FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 16, 2005

Anchorage’s Schultz headed to Olympic Trials for Curling

(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) – Anchorage’s Jessica Schultz is the lone Alaska representative in the field for the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Curling slated Feb. 19-26 in Madison, Wis.

A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Schultz plays second on the Cassie Johnson rink of Bemidji, Minn., and attends the University of Minnesota-Duluth where she is studying to become a radiological technician.

Schultz, 20, joined the Johnson rink this season after playing with Amy Wright last season at the women’s level and skipping her own team at the junior level for Alaska. She was named All-Star skip at the 2004 Junior Nationals after beginning her curling career at age 13.

The Johnson rink goes into the Olympic Trials Feb. 19-26 as the No. 3 ranked team after finishing 4-0 at the Women’s Qualifying Round in Medford, Wis., last month. They recently returned from Karuizawa, Japan, where the team earned a silver medal at the Karuizawa International Bonspiel

The 2006 U.S. Olympic Team Trials also will serve as the World Trials to choose the USA’s entrants at the 2005 Ford World Curling Championships. Ten men’s and 10 women’s team will take part in a round robin. The top four teams will advance to the semifinals on Feb. 25. The Page Playoff System will be used to determine the finalists. The No. 1 ranked team will play the No. 2 ranked team. The winner advances to the final while the loser advances to play the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 4 ranked teams to determine the second finalist. The men’s and women’s finals will take place Feb. 26.

Highlights from the 2006 U.S. Olympic Trials will be aired on the College Sports Television Network at a date to be announced soon.

Curling became a full-medal sport at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The 2006 Olympic Games will take place Feb. 10-26, 2006. The 2010 Olympics will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia.

USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics and AmerAust Technologies as well as by General Motors, Chevron-Texaco and Bank of America through a joint marketing program with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

(30)

For more information: Rick Patzke, USA Curling, rickp@curlingrocks.net, 715-344-1199