The huge USA Olympic Trials preview
Multiple paragraphs on all 12 teams.
Welp. This is it. Six womens and six mens teams spent four years throwing the best curling shots they could to get to the Olympics, and they’re one bonspiel away from it.
The fields are admittedly lopsided toward one dominant team each, but that doesn’t mean that any team could have the week of their dreams and become an honorific that can never be taken away: Olympians.
I like that they expanded the fields to six teams. Four years ago you may recall that they just went with four mens teams and three womens teams, then Todd Birr got out his powerpoints and convinced the selection committee to be the fifth team, then finished tied for second, losing the tiebreaker. Anyway, that’s all ancient history. It’s nice to have some reasonable depth.
So in honor of all the teams who made it this far, I’m going to introduce them, show how they got formed and what they’ve done since 2017 (unless the team formed after that, in which case the paragraphs will be shorter.) And I’m not going to make predictions, because they are almost always wrong, but there are certainly teams that are more likely to do better than others.
Men’s Division
Team Shuster
John Shuster
Chris Plys
Matt Hamilton
John Landsteiner
How they qualified: Winning the 2020 USA championship.
How they formed: You know the story. Rejected from the HP program, got their act together, won the championship, got let back in. Since the Olympics, they’ve had just one change. Plys replaced Tyler George, who retired competitively and became a goodwill ambassador to every curling club in America, a sweet gig he totally deserves. Shuster and Landsteiner have been teammates for 10 years now, and Shuster and Hamilton have been together for eight. Shuster and Plys were previously teammates at the 2010 Olympics (Plys was the alternate), and in 2008 (the same year Plys’ junior team won world junior gold - with Matt Hamilton)
What they’ve done since: Won national championships in 2019 and 2020. Twice finished in the top six at world men’s (including the Calgary Bubble). This season they reached the semifinals of the US Curling Open, helped film Curling Night In America, and made the quarterfinals of the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard. Oh and they lost a 1-end game to James Corden.
Synopsis: Adding Plys improved this team in terms of shotmaking. Winning the gold medal gave this team unlimited confidence. I’m not really sure what’s left to say about this team that hasn’t been said. They started out as the punchline of the sport with poor showings at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. They kept at it and now we’re proud and lucky to have them as our country’s finest team. Everybody on this team understands their role and executes it to near perfection. They’re the face of the sport in the country and they’re the team to beat. It’s very likely going to be Shuster’s fifth straight Winter Olympics.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 21-7
Team Dropkin (“Young Bucks”)
Korey Dropkin
Joe Polo
Mark Fenner
Tom Howell
Alex Fenson
How they qualified: Winning the 2021 national championship.
How they formed: Dropkin and Howell were the frontend on Heath McCormick’s team that lost to Shuster in the 2017 Trials. Once that team disbanded, their own HP team was formed with Fenner at skip and Howell at third. Polo was later brought in as the fifth to add the missing element to this otherwise good but green team. Dropkin was promoted to skip in the 2019-20 season, and this year Polo is now the regular third.
What they’ve done since: They finished fourth and fifth at the 2019 and 2020 nationals before winning the 2021 championship in the Wausau Bubble. In the 2020 Canadian Open, they beat Mouat (!) and Dunstone to qualify A-side before losing to McEwen in the quarterfinals. This season they went 2-3 in the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard and made the semis of the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard.
Synopsis: If there’s a team that can realistically pull this off, here they are. Who knows if they would’ve won the 2021 title if Shuster was in the field. Likely not. But this is a confident team with a skip that is overwhelmingly positive and curious. It’s the American analog to Team Bottcher. They are largely the reason we’re not pencilling Team Shuster into Beijing just yet.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 16-12
Team Brundidge
Jed Brundidge
Evan Workin
Cameron Rittenour
Lance Wheeler
Nic Wagner
How they qualified: Runner up at the 2021 national championship.
How they formed: Brundidge, Rittenour, and Workin have been playing together since 2017. They began with Rittenour at skip, then added Wagner in 2019. However after the 2020 championships, Wagner was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and stepped back as the alternate. (He’s in remission.) They brought in Wheeler, a former Division III hockey player, at second.
What they’ve done since: Fifth at 2018 nationals, ninth in 2019, last place in 2020, and then second in 2021. They played in six cashspiels this year, finishing 10-17, reaching one tiebreaker.
Synopsis: Not going to lie, it was quite a surprise to see Brundidge as the third team in, based mostly on their finishes in 2019 and 2020. But getting that goal out of the way allowed them to set their own training schedule, and they opted for a jam-packed spiel calendar, starting with the US Open Contender in August through the IG Wealth Management Western Showdown in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. They chose a difficult schedule, knowing the Trials would be difficult too. I’m sure there was improvement, but it didn’t show up in their win/loss records: 2-3, 1-4, 3-2, 2-2, 1-3, 1-3. Based on those results, I see this team finishing in the lower third.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 7-26
Team Ruohonen
Rich Ruohonen
Andrew Stopera
Colin Hufman
Kroy Nernberger
Phil Tilker
How they qualified: Winning the Olympic Trials Qualifier in Seattle.
How they formed: The nucleus of this team began as Brady Clark’s Seattle-based rink. When Clark stepped away from competition, Ruohonen took his place, and “Team Persinger” fluctuated between Persinger and Ruohonen skipping. Along the way, Nernberger joined as the alternate, then saw more time at lead. After the 2020 season; Persinger left the team, Ruohonen began throwing skip stones, and they added world junior silver medallist Stopera at vice for the 2021 championship.
What they’ve done since: Won the 2018 national championship, finished second in 2019 and 2020, and third in 2021. They made two quarterfinal appearances at Grand Slams in 2018. This year, they played in four spiels (not counting the qualifier). They made the semifinals of the US Open Contender, the semis of US Open Championship, the finals of the Atkins Curling Supplies Classic, and went 1-3 at the Grand Slam Masters.
Synopsis: This might be the 50-year-old Ruohonen’s last chance at the Olympics. He was one game away (one shot away, really) from doing it in the mixed doubles discipline. There’s a lot going for this team. They have experience and they know it (hence the #OldIsGold mentality). Hufman could very well be the best second in the field. But Stopera will need to step up and take pressure off Ruohonen running the entire show. Now for the bad news: there’s one team that consistently has their number and it’s Team Shuster. Their chances of winning are far from zero, but they’re also far from Dropkin’s chances.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 24-15
Team Persinger
Greg Persinger
Craig Brown
Dominik Maerki
Alex Leichter
How they qualified: Through the Olympics qualifier in Mayfield.
How they formed: Of all the teams, this is the one most hastily assembled. They joined up after the 2020 championship, all with recent skip experience. Persinger left the Ruohonen team. Brown -- the owner of Steve’s Curling Supplies -- was brought back into the fold after a four-year absence from competition. Maerki began competing in the US after several years playing on Swiss-based teams, winning a bronze in 2018 as the alternate for Peter De Cruz. And Leichter has been to USA nationals six times - four as a skip.
What they’ve done since: They finished tied for fifth at 2021 nationals, their first event. They won the US Open Contender. They lost the 3-4 game in the Seattle qualifier, but bounced back by winning the Mayfield Qualifier -- although it should be noted, they won against Dunnam, who did not need to win the game to advance.
Synopsis: There’s a lot to unpack here with a new team. Persinger is listed as the skip, but when I saw them in Mayfield, Brown was in the house. A frontend of Leichter and Maerki is quite the unorthodox frontend, but so far they’ve proven they can handle the workload. Kerri Einarson’s team proves you can assemble four skips, but everyone has to buy in. The question is if everybody accepts their roles and uses their knowledge to put Persinger in the best possible position for his throws. He loves throwing fourth, and has done well in the past. They will not be a pushover, but I am not seeing them pushing everybody else around.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 5-8
Team Dunnam
Scott Dunnam
Hunter Clawson
Cody Clouser
Andy Dunnam
Daniel Dudt
How they qualified: Through the Olympics qualifier in Mayfield
How they formed: These four have long known each other. Growing up in the Philadelphia area, the Dunnam brothers played on a team in the 2012 junior national championship, finishing second in the round robin (behind Korey Dropkin). Clouser joined the team in 2014. While Scott took a competitive break (presumably to focus on graduating from the University of Virginia), the younger Dunnam and Clouser played on Clawson’s junior team for two seasons. Dunnam got back into the game in 2017, first reuniting with Clouser, then eventually his little brother and Dudt. Finally, Clawson was added in 2020, replacing Alex Leichter.
What they’ve done since: Tied for last at 2018 nationals, tied for fifth in 2019 and 2020, and fourth in 2021. Apart from just narrowly winning the qualifier in Seattle, they won the US Open Contender and lost the US Open Championship, but were the first team to punch their ticket to the trials after defeating Team Persinger in the knockout stage. They later lost consecutive games to them in the page playoffs.
Synopsis: Curling is a tiny, tiny world. If you stay around this game long enough, you’ll find that you’ve been teammates with a number of people and then they quickly become your adversaries. This team, through all its permutations, knows each other quite well. That’s a plus. They also looked excellent at the trials qualifier -- another plus. If there is a wild card that could change the dynamic of these trials, it’s this team. They’re the only team to have beaten Shuster twice this year, which admittedly is a small sample size, but it’s not nothing. They also beat Persinger and Ruohonen when it mattered. There is a pathway to Team Dunnam putting a shockwave through the curling world and reaching the Olympics. They could very well be giantslayers, but they’re going to have to slay them more than twice.
Women’s Division
Team Peterson
Tabitha Peterson
Nina Roth
Tara Peterson
Becca Hamilton
Aileen Geving
How they qualified: Winning the 2020 national championship.
How they formed: Mostly though HP mixing and matching, as well as maternity. In 2016 they put Roth at skip, with Tabitha Peterson at third, Geving at second and Hamilton at lead. That was the Olympics team. Tara was included in the rotation for the 18-19 cycle while Geving had her child. The next year Roth had her baby, giving Peterson a chance to skip. She did so well that she never relinquished the position, and Roth came back as vice, with Geving at alternate. This has been their lineup for three seasons now.
What they’ve done since: Second at nationals in 2019, won it in 2020, along with breaking through as the country’s first women’s world bronze medallist in 2021. During this cycle, they qualified for playoffs in five Grand Slams, three of them to the semifinals. They also won this year’s US Open Championship and the Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Classic in Calgary.
Synopsis: For a while the tension in the American game was which HP women’s team was better: Roth or Sinclair. It went back and forth for a while, but as it turns out, it was a trick question. Even-keeled Tabitha Peterson is the best skip in the country, and her team is the best team in the country. They’re the odds on favorite to get back to the Olympics, this time as a medal contender.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 11-3
Team Christensen
Cory Christensen
Sarah Anderson
Vicky Persinger
Taylor Anderson
How they qualified: Winning the 2021 national championship.
How they formed: Another High Performance assembly. Christensen has been a skip since juniors and was frequently paired with the Anderson twins in the HP program. The dust seemingly settled in 2019 with Sinclair skipping and Christensen throwing third, then Sinclair was taken off the team, Christensen got a promotion, and Sarah Anderson jumped from alternate to third.
What they’ve done since: Routinely Christensen’s teams have been the third ranked HP team. They finished third at 2019 nationals, silver in 2020 and broke through in 2021. So far they’ve amassed a 7-8 record in three cashspiels, qualifying for playoffs at the Sherwood Park Womens Classic in Alberta.
Synopsis: The scouting report on Christensen is she likes to play defensively, sometimes too defensively. Having Persinger as your second makes that tempting, as she will almost always outcurl her counterpart. But the five-rock rule makes that a challenging strategy. When they get aggressive, they seem to shine. And while it was great to see them win a national championship, Peterson wasn’t present. They are evenly matched against Sinclair, meaning their chances of getting to a finals are very good.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 17-12
Team Sinclair
Jamie Sinclair
Monica Walker
Cora Farrell
Elizabeth Cousins
How they qualified: Second place at the 2021 national championships.
How they formed: After 2020, Sinclair was removed from the Christensen rink and formed up with Walker, who had briefly stepped away from competition, along with Farrell and Cousins, fresh off success at the junior level. Sinclair and Walker had previously played together during their three straight national championships from 2017-2019.
What they’ve done since: Seeing as this team was new as of 2021, their silver at nationals in Wausau was their first showing. This year they did five spiels, winning two of them (the Oakville Fall Classic and the Atkins Curling Classic in Winnipeg), reaching one final (the US Open Championship), one semifinal (the Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Classic in Calgary) and one quarterfinal (the Oakville Labour Day Classic). Five spiels, five playoffs, and a 24-9 record.
Synopsis: That three-year stretch of American dominance seems like a lifetime ago, but the pandemic will do that. Team Peterson has usurped the throne and Sinclair needs to force the issue. There’s no questioning the skip’s ability to make any shot, and Walker has stepped up at the vice role really well. So far Farrell and Cousins, both just 22, are playing the part. How will they hold up in the biggest bonspiel of their lives? There might be enough magic in Sinclair’s fingertips to pull this one off.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 27-12
Team Bear
Madison Bear
Annmarie Dubberstein
Taylor Drees
Allison Howell
How they qualified: Won the Olympic Trials qualifier in Seattle.
How they formed: The core of this team began as a High Performance junior team in 2014. Bear, Howell, and Dubberstein played together in the 14-15 and 17-18 seasons, then reunited for this team in 2020, along with Drees, as the national U-25 team.
What they’ve done since: They finished third at 2021 nationals, then apart from going 4-0 in the Seattle qualifier, went 3-2 in the US Open Contender, reached the semifinal of the US Open Championship, and went 1-3 at the Atkins Curling Supplies Classic in Winnipeg.
Synopsis: Keep in mind what a U-25 team is: it’s a team with a lot of growing up to do. Also consider that the men’s U-25 didn’t make trials in their field. Team Bear is a tier behind Peterson and Christensen (though they did beat both of them in the US Open). If they finish third, keep an eye on them in the next cycle.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 9-19
Team Rhyme
Kimberly Rhyme
Cait Flannery
Libby Brundage
Katie Rhyme
How they qualified: Through the Mayfield qualifier.
How they formed: The only non-HP team in the field, the Rhyme sisters have played together on various teams this decade. Kim stepped up to skip on their team in 2017. Brundage joined in 2019 and Flannery became the lead this past season after aging out of juniors.
What they’ve done since: They went 2-4 in the 2021 nationals, 2-5 in the 2020 edition, and winless in the 2019 championship. This year, other than the two Trials qualifiers, they did not enter any WCT events.
Synopsis: Like Christensen, they also enjoy a defensive style of play. Keeping the score close is going to be important, and their tendency is to score through stealing, but you can’t win many games just on steals. And definitely not this week. They are just overmatched compared to some of the other teams. However by virtue of their pickpocketing skills, they might get a couple W’s under their belt.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 7-20
Team Strouse
Delaney Strouse
Anne O’Hara
Sydney Mullaney
Susan Dudt
Becca Rodgers
How they qualified: Through the Mayfield qualifier as the last team in.
How they formed: This HP junior team has been largely together since 2018. They started with Dudt at skip and Strouse at lead; over time, those positions flipped. O’Hara was added to the team for the Trials run.
What they’ve done since: They won the junior national championship in 2020 and 2021. They also qualified for the womens championships those years, going 2-5 and 2-4 respectively. They also played in both US Open events, reaching the semifinals of the Contender and going 1-4 at the Championship.
Synopsis: As the only junior team in either field, they’re going to have the toughest time to post wins. As I always say about juniors, run the score up on them now while you can, if you can. They can beat Bear and Rhyme, but have come up empty against the other three, Their realistic goal is to finish better than last. I think they have it in them.
Record against the field (per CurlingZone): 8-13