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Wisconsin leads mixed field |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2010
Wisconsin leads 2010 U.S. Mixed National Championship field
(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) - Wisconsin's Lori Karst rink is the lone undefeated team after knocking off the defending champions, 7-0, Monday afternoon at the 2010 U.S. Mixed National Championship at the Chicago Curling Club.
Karst (Madison, Wis.) and teammates David Carlson (Portage, Wis.), Angela Montgomery (Fitchburg, Wis.) and Dan Wiza (Waunakee, Wis.) scored in the game's first three ends to build a 4-0 lead and didn't allow Brady Clark's team from Washington to score in the shutout to improve to 4-0 in the round robin.
Al Gulseth's North Dakota I rink is tied with Clark's team for second place after getting past fellow North Dakotan Russell Heier, 11-3. Gulseth (Moorhead, Minn.) and his Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club teammates Michelle Wagner (Fargo, N.D.), Mark Gulseth (Aberdeen, S.D.) and Patty Olesen (Fargo, N.D.) broke away in the fifth end when they scored six points and never looked back.
2004 mixed champion Steve Shuttleworth (Fairbanks, Alaska) picked up Alaska's first win with a 9-6 defeat of Jeff Wright's rink from Illinois. California's Lyle Sieg pushed his record to 2-1 with a 12-2 defeat of Todd Gault's Michigan rink.
The round robin continues through Thursday with the playoffs and medal games taking place on Saturday.
Game scores: California 12, Michigan 2; North Dakota I 11, North Dakota II 3; Wisconsin 7, Washington 0; Alaska 9, Illinois 6
Standings:
Wisconsin 4-0
Washington 3-1
North Dakota I 3-1
Minnesota 2-1
California 2-1
Illinois 1-3
Michigan 1-3
North Dakota II 1-3
Alaska 1-2
Connecticut 0-3
USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, Nike, bitRail, Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky and is partnered with CurlingZone.
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For more information: Terry Kolesar, USA Curling,
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, 608-338-9900 (cell), 715-344-1199, Ext. 202 (office)
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USA knocks off Norway to earn 4th win |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2010
USA knocks off Norway to improve to 4-1 at 2010 World Women's Championship
(SWIFT CURRENT, Saskatchewan) - It was a perfect Monday for Team USA as Erika Brown drew to the button with the last rock this afternoon to stamp another mark in the win column at the 2010 Ford World Women's Curling Championship at the Credit Union I-plex.
Brown (Oakville, Ontario/Madison, Wis.) and teammates Nina Spatola (McFarland, Wis.), Ann Swisshelm (Chicago), Laura Hallisey (Medfield, Mass.) and Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) picked up their fourth win of the round robin with an 8-7 defeat of Linn Githmark's Norway team. Their 4-1 mark is good enough for second place. Canada remains in first place after getting past Latvia, 12-6.
"We're very happy with how the team is playing," Spatola said. "I think we had a couple rough spots but each game we're getting better and better. It was like this at the Nationals too so I think we're really starting to get into a groove."
With two worlds rookies (Spatola and Hallisey), a past world champion and Olympian (Swisshelm) and a six-time worlds participant and two-time Olympian (Brown) at the helm, the blend of youth and experience is working well for the U.S. Also added in to the mix is 2006 Olympian and newly added alternate Schultz, whose team lost to Brown's in the women's national championship less than two weeks ago.
"It's our first time playing at worlds and Erika and Ann have made it so easy," said Hallisey, a pharmacy student at Villanova University. "They're giving us tips all the time about everything, which is helpful. They realize that we're going to be nervous at times, and they are really understanding. It's really nice having two of us that are new though. At night we can go back to our room and digest the day together."
Although Spatola twice represented the U.S. at the World Juniors, moving up to the women's ranks is a new atmosphere, she said.
"This is totally different. You have to get used to the crowds and playing against older athletes who have so much more experience," said Spatola, a nursing student at Edgewood College in Madison, Wis. Brown's father, Steve Brown, was one of Spatola's first junior coaches and instrumental in bringing Spatola and Erika Brown together two seasons ago.
Norway was the first team to jump on the scoreboard today as they'd earn a deuce in the first 15 minutes. The Americans had the deuce set up until Norway made a double takeout and the house was empty, resulting in a blank end. But the U.S. would capitalize on a miss by Githmark in the next end as Brown drew in for two.
The U.S. got the steal set up in the fourth end, but Githmark was able to sneak past the stone in the top of the house and keep her shooter in the eight-foot for a single. Norway had the U.S. in trouble in the fifth with three rocks in the house scattered behind guards but Brown was able to draw past them for a single.
Norway missed its final shot of the sixth and the U.S. stole two points for a 5-3 edge. After mustering a single, Norway got a stone buried behind five guards in the four foot in the eighth but the Americans battled back and opened up a port wide enough for Brown to come down to make a tap-back for a key deuce to extend the lead to 7-4 with two ends to play.
The Americans got right back to work in the ninth with two stones in the house but Brown would jam her first rock and push her own out to allow Norway to get a third stone in the house. Githmark would eventually convert the open takeout for three and tie the game.
Playing the 10th with hammer advantage, the U.S. missed peeling a guard and allowed Githmark to sneak around it to the button. Brown chipped it out and Githmark again snuck past it with a lot of yelling and heavy sweeping from her front-end. The seasoned veteran Brown was left to draw to the Ford logo on the button for the win.
The U.S. has the next two draws off but return to the ice at 1:30 tomorrow against Denmark (2-2) and face Canada (4-0) in the night draw. The11-game round robin continues through Thursday. The Page Playoffs get underway Friday night. The medal games are set for Sunday.
Universal Sports is webstreaming select USA games throughout the tournament. Check it out at http://www.universalsports.com/curling/. In addition, Universal will broadcast several games post-tournament. Learn more at www.usacurl.org/curlingrocks.
USA line score:
USA 002 012 020 1 8
*Norway 200 100 103 0 7
*last rock in first end
Game scores: Canada 12, Latvia 6; USA 8, Norway 7; Sweden 8, Japan 5; Switzerland 7, Russia 6 (extra end)
Standings:
Canada 4-0
USA 4-1
Scotland 3-1
Sweden 3-1
Russia 3-2
Denmark 2-2
Germany 2-2
China 1-3
Norway 1-3
Switzerland 1-3
Japan 1-4
Latvia 1-4
USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, Nike, bitRail, Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky and is partnered with CurlingZone.
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For more information: Terry Kolesar, USA Curling,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, 608-338-9900 (cell), 715-344-1199, Ext. 202 (office)
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USA gets big win over Germany to improve to 3-1 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2010
Big win over Germany improves USA to 3-1 at 2010 World Women's Championship
(SWIFT CURRENT, Saskatchewan) - The Erika Brown Express delivered offense today as often as the trains zoom through Swift Current making deliveries along the farmlands of Saskatchewan as the Americans improved to 3-1 at the 2010 Ford World Women's Curling Championship at the Credit Union I-plex.
"We were a little down last night after the loss," Brown said about the 7-6 defeat at the hands of worlds rookie Latvia yesterday. "But we knew we had big games today and just wanted get back out there and play well."
And indeed the team played well, shooting 84 percent - their best performance in four games to put themselves in a three-way tie with Russia and Scotland for second place behind undefeated Canada.
Brown (Oakville, Ontario/Madison, Wis.) and teammates Nina Spatola (McFarland, Wis.), Ann Swisshelm (Chicago), Laura Hallisey (Medfield, Mass.) and Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) handed Germany's Andrea Schopp rink a 12-8 loss with a game highlighted by a lot of offense.
"It was an adventure. I had a pretty good target though," Brown said after making the takeout to score four in the 10th.
Twice the Americans scored four-enders, none more critical then the 10th end when Swisshelm delivered a triple takeout to hand the game to the Americans.
"Threes yesterday, fours today, what will tonight hold in store for us? Hopefully, not fives," Brown said in reference to the back-and-forth big ends the U.S. has scored but then allowed this week.
The teams exchanged singles in the first two ends as pressure was applied on the skips to score. In the third end, a big pile of rocks was behind the corner guards on the right side of the house but the four-foot remained open. Schopp stuck her final stone in the four-foot, but Brown used one of her own to raise two German stones out and earn four.
After limiting Germany to another single in the fourth, the U.S. answered with one more point with a takeout by Brown to extend the lead to 6-2.
Germany had a solid end set up in the sixth as the Americans were short with their draws several times, allowing the Germans to nest three stones around the house. Brown drew down into the four-foot with her last one but left it as easy picking for the hit-happy German skip to tie the game.
Brown made another tap-back in the seventh to remove the German rock and save the Americans to score a single. A fairly routine ninth end left Germany with two stones across the house from each other to set up the deuce to tie the game.
Hallisey placed her first stone perfectly behind the center guard that Germany put up to start the 10th. After the German lead froze to it, Hallisey followed down to the four-foot to put two in scoring contention. Germany had three rocks just above the tee-line with the U.S. lying two behind it. Swisshelm made the triple takeout to clean out the house and the U.S. continued to play defense leaving Brown with an open hit for the win.
The Americans return to the ice at 1:30 (local time) today to play Norway (1-2).
Universal Sports is webstreaming select USA games throughout the tournament. Check it out at http://www.universalsports.com/curling/. In addition, Universal will broadcast several games post-tournament. Learn more at www.usacurl.org/curlingrocks.
USA line score:
Germany 010 104 002 0 8
*USA 104 010 110 4 12
*last rock in first end
Game scores: China 8, Latvia 2; Scotland 11, Japan 2; Russia 10, Denmark 2; USA 12, Germany 4
Standings:
Canada 3-0
USA 3-1
Russia 3-1
Scotland 3-1
Sweden 2-1
Germany 2-2
Norway 1-2
Denmark 2-2
China 1-3
Japan 1-3
Latvia 1-3
Switzerland 0-3
USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, Nike, bitRail, Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky and is partnered with CurlingZone.
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For more information: Terry Kolesar, USA Curling,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, 608-338-9900 (cell), 715-344-1199, Ext. 202 (office)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2010
USA now 2-1 at 2010 World Women's Championship
(SWIFT CURRENT, Saskatchewan) - Erika Brown and Team USA fell from the unbeaten ranks Sunday afternoon with a 7-6 last-rock loss to Latvia at the 2010 Ford World Women's Curling Championship at the Credit Union I-plex.
"We had a lot of good chances and I didn't play them properly, that's the way it goes," said Brown, who twice won silver at the worlds (1999 and 1996) and is competing in her sixth overall. "Our team is playing pretty well. I had some bad misses today and it cost us, but generally I thought the team played well."
Brown (Oakville, Ontario/Madison, Wis.) and teammates Nina Spatola (McFarland, Wis.), Ann Swisshelm (Chicago), Laura Hallisey (Medfield, Mass.) and Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) are 2-1 in the 11-game round robin. They'll return to the ice at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow to take on Germany's Andrea Schopp rink.
"We got into trouble in a couple of ends, and I was able to bail us out, but I missed some easy ones," Brown said. "We're going to come back tomorrow and try to get another couple more 'Ws.'"
The Americans held a 4-1 early advantage but allowed Latvia to score three points in the eighth end to tie the game 5-5. The U.S. ladies were limited to a single in the eighth and then let Latvia to set up the deuce for the win in the 10th.
With the win, Iveta Stasa-Sarsune rink won Latvia's first game ever at a world women's championship.
"The Latvians made a lot of good draws, and she made the last one," Brown said.
The U.S. started day one of the tournament with two wins over teams that just competed in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games - 8-6 over Russia and 10-3 against Japan.
USA line score:
USA 002 110 101 0 6
*Latvia 010 001 030 2 7
*last rock in first end
Game scores: Latvia 7, USA 6; Sweden 9, Norway 5; Russia 7, Japan 6; Canada 6, Switzerland 4
Standings:
Canada 2-0
Germany 2-0
USA 2-1
Russia 2-1
Sweden 1-1
Scotland 1-1
Norway 1-1
Denmark 1-1
Japan 1-2
Latvia 1-2
China 0-2
Switzerland 0-2
USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, Nike, bitRail, Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky and is partnered with CurlingZone.
(30)
For more information: Terry Kolesar, USA Curling,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, 608-338-9900 (cell), 715-344-1199, Ext. 202 (office)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2010
USA finishes fourth at 2010 Paralympic Winter Games
(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) -Augusto Perez and Team USA couldn't put a bronze glow on their finish at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games as Sweden knocked the Americans off the medal stand with a 7-5 defeat in the bronze medal game tonight. Canada repeated as champion.
For the second straight year at this venue, Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.) and teammates Patrick McDonald (Orangevale, Calif.), James Pierce (North Syracuse, N.Y.), Jacqui Kapinowski (Point Pleasant, N.J.) and James Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.) finish fourth and without a medal to go with the bronze they earned in 2008 at the worlds.
"That's the way the cookie crumbles. You gotta look at where we've come since Torino. This year we made it back to the medal rounds again," said Perez, a two-time world champion in outrigger canoe.
The U.S. improved from 2-5 in Torino to 7-4 here this week at the Vancouver Olympic Centre.
"It was a good run," McDonald said. "For me, being a first-time Paralympian, this experience was amazing."
The win today for Jalle Jugnell's Swedish team tops a trying last few days as their vice skip was disqualified yesterday due to a failed drug test for the use of a beta blocker called metoprolol.
Much like many of the other U.S. games this week, the bronze-medal match had a dramatic finish but this time it wasn't for a win for the Americans. Needing to steal a single to force an extra end, USA's Kapinowski got her second stone buried in the four foot and the U.S. protected it until Jungnell made a tap-back of one of his stones in the top of the rings to push it about a quarter of an inch closer to the button than the U.S. stone. The U.S. debated for about four minutes as to whether to try a tough raise that really wouldn't produce much or to draw around the guards and hope the stone would curl enough to make the difference. The end result was the raise attempt that didn't change the outcome. Jungnell opted not to throw his last stone, confident that the measurement would be in his favor.
"We did consider the draw but we didn't think we could bend it enough to count. We thought the rock would hang out too far. We had the right idea with our last shot but it was a tough raise," Perez said. "That was a crappy shot."
The U.S. started all 11 games of the tournament with the last rock in the first end. Today it didn't help them as the Americans got off to a horrible start, spotting Sweden three points when the U.S. accidentally kept bumping Swedish stones toward the button. With Sweden already having one stone tucked behind the center guard, McDonald bumped in a second Swedish rock and the U.S. was scrambling for an answer in the first end. Perez was unable to tap his stone forward for any points and actually promoted one more Swedish rock up for the three-point steal.
"Instead of trying to tap, a hit and roll was the better call," Perez said after the game.
Despite the slow start, the U.S. tried to get the offense rolling throughout the rest of the match but Sweden met them shot for shot.
Kapinowski , who has finished 52 marathons, got two stones in the house for the U.S. in the second end and things were evolving better but the U.S. was still limited to just a single. Pierce converted a double takeout to limit the Swedes in the third end to a single as well. With the last-rock advantage back in hand, the U.S. tied the game in the fourth with a critical three points as the Americans protected two stones around the four-foot and Perez tapped forward the third to get back in the game.
They'd force Sweden to a single again in the fifth and got to work in the sixth end but things didn't go as planned as Perez ended up drawing against three Swedish rocks but was heavy and floated his stone to the back of the eight foot to give a point to Sweden. The seventh end unraveled much like the sixth with Sweden piling in the stones and the U.S. chasing and missing out on opportunities.
Canada's Jim Armstrong rink held off a late rally from Korea's Haksung Kim to earn the gold in front of just under 5,000 cheering fans. The gold-medal game concluded about 10 seconds after the measurement in the bronze-medal game was determined.
A draw for four by Armstrong in the fourth end and it looked like it was lights-out time for Korea. But the resilient crew battled back and scored a deuce in the fifth end. Korea got two stones molded onto the button in the sixth end that would last throughout the end as Armstrong was unable to remove them with an up-weight takeout as Korea inched closer. Korea would steal one more after getting two stones in the house and Armstrong could only chip one out. Korea tried in earnest to extend the game but Armstrong clinched the gold medal with takeout.
"It's tremendous and it's overwhelming," Armstrong said. "This game really showed that the best part of Wheelchair Curling is that no lead is safe."
"It wasn't that we were playing bad in the second half. They [Korea] were just making their shots and started whittling away at the lead," Armstrong said.
NBC will air a two-hour highlights program from the 2010 Paralympic Games on NBC Sports from 3-5 p.m. ET on April 10.
The official site of the U.S. Paralympic Team, www.usparalympics.org, will also offer daily video and news highlights of the competition from Vancouver. Also check out www.paralympicsport.tv for on- demand feeds.
Bronze medal line score:
*USA 010 300 10 5
Sweden 301 011 01 7
Gold-medal line score:
*Canada 310 400 00 8
Korea 001 022 11 7
*last stone in first end
Final rankings:
1. Canada (gold)
2. Korea (silver)
3. Sweden (bronze)
4. USA
5. Italy
6. Great Britain
7. Switzerland
8. Germany
9. Norway
10. Japan
USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, Nike, bitRail, Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky and is partnered with CurlingZone.
(30)
For more information: Terry Kolesar, USA Curling,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, 608-338-9900 (cell), 715-344-1199, Ext. 202 (office)
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Order of Merit: USA National Championships
