Press Coverage

Four men's teams still unblemished
February 12, 2012
(ASTON, Pa.) - After two rounds of men's competition, four teams are left unblemished as the round robin continued Sunday afternoon at the 2012 USA Curling National Championships at IceWorks Skating Complex.

The 11th seeded Owen Sampson rink delivered the first upset special of the championships with a 9-5 win over top seed Tyler George (Duluth, Minn.). Sampson (Edmore, N.D.) and teammates Ned Sampson (Edmore, N.D.), Tucker Smith (Bismarck, N.D.) and Kyle Young (Fargo, N.D.), who have been playing together for three seasons, had the opening-round bye, but it didn't appear to be any sort of disadvantage.

"I could tell the first few ends we were nervous, but as the game went on we got more comfortable and confident. It was a big win for us," said Sampson, who is self-employed in North Dakota as a farmer with his brother, Ned. The game got close at 6-5 in the eighth end, but Team Sampson sealed the win with three points in the ninth.

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USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
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Pottinger rink alone at top of women's standings
February 12, 2012
(ASTON, Pa.) - Sunday evening's matchups at the 2012 USA Curling National Championships at IceWorks Skating Complex proved to be highly competitive with just four teams left undefeated.

Allison Pottinger's team is the lone undefeated women's team as they picked up two wins today, capped with a 10-5 win over Alex Carlson in the late afternoon draw. The win improves Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and teammates Nicole Joraanstad (Madison, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Tabitha Peterson (Eagan, Minn.) to 3-0 in the nine-game round robin.

Maureen Stolt's team picked up its first win of the week by taking down the No. 1 seeded Erika Brown rink, 11-6. Stolt (Plymouth, Minn.) and her team of Megan Pond (Minneapolis, Minn.), Emilia Juocys (Chicago) and Sherri Schummer (St. Paul, Minn.) held the lead for most of the match.

"It has taken us awhile to click and play our game ... communication was much better today," Stolt said. "We're feeling pretty good. It's a good time to come together as a team. We're just looking forward to one game at a time and one shot at a time to keep moving upward."

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
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Top seeds dominate women's opening round at 2012 Nationals
February 11, 2012
Photo courtesy of The News Journal/SUCHAT PEDERSON

(ASTON, Pa.) - In front of a cheering crowd of 750 fans, the 2012 USA Curling National Championships kicked off tonight at IceWorks Skating Complex. This is the first time the U.S. Nationals have been hosted on the East Coast since 2007 and since then the sport has grown significantly. The opening-round crowd was a picture of that as the opening ceremonies and first round of women's competition got underway.

Most of the lower-seeded teams dominated the opening round with teams skipped by defending champion Patti Lank (Lewiston, N.Y.), Erika Brown (Oakville, Ontario), Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Cassie Potter (St. Paul, Minn.) and Alex Carlson (Wayzata, Minn.) earning victories. The men's action, featuring 11 teams, begins at 8:30 tonight.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
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Men's action heats up Saturday night at Nationals
February 11, 2012
(ASTON, Pa.) - Pete Fenson's defending men's champions picked up where they left off last year as men's competition got underway tonight at the 2012 USA Curling National Championships at IceWorks Skating Complex.

In the battle of two brothers, older brother Pete Fenson defeated Eric Fenson (both of Bemidji, Minn.), 9-3, in the opening draw of the men's 10-game round robin. Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) and teammates Shawn Rojeski (Chisholm, Minn.), Joe Polo (Duluth, Minn.) and Ryan Brunt (Bemidji, Minn.) started strong with three in the first end and capitalized on opportunities to steal en route to the victory. The win continues the Fenson team's winning streak dating back to the 2010 Nationals in Kalamazoo. The team went a perfect 11-0 in Fargo last year when they won the title.

Two-time Olympian John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.) led his team to a 9-6 win over 2007 U.S. champion Todd Birr (Mankato, Minn.). "We came out and didn't get the hammer in the first end and gave up two ... and then you just have to try to work your way back into it and flip the scoreboard. We got a chance to get a big end and we hit that big one in the fifth," Shuster said. "It's nice to get wins before you know exactly how much weight you're going to throw on takeouts when playing precision stuff. We're just trying to get a feel for what sweeping's going to do. It's good to get a win when you're feeling out the ice surface a bit."

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
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Nationals sweep into Philly
February 9, 2012
The 2012 USA Curling National Championships kick off Saturday afternoon at IceWorks Skating Complex.

Twenty-one of the top men's and women's curling teams in the U.S. will take the ice beginning Saturday morning with pre-competition practice. The opening ceremonies are slated for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

This is the first time that the Nationals have been hosted in the Philadelphia area and first time since 2007 that the event is being hosted on the east coast. The 10 women's and 11 men's teams will compete in a round robin with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs.

Webstreaming throughout the event will be featured courtesy of USA Curling's involvement with the 12th End Sports Network and the U.S. Olympic Committee. The live stream will be aired at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/usa-curling. Scores, standings, game schedule and athlete biographies can be found online at www.usacurl.org/curlingrocks.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
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Webstreaming planned throughout 2012 Nationals
February 7, 2012
IceWorks Skating Complex and the Philadelphia Sports Congress are set to host 21 of the top U.S. curling teams as the 2012 USA Curling National Championships get underway Feb. 11.

This is the first time that the Nationals have been hosted in the Philadelphia area and first time since 2007 that the event is being hosted on the east coast. The 10 women's and 11 men's teams will compete in a round robin with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs.

Webstreaming throughout the event will be featured courtesy of USA Curling's involvement with the 12th End Sports Network (http://12thendsportsnetwork.weebly.com/index.html), which is owned and produced by Rochester, N.Y., curlers Joe Calabrese and Brian Anderson. One sheet will be streamed throughout the round robin and playoffs. A complete game schedule will be announced soon. Live scoring and a stats package also will be incorporated into the coverage courtesy of Gerry Geurts of CurlingZone (www.curlingzone.com).

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
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Five Elements of Curling Technique now available
February 6, 2012
On behalf of USA Curling’s Sport Education program I am pleased to share with our members and clubs the release of our first educational resource, “The Five Elements of Curling Technique©.”

The Five Elements of Curling Technique© manual is the first in what is expected to be a growing library of resources developed by USA Curling in conjunction with many contributing U.S. and international coaches and athletes. The manual is designed to bring world-class curling knowledge and expertise to the curling community by providing a simple format to ensure curlers at every level, will have access to a base of knowledge and technical framework to improve the fundamental skills and delivery details necessary to execute a “perfect shot.”

For U.S. orders, please go to: http://www.four51.com/UI/Customer.aspx?autologonid=98664114-edc1-4de2-91.... USA Curling members are eligible for a member discount on print copies. Look in the April 2012 issue of the Curling News for your members’ promotion code. Simply enter the code on the order form, and your member discount will be applied in the checkout process.

For orders outside of the U.S., please go to http://www.four51.com/UI/Customer.aspx?autologonid=a1f314da-a703-4342-91...

Also, check out 2 great promotional videos for the manual on our YouTube Channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/terryk6276

To read the full press release, click on the PDF below.

Good curling,

Scott Higgins

Director of Sport Education

USA Curling

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Massachusetts men win 2012 Junior Nationals
February 4, 2012
USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
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