Press Coverage

Team World maintains modest lead at Cup
January 13, 2012
USA's Pete Fenson rink was in the driver's seat for most of the match tonight but the end result was a tie in the final round of men's team competition at the 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling.

In the race to 201 points, Team World continues to have a slight lead over Team North America, 66-42, after two days of action at the Langley Events Centre. After a dominating performance last year when the Cup was nearly won by Saturday morning for Team North America, the Canada-USA teams have not yet won a round (four have resulted in ties while Team World won two rounds earlier). Tomorrow the point values increase as the skins and singles competitions begin. Both American teams are scheduled to take part in the "A" skins while USA's mother-daughter team of Patti Lank and Mackenzie Lank of Lewiston, N.Y., will also participate in mixed skins.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond6.pdf

China outlasts American women in opening round of 2012 Cup
January 12, 2012
The 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling didn't get off to quite the start the American ladies had hoped for. Patti Lank and her American teammates lost their opening match, 6-5, to Team North America's Bingyu "Betty" Wang's team from China this morning at the Langley Events Centre.

North America's Stefanie Lawton defeated the Swedish world champs, 11-3, and 2011 Canadian champion Amber Holland split six points with Scotland's Eve Muirhead rink as they tied 5-5 in other matches this morning in women's team competition to put the scoreboard even at nine points per side. The teams are competing in team, mixed doubles, singles and skins competitions over four days in the race to 201 points for the Cup title.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond1.pdf

Spatola, Rojeski tackle mixed doubles at 2012 Cup
January 12, 2012
USA's Nina Spatola and Shawn Rojeski helped contribute to Team North America's points total this afternoon in mixed doubles action at the 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling at the Langley Events Centre.

Spatola (McFarland, Wis.) teamed up with Canada's Wayne Middaugh against Team World's duo of Tom Brewster of Scotland and China's Qingshuang Yue. The game resulted in a 7-7 tie to split the six available points. It was a similar outcome for Rojeski (Chisholmn, Minn.), who teamed up with Canada's Marliese Kasner, against Team World's Thomas Ulsrud of Norway and Cissi Ostlund of Sweden, 9-9. In the third mixed doubles match, Team World's Anette Norberg and Sebastian Kraupp (both of Sweden) defeated North America's Reid Carruthers and Kim Schneider (both of Canada), 8-4. That outright win gave Team World a six point advantage in the overall standings, 21-15, after two rounds of action.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond2.pdf

Team World takes narrow lead after day 1 at the Cup
January 12, 2012
The American men led by Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) struggled in the team's 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling debut tonight as the first round of men's team competition got underway at the Langley Events Centre.

Team Fenson, making its second consecutive appearance at the Continental Cup, were anemic on offense tonight against Team World's Tom Brewster rink of Scotland. Fenson and his team of Shawn Rojeski (Chisholm, Minn.), Joe Polo (Duluth, Minn.) and Ryan Brunt (Bemidji, Minn.) found difficulty with broom placement and the rocks throughout the match in an eventual 7-1 loss.

"I struggled a little bit early in the game putting the broom down and just getting it the exact spot," said seven-time U.S. champion Fenson. "This ice is really good but just a little sensitive. Joe had a couple of rocks that we had trouble with. I really had trouble with them most of the game. We knew we had 'em ... I just wasn't able to get it just right. We had a couple of different problems with them. Our guards got a little close to the house a couple of times but mostly we struggled with Joe's rocks."

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond3.pdf

Brazil withdraws from Americas Challenge
January 10, 2012
Brazil has formally withdrawn its challenge to the United States for the final Americas berth at the 2012 World Men's Curling Championship in Basel, Switzerland.

"It is with great regret that we have to withdraw from the America's Challenge. As a result of recently losing our team coach, the team feels they are not playing well enough to constitute a proper and fit challenge to Team USA for the last remaining place at the 2012 World Men's Championship," according to the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation. All five Brazilian nationals - Luis Silva, Celso Kossaka, Marcelo Mello, Cesar Santos and Filipe Nunes - are currently training in Quebec, Canada, at the Lennoxville Curling Club.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconamericas_challenge_cancelled.pdf

USA's curlers set to depart for Youth Olympic Games
January 9, 2012
Curling's members of Team USA depart this week to prepare for the start of the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games, which get underway with opening ceremonies on Friday in Innsbruck, Austria.

Team USA's curling team is composed of Korey Dropkin(Southborough, Mass.), Sarah Anderson (Broomall, Pa.), Thomas Howell (Brick, N.J.) and Taylor Anderson (Broomall, Pa.). They are coached by Wally Henry (Beaver Dam, Wis.), who coached the 2010 Olympic women's team in Vancouver. The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games will run Jan. 13-22 with traditional curling and mixed doubles competitions as well as alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, ski jumping, snowboarding and speedskating.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconyog_preview.pdf

Four more Nationals spots earned
January 8, 2012
Two-time Olympian John Shuster will make another appearance at the USA Curling National Championships after winning the A bracket at the Grand Forks qualifier as the Men's National Qualifying Round continued at four sites this weekend. Three more teams earned spots tonight as well.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconqr3_rev.pdf

North Dakota's Sampson rink earns Nationals berth
January 8, 2012
North Dakota's Owen Sampson rink grabbed the final available berth to the 2012 National Championships from the Men's Qualifying Round as the event concluded tonight at four curling clubs across the United States. The three remaining spots up for grabs will be determined from the Challenge Round, which will take place Jan. 19-22 in Eau Claire, Wis.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconqr4.pdf