1-6
The official publication of the 2015 USA Curling National Championships
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015
Pushing toward the playoffs
Draw 11 scores (women):
Aileen Sormunen 9, Kim Wapola 1
Patti Lank 10, Jordan Moulton 4
Cory Christensen 7, Nina roth 5
Erika Brown 8, Joyance Meechai 5
Kate Bert 6, Debbie McCormick 5 (EE)
Draw 12 scores (men):
Craig Brown 8, Dean Gemmell 3
Brady Clark 7, Heath McCormick 5
Ethan Meyers 8, Paul Pustovar 7
Brandon Corbett 7, Mark Haluptzok 4
John Shuster 6, Korey Dropkin 5
Draw 13 scores (women):
Debbie McCormick 11, Jordan Moulton 3
Kate Bert 9, Kim Wapola 3
Aileen Sormunen 8, Nina roth 4
Patti Lank 8, Joyance Meechai 5
Cory Christensen 7, Erika Brown 3
Thank you to our great sponsors:
wednesday.indd 1
Daily Pebble
The
Team Brown’s Jared Zezel (above) focuses on the broom during Tuesday afternoon men’s round robin action at Wings Stadium. Team Brown and Team
Shuster (bottom) are tied for first place with 5-1 records.
Photos by Rich Harmer
T
he view at the top has been about the
same through six rounds as Olympians
John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.) and
Craig Brown (Madison, Wis.) remain tied for
first place at the 2015 USA Curling National
Championships at Wings Stadium.
Shuster and his team of Tyler George
(Duluth, Minn.), Matt Hamilton (McFarland,
Wis.), John Landsteiner (Duluth, Minn.), and
Trevor Host (Duluth, Minn.) held on to defeat
19-year-old Korey Dropkin with the final stone
of the game Tuesday afternoon. The Dropkin
rink had control of most of the match but two
great shots by Shuster in the 10th, coupled
with Dropkin running the time clock down
to two seconds to rush throwing his final
stone, resulted in a 6-5 win for the three-time
Olympian.
Brown’s rink suffered its first loss last night
but bounced back to defeat Dean Gemmell,
8-3. Brown and teammates Kroy Nernberger
(Madison, Wis.), Sean Beighton (Seattle),
Jared Zezel (Hibbing, Minn.), and Alex
Leichter (Wayland, Mass.) share the top of
the standings with Shuster’s team at 5-1 with
three games remaining in the round robin. The
Shuster-Brown showdown will take place at 8
a.m. tomorrow for sole possession of first place
and a shot at a spot in the Page 1-2 playoff.
After Brown and Shuster, five teams share
matching 3-3 records for third place. Brandon
Corbett’s team defeated Mark Haluptzok, 7-4,
while Heath McCormick lost to Brady Clark, 7-5.
This afternoon’s results created a five-way tie
with Dropkin, Corbett, Gemmell, Haluptzok,
and McCormick.
In the women’s division, three teams are
now tied for first place with 6-1 records. Cory
Christensen, who is preparing her team for
next week’s World Junior Championships,
handed Team Erika Brown its first loss of the
tournament, 7-3. Joining Christensen and
Brown at the top is the Aileen Sormunen rink,
which earned a key 8-4 victory over defending
champion Nina roth on Tuesday night.
Patti Lank’s team is right in the thick
of the playoff hunt as well as her team
improved to 5-2 with a 8-5 win over Joyance
Meechai.
The top four teams in each division will
advance to the Page playoffs.
2/17/15 10:56 PM
// ian’s corner
Seattle’s
young
phenom
A panoramic view of the competition at the
2015 National Championships.
Photo by Lon Peper, Cedar Rapids Curling Club
C
Weather forecast: cold!
Today:
High: 14, snowy
Low: -1
Thursday:
High: 8, snowy
Low: -12
Friday:
High: 16, snowy
Low: 12
Saturday:
Hihg: 32, cloudy
Low: 15
Aaron Wald of Team Haluptzok stares down the broom during round robin
action on Tuesday afternoon.
Photo by Rich Harmer
The Daily Pebble
Editor: Terry L. Kolesar
Assistant Editors:
Rick Patzke, Amelia Young
Editorial Assistants:
Ian Strong, Meredith Strong
Photography: Rich Harmer
Five-time U.S. champion Patti Lank (center) is curling with her oldest daughter, Madisson, while her
younger daughter, Mackenzie, plays for Team Christensen.
Photo by Rich Harmer
Generation Gap
By Jennifer Williams, Bowling Green Curling Club
www.usacurl.org
Story ideas? Email the editor,
terry.kolesar@usacurl.org
The Daily Pebble is brought to
you by this great sponsor:
2
)) usacurl.org
wednesday.indd 2
on the ice. Madisson says it is easier playing with her
mom in some ways since she knows what she’s thinkurling is one of the few sports where
ing. Patti describes the feeling when playing with her
daughters. “I put the broom down and say ‘Please
multiple generations of family members
can play alongside each other. From juniors hit the broom,’” as a skip and a mom. Both Madisson
and Mackenzie glanced over at each other’s sheet
to seniors, three and sometimes four generations
of family members can be on the ice. At this year’s this week to see how their game was going, but still
Nationals, there are nine sets of sibling groups, a
remained focused on their own game.
The Lank girls don’t often get to play together anyset of cousins, and two sets of parents and their
more as they are at different events now that Mackchildren curling on various teams. It is not often
enzie is part of the USA Curling High Performance
that parents curl with or against their children at
the elite level, but both Patti Lank and Bill StopProgram. Their jobs as flight instructors are demandera are here with their children. Today, Patti Lank
ing, and their students frequently have weekends
off. But they live together, work together, and curl
and her daughters, Madisson and Mackenzie, talk
together. Mackenzie says that there are no feelings
briefly about life on and off the ice.
Patti and Madisson curl together while Macken- on the ice when they play and, “We can separate
ourselves as players and family.” Patti is very proud
zie is on Team Christensen. When asked how the
girls made the transition to the ice, Patti says she
of her daughters. As for the future, the girls say their
put the car seat on the ice when she practiced and work in the aviation industry makes future plans in
curling difficult to predict, but Mackenzie would like
then they made the transition to the playpen as
toddlers, and eventually were old enough to get
to compete in the Olympics someday. n
C
Come curl
in Manhattan
in March
By Ian Strong, Daily Pebble staff writer
urling is unique in many ways. In most sports you wouldn’t see
athletes walking in the bleachers high-fiving fans during National
Championships. You wouldn’t see older athletes still playing like
they’re 26 again. In curling, where you can play the sport competitively
well into your later years, seeing a 15-year-old competitor playing with
the professional men’s teams is pretty special.
Luc Violette, a member of Team Dropkin, is doing just that. Luc is a
2014 U.S junior champion and playing in his first men’s national championship. The young student started curling in 2004 out of the Granite
Curling club in Seattle. He has participated in many bonspiels such as
the U-18 Optimist International. He was the Washington junior curling
champion from 2012-2015, and a runner up champion in 2011. He even
won the Curtis Cup for sportsmanship in 2012 at Junior Nationals when
he was just 12 years old.
Luc was introduced to curling in 2004 by his dad, Tom Violette. Playing in all these competitions and here this week at the 2015 U.S. Men’s
National Championship is “a very cool experience,” Luc said.
I asked Luc what his advice was for young curlers just getting ready to
start competing now.
“Definitely stick with curling, for sure. I think it’s good to play other
sports too, especially when you’re younger,” Luc said. “Finding good
teammates is the key to success at a young age in curling.”
For most young curlers a lot of their down time is spent not studying
curling strategy, but rather studying algebra or other subjects. It takes a
lot to juggle school with curling.
“As long as you have good relationships with your teachers and with
your school, they should be flexible and work with you a bit more. That’s
the key,” Luc said. “They’re all very supportive and proud. It’s really good
to have them on my side.” n
W
ho’s the best on Wall Street, or in all of corporate Manhattan,
when it comes to curling? We’re going to find out at Chelsea Piers
March 12, and send the winners home with a cool new trophy
that will back up the bragging rights.
USA Curling is planning to hold the first Manhattan Curling Cup at Chelsea
Piers NY on Thursday, March 12. This unique experience is limited to 20 teams
and includes coaching and instruction with Olympians Pete Fenson and Jessica
Schultz, plus USA Curling Honorary Team Captain Vernon Davis, two-time Pro
Bowl tight end for the San Francisco 49ers.
At its core, this is a fundraiser to help support America’s up-and-coming
and elite curlers dedicated to putting USA back on top of the podium. But it
is also an exclusive opportunity for you to bring your business partners and
colleagues out for an evening of camaraderie with just the right mix of competitiveness.
Along with dinner and refreshments, every participant will also receive their
own customized carbon fiber curling broom. Get all the details at usacurl.org.
Look for the link to Curling in NYC.
Luc Violette, at just age 15, is competing in his first men’s national championship this week as a member of Team Dropkin (3-3).
usa Curling
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2/17/15 10:57 PM