Press Coverage

Defending Club Nationals champs open competition with win
March 3, 2013
The defending champions from Washington kept their win streak from last year going with an opening win as the 2013 USA Curling Club National Championships kicked off at the Exmoor Curling Club in Highland Park, Ill.

Em Good and her Granite Curling Club team of Jill Lamberts (Seattle), Jennifer Westhagen (Seattle) and Hannah Volkman (Shoreline, Wash.) earned a 9-6 win over California's Sarah Walsh rink representing the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club. The Good rink was trailing 4-2 at the halfway mark but turned up the offense in the second half, scoring multiple points each time the team had last rock to fuel the win.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond1.pdf

Denmark gets past USA ladies
March 3, 2013
A momentum swing late in the game propelled Denmark to a 7-5 win over Miranda Solem and Team USA this morning at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

In the seventh end at the Ice Cube Curling Center, Solem (Cohasset, Minn.) and teammates Vicky Persinger (Fairbanks, Alaska), Karlie Koenig (Delafield, Wis.) and Cory Christensen (Duluth, Minn.) had the choice to draw for two or play a tougher shot - a wick for three. The result was worst-case scenario as Solem's stone over-curled a bit and actually ended up putting the Danish stone in scoring position. That gave Denmark's Stephanie Nielsen Risdal a two-point lead and, most importantly, momentum.

"We got off to kind of a slow start in the game but it picked up. There were shots made on both sides. They gave me an opening in the seventh for three. It was a bit tricky. I released it and thought it was made and it just took off," said Solem. "That was the turning point, giving up a steal there. It was a momentum shift, and we were battling from then on out ... it just didn't work out in our favor."

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond8.pdf

Host Russia slides by USA men
March 3, 2013
The host of the 2013 World Junior Championships wasn't hospitable on the ice today as the Russian men had a near flawless performance in defeating the American men this afternoon at the Ice Cube Curling Center.

Korey Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.) and teammates Tom Howell (Brick, N.J.), Mark Fenner (Bemidji, Minn.) and Alex Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) missed key opportunities to score multiple points in today's 9-3 loss to Russia's Evgeny Arkhipov rink.

Team USA, one of the youngest rinks in this year's World Junior Championships field, has now lost two games in a row. "We just have to make shots. That's all it is; it's no secret," said Fenson, 18, who is the son of 2006 Olympic bronze medalist Pete Fenson.

The Russians, who entered the game in the top two in shooting percentage at every position, improve to 3-2 in the standings while the U.S. team drops to 2-3 as the round robin eclipses the halfway point.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond9.pdf

Solem and Co. earn third win in Sochi
March 3, 2013
The Swiss ladies needed curling's version of "From Russia With Love" as they sought a decoder for lengthening the 73-minute time allotment given per team to complete play tonight at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

Up three points without the last-rock advantage, Team USA won via forfeit as Switzerland's Michelle Gribi rink ran out of time before the last rock was thrown at the Ice Cube Curling Center. [Per the World Curling Federation's rules, no score is given when a game is lost via forfeit, just a simple W/L to indicate the result.]

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond10.pdf

Italy steals win over American men
March 2, 2013
The American men bowed to Italy on a last rock steal tonight at the 2013 World Junior Championships at the Ice Cube Curling Center.

A messy 10th end gave 17-year-old USA skip Korey Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.) a tough shot for the win, but Team USA lost the battle by an inch.

The U.S. team led the game through seven ends but was unable to hold back Italy’s rally. “They set their game up from the third end on,” Dropkin said. “We started missing shots, and they started making shots … so there’s nothing much you can do about that. The game turned around and I had a shot to win, but missed it.”

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond7_rev.pdf

USA ladies earn 8-3 win over Norway to improve to 1-1
March 1, 2013
Miranda Solem led Team USA to an 8-3 win this morning as the American ladies earned their first win at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

Solem (Cohasset, Minn.) and teammates Vicky Persinger (Fairbanks, Alaska), Karlie Koenig (Delafield, Wis.) and Chelsea Solem (Cohasset, Minn.) controlled nearly every end as they defeated Norway's Kristine Davanager rink at the Ice Cube Curling Center.

"It feels really nice to get a win," said Persinger, 20, who is playing in her first world championship. "I think our rock placement was a little better this game and we were getting the rolls that we weren't quite getting before." The win improves the American ladies to 1-1 in the round robin standings. Norway drops to 0-2.

Games this morning were delayed 30 minutes as the buses transporting the teams got lost on the way to the arena. Despite the late arrival and tardy start, the U.S. ladies got right to work on the ice.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond4.pdf

American ladies start a win streak in Sochi
March 1, 2013
The American ladies have officially started a win streak at the 2013 World Junior Championships at the Ice Cube Curling Center.

Team USA’s Miranda Solem (Cohasset, Minn.), Vicky Persinger (Fairbanks, Alaska), Karlie Koenig (Delafield, Wis.) and Chelsea Solem (Cohasset, Minn.) took down one of the top teams tonight with a 7-3 defeat of Sweden’s Sarah McManus rink.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond5.pdf

American men now 2-1 in Sochi
March 1, 2013
The American men cashed in on opportunities to defeat Switzerland this morning as the round robin continues at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

Korey Dropkin led Team USA to a 6-3 defeat of Switzerland's Andre Neuenschwander rink at the Ice Cube Curling Center. Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.) and teammates Tom Howell (Brick, N.J.), Mark Fenner (Bemidji, Minn.) and Alex Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) improve to 2-1 in the nine-game round robin.

"The win today was definitely important. We want to be at the top of the pack to obviously give ourselves a little more room. We want to be as close to the top as we can," said Fenner, 18, who is finishing his senior year of high school in Bemidji. With the win, the Americans are now tied for third place with Canada, Italy and Sweden behind the undefeated Scottish and Norwegian rinks.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond6.pdf