U.S. curling team has northern roots…bless their hearts!

None of the top American curling players is from around here. They tend to hail from the “way up north” states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and even Alaska.

We need to root for them, anyway. 

Representing Team U.S.A. in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing China will be six women and five men who all grew up in a climate where ponds freeze over for months on end. 

Curling is a game played on ice, albeit mostly indoors these days.

 

Four of the five members of the U.S. women’s curling team are back from the squad that competed in the 2018 South Korea Olympics and finished eighth. 

They are: Tabitha Peterson of Eagan, Minn.; Nina Roth and Becca Hamilton, both of McFarland, Wis.; and Aileen Geving of Duluth, Minn. 

Joining the team this year is Tara Peterson, younger sister of Tabitha, also of Eagan. The women’s team members range in age from 30 to 34, “the prime of life for female curlers.”

The U.S. men’s team hopes to repeat as Olympic gold medalists in 2022. Three members return from that 2018 championship team, including John Shuster and John Landsteiner, both of Duluth, and Matt Hamilton of McFarland.

 

John Shuster

John Landsteiner

Also earning spots on the 2022 roster were Chris Plys of Duluth and Colin Hufman of St. Paul, Minn. The men are slightly older as a group, ranging from 32 to 39, but still have plenty of stamina and spring in their step. 

Shuster, a five-time Olympian, said: “It’s definitely going to be special to get a chance to go back and see what we can do, and see if we can win another gold. I’m sure there’s going to be a little bit of a target that other countries are going to put on us.” 

The U.S. teams motivate and cheer for each other. Becca Hamilton said: “Watching my brother (Matt Hamilton) get his gold medal four years ago, I knew I wanted to get back there so I could get one too (in 2022),” she said.

 

Matt Hamilton

“We worked really hard these past four years and the squad is better than ever right now, so I am excited to get back out there and hopefully bring home the gold,” Becca added.

 

Plys, who’s 34, will have a shot to win a second medal at Beijing. He is paired with Vicky Persinger, 29, of Fairbanks, Alaska, in the mixed doubles curling event.

 

Why cheer for curling? “Because curling is the only sport where you can change the direction of a projectile once it leaves the thrower’s hand,” stated Hannah Osborn of the Smithsonian Science Education Center in Washington, D.C. 

How so? That’s the job of the sweepers who brush the surface ahead of the sliding curling stone, creating less friction.

 

There are a lot of nuances and rituals associated with curling, dating back to the 16th century in Scotland. 

North Carolina has three curling clubs, and the closest one to Morehead City is the Coastal Carolina Curling Club, based in Wilmington. The organization is accepting new members who want to learn the game and participate in weekend tournaments, called “bonspiels.” 

After a match, a “broomstacking” occurs. This is a social affair with the victors buying the first round of drinks.