Press Coverage

Team USA defeats Canada to win second straight at Women's World Championship
March 19, 2013
The monkey is off Team USA’s back. It had been seven years since the American women defeated Canada at a world championship. That came to a halt as Team USA made a takeout to defeat its neighbors to the north, 5-4, tonight at the 2013 Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women’s Curling Championship.

The last time the American women beat Canada at the World Championships was in 2006 in Grande Prairie, Alberta, which also was the last time the American women medalled at a world championship.

Tonight’s game was high on tension as an extra end was needed for Erika Brown (Oakville, Ontario) and teammates Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) and Ann Swisshelm (Chicago) to defeat Rachel Homan’s rink at the Volvo Sports Center.

“We played a lot sharper. We gave ourselves a good talking to after yesterday with the two losses,” said Brown, who is playing in her eighth world women’s championship. “We knew we had to get it going and get back in the win column. Everyone was just fired up and ready to go today.”

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconw5.pdf

Late steal by Switzerland leads to win over USA

March 19, 2013
A late steal doomed in Erika Brown and Team USA this morning against Switzerland at the 2013 Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women’s Curling Championship.

USA couldn’t carry over the momentum of last night’s big win over Canada into this morning’s game against Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni rink at the Volvo Sports Center as the Swiss won the battle, 7-6.

In a game mostly highlighted with forced singles, Switzerland held a narrow 5-4 lead after eight ends. The backbreaker for Brown (Oakville, Ontario) and teammates Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) and Ann Swisshelm (Chicago) came in the ninth end when the Swiss took advantage of two key misses by the U.S. to steal two points.

“I think we played a good game ... it’s just that one shot that we have to make per end, we were just half making it,” said Swisshelm, a 2003 world champion and five-time U.S. national champion.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconw6_rev.pdf

Field wide open at 2013 Mixed Championship in Willmar
March 19, 2013
No undefeated teams remain and the standings became more complex after Monday's results at the Willmar Curling Club in Willmar, Minn.

Despite a loss to Wisconsin, Washington's Lyle Sieg rink leads the round robin standings with a 4-1 record. Sieg's rink fell to Sean Murray's team, 7-6, in last night's draw. The win improved Murray (Watertown, Wis.) and teammates Heather Betzhold (Hartland, Wis.), Mike Graziano (Lansdale, Pa.) and Paige Caulum (Middleton, Wis.) to 3-1, which puts them in a tie for second place with Connecticut's Derek Surka rink, 10-2 winners over New Jersey's Dennis Mellerup last evening.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond3.pdf

Washington, New Jersey remain undefeated at 2013 Mixed Championship
March 18, 2013
After four sessions of play at the 2013 USA Curling Mixed National Championship, two teams remain undefeated at the Willmar Curling Club in Willmar, Minn.

New Jersey's Dennis Mellerup earned two wins on Sunday. Mellerup (Hoboken, N.J.) and teammates Nina Reiniger (New York, N.Y.), Aaron Dubberley (Rahway, N.J.) and Patricia Heffner (Lebanon, N.J.) defeated Greg Wilson's Illinois rink, 6-4, in the morning session and then stole a single in the 10th end to defeat Sean Murray's Wisconsin rink, 7-6.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond2.pdf

USA downs Denmark to even record
March 18, 2013
A solid shooting performance this afternoon helped Team USA even its record at the 2013 Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women's Curling Championship.

Erika Brown made a takeout with the last rock of the game to secure a 7-6 victory over Denmark's Lene Nielsen rink at the Volvo Sports Center.

Brown (Oakville, Ontario) and teammates Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) and Ann Swisshelm (Chicago) shot 80 percent as a team with Brown shooting 90 - her best performance of the week. The win improves the Americans to 2-2 in the 11-game round robin and puts a halt to the team's two-game losing skid.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconw4.pdf

Mixed Championship underway in Willmar
March 17, 2013
The battle for the 2013 USA Curling Mixed National Championship got underway Saturday night at the Willmar Curling Club with 10 teams vying to become national champions.

Washington is the defending region but with a new team this season representing the Evergreen State as Lyle Sieg's rink delivered a 7-4 win to open the tournament. Sieg (Tacoma, Wash.) and teammates Miyo Konno (Monroe, Wash.), Steve Lundeen (Seattle) and Jennifer Westhagen (Seattle) scored in the first two ends against North Dakota's Kelby Smith rink and held on for an eventual 7-4 victory at the Willmar Civic Center in Willmar, Minn.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond1.pdf

Germany sweeps past Team USA
March 17, 2013
Team USA could not complete the comeback to defeat two-time world champion Andrea Schopp as the American ladies fell to Germany, 6-5, this morning at the 2013 Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women's Curling Championship.

Erika Brown (Oakville, Ontario) and teammates Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) and Ann Swisshelm (Chicago) tied the game in the ninth end with a big steal but struggled with draw weight in the 10th end.

"I felt like everyone was playing well. It's just one of those games," McCormick said after the loss. "She [Schopp] made a lot of key shots when it looked like we were going to get our deuce. She's a great curler." Team USA outshot its opponent - 82 percent to Germany's 77. The win improves Schopp's team to 2-0 and puts them in a tie with Switzerland for first place.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconw2.pdf

Sweden defeats USA on last rock at Women's Worlds
March 17, 2013
Team USA's match tonight felt similar to a game of cat-and-mouse with the Americans in constant pursuit of the Swedes at the Volvo Sports Center. Erika Brown and the U.S. ladies would eventually lose that chase, 9-8.

It was a game of missed opportunities for the Americans with Sweden's Margaretha Sigfridsson rink as they had several chances to score multiple points per end and could not cash in at the 2013 Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women's Curling Championship.

Brown (Oakville, Ontario) and teammates Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) and Ann Swisshelm (Chicago) kept on battling and took the Swedes to the last rock before dropping their second straight game.

"We had situations where we gave them easy points - two points - and that's obviously the difference in the game when you lose by one," said Swisshelm, who won the world crown in 2003. "I think we'll make sure that doesn't happen again."

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf iconw3.pdf