Facts and notes about the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Curling

 

  • The Olympic Trials will take place Feb. 19-26 at the Madison Curling Club in McFarland, Wis. The 2006 Olympic Games will take place in Torino, Italy, in February 2006. The winning men’s and women’s teams will represent the USA at the 2006 Olympics and at the 2005 World Curling Championships.
  • Six sheets of ice will be used at the venue for the competition, meaning each draw will feature up to six games.
  • The Olympic Trials format will be a seeded, single round robin. The top four teams will advance to the Page System of playoffs. Team #1 plays Team #2 with the winner advancing to the final game. Team #3 plays Team #4 with the loser eliminated. The winner of #3 vs. #4 game will play the loser of the #1 vs. #2 game with the winner advancing to the final and the loser receiving the bronze medal.
  • Games are scheduled to go 10 ends, but teams may concede after six ends if they choose. Each end (like an inning) takes about 15 minutes to play, so a regulation game lasts approximately 2 ¾ hours. If games are tied after 10 ends, extra ends are played as needed.
  • The U.S. Curling Association does not field a national team as you find in many other sports. The players form their own teams, and qualified for the Trials as a specific team. The same applies for the Olympics, although teams that carry only four players into the Trials will add a fifth player for the Olympics.
  • A block of rooms for media has been set aside at the following hotels:
    • Wingate Inn, 3510 Mill Pond Road, Madison, WI  53718, 608-224-1500, www.wingateinns.com.
    • Sheraton Madison, 708 John Nolen Drive, Madison, WI  53713, 608-251-2300, www.sheraton.com/madison
    • The Madison Concourse Hotel, 1 West Dayton St., Madison, WI  53703, 608-257-6000, www.concoursehotel.com
    • More information about Trials accommodations can be found on the USA curling web site at www.usacurl.org, via the “Olympic Trials” link.

 

  • On-site media services, including phones and dial-up lines will be available. Please complete the enclosed accreditation form.
  • Complete results will be available immediately after each draw. There also will be end-by-end coverage on the official web site. A Web cast also will be broadcast via the USCA web site. 
  • A media accreditation form can be downloaded from the USCA web site at http://www.usacurl.org/media-acf04.htm and also is included in this packet.