USA Olympic Curling Trials Preview

#BetweenTheSheets: USA Olympic Curling Trials Preview

The "Gateway to the West" becomes the "Gateway to Beijing"

Nebraska is not just about prairie winds this upcoming week folks.

The flat prairie land, in the heart of Midwest USA, opens its doors in Omaha for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Curling.

Curling is a sport that thrives on flat land so Nebraska seems to be the logical choice to host this prestigious event. The largest city in the state did host this exact same event back in 2017 to great success so why not do it again?

No real analytics needed for this one. Win this event and you are off to Beijing, China for the 2022 Winter Olympics representing the red, white and blue.

There are no second chances this week. #WinAndIn or lose and have Olympic aspiration dreams for another 4 years.

Bring. It. On.

Before we head to the hack with the event preview, lets give a brief history lesson on the trials and, in turn, a summary of how USA has done at the Winter Olympics.

• 2021 marks the 9th anniversary of the US Olympic Curling Trials. The first event was held in 1987 to determine the representative at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, AB, Canada. The first winners of the trials was Team Bob Nichols and Team Lisa Schoeneberg.
• Technically the trials have been held 9 times for the men and only 8 for the women as the 1991 trials were a men's only event. The US did not qualify for the women's competition at the 1992 Winter Olympics thus not requiring a trials event.
• Tim Somerville and John Shuster are the most successful skips at the trials, each having skipped a team to victory 3 times. Each also won 3 in a row with Somerville winning 1991, 1997 and 2001 while Shuster claimed the Olympic bid in 2009, 2013 and 2017. Shuster will try to make #HIStory in being the first skip to win 4 straight Olympic Trial events.
• Shuster already owns a piece of #HIStory of course. He is the only 4-time Olympian on the list. Aside from his 3 straight wins as skip, he also was a member of Team Pete Fenson's win at the 2005 trials. Shuster played lead for Fenson.
• Shoeneberg remains the only women's skip to #DefendTheIce as she won the trials in 1987 and 1997. An amazing feat considering the trials were 10 years apart!
• Debbie McCormick and Erika Brown hold the record for most female trials wins with 3. McCormick skipped her team to victory in 2009, played vice on Team Kari Erickson's win in 2001 and was vice for Team Erika Brown in 2013. Brown, outside of her skipping win, also played lead and vice on the Shoeneberg wins in 1987 and 1997.
• Omaha, NE becomes the first city to host a second trials event AND the first to host back-to-back trials. Other trials host cities include: St. Paul, MN (1987), Hibbing, MN (1991), Duluth, MN (1997), Ogden, UT (2001), Madison, WI (2005), Broomfield, CO (2009) and Fargo, ND (2013). 
• Does the home club or state serve as a good luck charm? The state of Wisconsin has been the home state for 8 trials winners (4 men, 4 women). Minnesota is next with 7 (4 men, 3 women). No other state has been home to a trials winner.
• Minnesota will be well represented at the 2021 trials with 4 of the 6 men's teams and 5 of the 6 women's teams claiming the "Gopher State" as home.
• This year Pennsylvania (Team Dunnam), Alaska (Team Persinger) and North Carolina (Team Sinclair) will be looking for their first wins.
• In the previous 8 iterations of curling at the Winter Olympics, USA men have landed on the podium 3 times. They won gold in 2018 and bronze in 1992 and 2006. The US finished 4th in 1988 and 1998, 7th in 2002, 8th in 2010 and 9th in 2014.
• US women are still looking for their first Olympic podium finish. The best result was a 4th place finish on home ice in 2002. The women finished 5th in 1988 and 1998, 8th in 2006 and 2018 and 10th in 2010 and 2014. 

Got your history lesson down now? Good. Lets focus on the 2021 event.

The qualification for the 6 spots at these trials came down to results on the ice, whether at a specific event or combined.

Team Shuster and Team Peterson qualified via their 2020 US Curling Championships victories.

Team Dropkin, Team Brundidge, Team Christensen and Team Sinclair all qualified as the highest placing teams at the 2021 US Curling Championships.

Team Ruohonen and Team Bear claimed their tickets by winning the Trails Qualifier #1 event while Team Persinger and Team Strouse won the Trials Qualifier #2 event to earn their spot in the field.

The final two spots, Team Dunnam and Team Rhyme, were earned based on being the highest ranking non-qualified teams at the two qualifier events.

Note this is the first time USA Curling has used a multi-results based criteria to qualify for the trials. In the past results at the US Curling Championships and/or discretionary selection were the main qualification standards.

It is great to see actual results on the ice, whether national championships or qualifier events, speak for themselves and earn teams spots in this event. Hopefully we see a similar process going forward for USA Curling.

From one house to another, bring on the preview (and predictions of course).

U.S.A. Olympic Team Trials - Curling

Omaha, NE

2017 Winners: Team Shuster & Team Roth

Format: 6 team double RR with top 2 advancing to Best-of-3 playoff

MEN

Teams: Team Brundidge, Team Dropkin, Team Dunnam, Team Persinger, Team Ruohonen, Team Shuster

#Fav:

John Shuster may be the favourite as the defending Olympic gold medalist and most successful athlete at this event.

Korey Dropkin might be considered a favourite as the up and coming #NextGen team who has won a #GSOC event (Tour Challenge Tier II).

But if we go off the current world rankings, Team Ruohonen would be tabbed as the #Fav.

Ruohonen is currently ranked #21 with Dropkin at #22 and Shuster at #25.

The new look Ruohonen team, with Andrew Stopera replacing Greg Persinger at vice for the 2020/21 season, have reached two finals and two SFs this season. They won the first qualifier event in Seattle to book their ticket here.

They also reached a tour final in Winnipeg and SF results at both US Open events (Contenders and Championship). Not to mention they are the only US team to play a slam event this season, finishing 1-3 at The Masters.

The team also boasts a positive 5-3 record this season vs. the competition. Of course they have not played Shuster or Dropkin, who they will square off with in back-to-back draws #2 and #3 and #6 and #7.

#TeamUpset:

As the #NextGen holder, many may consider Korey Dropkin and his #TeamYoungBucks the #TeamUpset contender in Omaha. But considering their ranking, their results over the past few seasons and their slam W, I think we can rule them ineligible for this distinction. Take note, the blog did state a few years back Dropkin would represent the US at the Winter Olympics in 2026. Could he make it there one cycle earlier?

The real #TeamUpset flag bearer might be Team Dunnam. 

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania squad has 4 events under their sliders this season and has reached a championship game each time.

Sure they may only have one event win to their credit, the US Open of Curling - Contender back in August, but to reach 4 straight finals is still impressive. It also shows they are undefeated in SF games, a quality that might help knowing you are a proven winner in those high-pressure elimination games.

Dunnam has a 7-4 record vs. the competition this season, including back-to-back wins over Team Shuster at the US Open of Curling. One of those wins was, you guessed it, in the SF.

They may fly under the radar with big names like Shuster, Dropkin, Ruohonen and Persinger receiving most of the attention but do not underestimate them.

They open the event vs. Dropkin and Shuster. If they can go at least 1-1 in their opening two games, watch out!

#W2W4:

All eyes will be on Team Shuster of course. John is chasing #HIStory. Vice Chris Plys is trying to accomplish the double-double, having already won the US Olympic Mixed Doubles Curling Trials (with Vicky Persinger). Of course Plys/Persinger still need to qualify the US for the MD draw at the upcoming #OQE2021 next month in the Netherlands.

And they just happen to be the reigning Olympic champs of course....no pressure!

But what will we see out of Team Shuster? They have not had a ton of games under their sliders this season so they enter the event as a bit of an unknown.

They have played two events. They reached the SF at both (US Open of Curling, Stu Sells Toronto). But a 6-4 record overall is not blowing away the competition. Not to mention the only team in the field they have played this season, Team Dunnam, they lost to...twice!

Of course Shuster does have a winning record against everyone else in the field, historically speaking. The other 5 skips have a combined 7 wins against him, dating back to Ruohonen's win (his only win) at the 2006 Labatt Cash Spiel.

Worth noting, remember the 2017 trials? Shuster def. Team Heath McCormick 2 games to 1 to win the trials. Oddly enough, who was on Team McCormick back then? Korey Dropkin and Chris Plys.

Will Plys finally win an Olympic trials? Can Dropkin earn his revenge, now as a skip?

Projected Standings: 1. Team Shuster  2. Team Ruohonen  3. Team Dropkin  4. Team Dunnam  5. Team Persinger  6. Team Brundidge

U.S.A. Olympic Curling Trials Championship: Team Shuster def. Team Ruohonen in 3 games

WOMEN

Teams: Team Bear, Team Christensen, Team Peterson, Team Rhyme, Team Sinclair, Team Strouse

#Fav:

No question who the favourite is here. The defending champs, Team Peterson, are the highest ranking team in the field at #11 and have already put together a solid season.

They may have only played 3 tour events thus far but own a 16-4 record, qualified in all 3 and won back-to-back finals at the US Open of Curling and the Autumn Gold Curling Classic.

Peterson also played in the season-opening slam event, The Masters, and reached the QF.

This season the team is 4-2 vs. their competition. All-time Peterson is 19-7 against the competition.

The results and the stats all align to Team Peterson returning to the Olympic ice in Beijing.

#TeamUpset:

Similar to above comments on Team Dropkin, Team Christensen has evolved into contender category rather than challenger/#TeamUpset flag bearer.

And similar to Korey Dropkin, this blog has stated in the past Cory Christensen would represent US at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Could both #NextGen skips level up one cycle earlier than expected?

The real #TeamUpset flag bearer here could be the next #NextGen team in the field: Team Bear.

Madison Bear is a two-time US junior champion (2016, 2018) and won a world junior silver medal in 2016. She has also skipped her team to three US national championship bronze medal wins (2016, 2019, 2021). Bear also won a silver medal at the 2021 US MD national championship (with Andrew Stopera).

They are the lowest ranked team in the field, sitting at #125 and actually one spot lower than non-qualified compatriots Team McMakin. But don't let the ranking fool you.

They are 11-8 on the season, including reaching the SF at the US Open of Curling back in September. They are also 6-4 vs. their competition this week, including a W over Team Peterson and Team Christensen. Team Sinclair may be their achillies' heel, being 0-3 this season and 0-7 lifetime.

However, Bear has an all-time winning record vs. Strouse and Rhyme. And while she may only have 1 victory all-time vs. Peterson and Christensen, that victory did come in their most recent game so consider it an upward trend.

Her stock continues to rise and she seems primed to start taking on the "bigger" names and knock them off. 

Also keep your eye on Delaney Strouse. Perhaps a long-shot here but Strouse recently won the 2021 US Junior Curling Championship in August, owns a positive 17-12 record on the season and is ranked #99 in the world.

#W2W4:

The rivalry continues. With all due respect to the other 4 teams in this competition, the Tabitha Peterson/Nina Roth vs. Jamie Sinclair rivalry is the highlight of USA curling.

At the 2017 trials the format was a triple RR with Sinclair winning 2 of 3. They met in the trials final with Roth returning the favour winning 2 of 3. Overall they split their games with each winning 3 times. But Roth won the most important game of all...the last one!

Of course Sinclair would go on to create her own #HERstory by becoming the first US team to win a #GSOC event when she claimed The Players' Championship in 2018, just months after the 2018 Winter Olympics where Roth would finish in 8th place.

Historically, Peterson/Roth own the advantage vs. Sinclair. They have played 11 times since 2017 with Peterson/Roth winning 7 of those games. However, Sinclair has won the last three meetings, which include MD wins for Sinclair over Peterson at the US MD trials.

From a team perspective, Peterson is 2-1 vs. Sinclair this season but Sinclair won the last meeting at the B-qualifier game at the Autumn Gold. Of course Peterson would qualify C-side and win the title.

If rivalries in sports are what keeps fans entertained, this Olympic trials final will come down to a winner-take-all Game 3 battle between Team Peterson and Team Sinclair.

But be weary of Team Christensen....

Projected Standings: 1. Team Peterson  2. Team Sinclair  3. Team Christensen  4. Team Bear  5. Team Rhyme  6. Team Strouse

U.S.A. Olympic Curling Trials Championship: Team Peterson def. Team Sinclair in 3 games

What say you rock heads and stoners? Agree? Disagree? 

Share your predictions in the comment section and/or via social media using the #curlingtrials22.

And don't forget, you can stay up to date with all the action online HERE.

#StayTuned

November is PACKED with curling action for all us rock heads to enjoy.

Remember the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship is wrapping up this weekend in Canmore. Can Quebec #DefendTheIce? Can #PolarPower claim their first-ever national championship? Can Northern Ontario re-capture the title? Check out the results HERE.

And of course the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials hit the ice in Saskatoon NEXT weekend. The blog will be back next week for a FULL PREVIEW.

To those competing in Omaha this week, good luck and good curling!