USA searching for next year's team

USA are searching for the combination of players who will bring them back into contention after a disappointing 2011 World Championship brought to an end a very promising run of competitive results that had suggested medal success was close.

With two members of last year's team already announcing their retirement there was plenty of incentive for aspiring curlers to learn about the sport and perhaps impress Steve Brown, the National Team Coach, during four days of on and off ice instruction this weekend at the Green Bay CC.

Reporter Beth Jones of Fox station WLUK-TV was on hand to speak to some of the participants.

USA lead Jaqui Kapinowski announces retirement

Team USA lead Jaqui Kapinowski has announced her retirement from wheelchair curling.

In an email sent to friends and supporters she said that though it was a very difficult decision, she had decided it was time for her to return the support of her husband over the past 20 years of a sports career covering wheelchair athletics and curling, by making a permanent move to their home in Florida.

"Please know how much I truly care for each of you, everyone has been so supportive over these years.  Marc (Deperno), I owe you so much for getting me involved in this sport. It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I want to end by thanking the USCA for their sponsorship & most of all the friends I made.....  I'm truly sorry, I love you guys so much!"

Jaqui joined Team USA in 2007 and earned a bronze medal as lead at the 2008 World Championships. A performance drop-off at the 2011 Worlds was in part due to her difficulty in finding practice ice time. She maintains an interest in wheelchair marathons and rowing.

Her retirement opens the door for Wisconsin's Penny Greely, who was Team USA's 5th player at the 2011 Worlds.

Team USA looking for help at Trials

Tryouts for the coming season's Team USA are being held in Green Bay WI from September 23 to 26.

The coaches are looking for 3 volunteers to help with the assessment processes. Previous experience with wheelchair curling is not necessary but the panelists must be able to pay attention to detail, as most of the skills competitions will involve scoring and interpretation of results. A deep knowledge of curling is not essential, but the panelists will need to be able to observe one-on-one competitions and determine if the strategy being used is at least valid.

For more details see THIS LINK on the USA Curling website.

Open clinic and try-out at Green Bay CC July 30-August 1

The U.S. Curling Association is sponsoring an open weekend wheelchair curling camp at the Green Bay CC. Present Team USA members will be in attendance, and wheelchair users will be able not only to learn about the sport but also discover what it takes to try out for Team USA.

For more information contact Marc DePerno and download the event brochure from this link.

USA 1 beat both Canadian visitors on Day 1 of US Open

USA 1 beat visiting Team Cameron 8-4 and Team Gregory 10-6 on the first day of the US Open in Utica, NY. Ken Gregory's Bradford ON team posted the one Canadian victory, a 9-4 win over USA II. In the remaining match USA II beat Ottawan Bruce Cameron's side 5-3.

The four teams are playing a double round robin with a final Sunday November 22nd.

Team USA in on the fun at 100 day countdown in midtown Manhattan

Jaqui Kapinowski, Jimmy Joseph and Goose Perez
photo by Abbey Suslavich

Three members of Team USA were at the Rockefeller Center in New York November 4th to celebrate the 100 day countdown to the 2010 Olympics. (thanks Curling News)

Canada and USA line-ups for Cathy Kerr announced

Canada and USA have announced their teams for the 3 day Ottawa spiel starting tomorrow.

Canada I - Armstrong (skip), Neighbour, Forrest, and Cormack all from BC.
Canada II - Austgarden (skip BC), Yizek (AB), Sobkowicz (MB) and Gaudet (BC)

USA I - Perez (skip NY), Pierce (NY), Joseph (NY) and Kapinowski (NJ)
USA II - McDonald (Skip CA), Heathcoat (WI), Dorsett (PA) and Delano (NY)

Canadian coach Wendy Morgan was at pains to point out that their teams did not indicate who would represent Canada at the 2009 Worlds. That decision  will be announced next week so that the team can play together at the Richmond International spiel the following weekend.

Armstrong, Neighbour, and Forrest are favourites to make the cut, with Gaudet the alternate if coach Rea follows past practice of including two women. That would leave Torino gold medallists Austgarden and Cormack competing with Yizek and Sobkowicz for the remaining front end position. Performance this weekend will influence selection, but all things being equal the vote may go to Sobkowicz in a move away from an all-BC team. Have an opinion? Post it in the comments.

The USA trials last weekend was the major factor in deciding which 8 athletes would compete in Ottawa. USA I, bronze medallists  at the 2008 Worlds, appear to have weathered the challenge of 6 other athletes though a final decision on the 2009 Team USA will not be officially announced until December 14th, after the US Open.

USA male curler of the year profiled by News 10 Now, NY

Augusto 'Goose' Perez, skip of the 2009 Worlds bronze medal medalists is profiled in a news and video report. Perez lost a leg to a rare cancer, but his success in skipping Team USA to its first medal was recognised by his being named USA male curler of the year.

"It was happy and sad at the same time. It was happy because I got the award, but at the same time I don't think that they can pick one single person," he told reporter Jim Gibbons, going on to say that it's a team game, not won or lost by an individual effort.

USA top ten to train at Lake Placid Olympic Training Centre

Team USA's ten member high performance athlete pool will be training at the National Olympic Training Centre in Lake Placid NY the first weekend in September. The group includes the five who won Bronze at the 2008 Worlds, plus Patrick McDonald, Roy Heathcoat, Tammy Delano, Danell Libby and Ellie O'Neill.

The USA trials will again be held in Utica the weekend of November 11-14.