FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 26, 2006

Bemidji’s Fenson named USA Curling Coach of the Year

(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) – 2006 Olympic men’s coach Bob Fenson of Bemidji, Minn., has been named the United States Curling Association’s 2006 Coach of the Year.

Fenson, 60, coached the Pete Fenson rink at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, where the team won curling’s first Olympic medal. He also helped this same team to its best finish at the world championships in 2006, where the U.S. men finished fourth.

“It’s an honor to win this award,” Fenson said. “The bronze was right up there, but the highlight for me this season was the way we carried ourselves all year. We played well on the World Curling Tour, won the bronze in Torino, won the Trials and did well at worlds. The whole year was a highlight for me.”

After taking up the sport in 1960, Fenson has excelled both as an athlete and a coach in his career, which has now spanned five decades. He is the first two-time USCA Coach of the Year, having previously won the award in 1997.

Fenson’s coaching tenure began in 1985 after attending a coaching clinic in Duluth, Minn. Shortly after, he helped his son Eric win the first of two junior national titles and compete at the World Junior Championships. His coaching highlights also include working with teams at national, junior national, junior world and world levels.

“I like the challenge of the competition,” Fenson said. “I’ve been really lucky to have coached a lot of talented teams over the years. It makes it a lot easier to coach with the talent level I’ve worked with over the years.”

As an athlete, Fenson won the silver medal at the 2003 World Senior Championships and competed at the 1979 World Men’s Championships, finishing fifth after winning the national title that year. He also competed at three other national championships.

In addition to coaching and competing, Fenson has served the sport of curling on the governance level as well. He served as president of the USCA from 2003-04 and has been on the USCA Board of Directors since 1992, serving on its executive board since 1996. He also served two years as president and five years as vice president of the Minnesota Curling Association and was a member of its board of directors for many years.

When he isn’t making ice or curling on it, Fenson enjoys being outdoors fishing, camping and golfing. Fenson is the curling club manager and icemaker at the Bemidji Curling Club. He is married to Jan and has two sons, Pete and Eric.

The Coach of the Year and Development Coach of the Year awards are determined by the USCA Coaching Committee. Winners of these awards are nominated for the United States Olympic Committee annual coaching awards as well.

USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, AmerAust Technologies, Hilton and Nike as well as by AT&T, General Motors, The Home Depot, and Bank of America through a joint marketing program with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

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For more information: Terry Luder, USA Curling, terry.luder@usacurl.org, 715-344-1199.