mixed doubles 2024 thums

March 15, 2024

US team wheelchair curling team eliminated by Japan

There’s the grand slam in baseball, the touchdown bomb in football, and the big end in curling.

The U.S. Mixed Doubles Wheelchair curling team traded big ends with Japan at the World Championships in Korea last night, but the Japanese came out on top and eliminated the Americans in the quarter-finals, 9-8.

The loss came after the Matt Thums-Batoyun Oranchimeg team had gone undefeated in pool play, winning six straight.  In the game, the US fell behind early, but scored four in the fifth end to take a 6-3 lead. But the Japanese curlers came right back in the next end to score five and take the lead 8-6. The US closed the gap to 8-8 but a single rock in the final end secured the victory for Japan.


 

2024 Wheelchair team crop

March 7, 2024

US Wheelchair Curlers End Quest a Game Short

The US Wheelchair curling team ended up a game out of the playoffs by splitting their final two curling matches yesterday.

A loss to Korea, 8-2, and an 11-3 win over the Czech Republic resulted in a 5-6 record , just a game behind Sweden which made the playoffs at 6-5. Other teams making the final rounds include China, Canada, Latvia, Korea and Norway.


Feb. 15, 2024

Wausau curling fans will be watching the World Junior Men’s Championships closely this week.

Two Wausau curlers—Wes Wendling, a Wausau West graduate, and Jackson Armstrong, Appleton native now curling at Wausau—are two of the four on the US team competing against the world’s best in Lohta, Finland. The team, which includes Jackson Bestland and Caden Hebert of Eau Claire, and Kevin Tuma of St.Paul, is one of 10 to make it to the Worlds. They qualified last year by finishing second and earning Silver medals at the World Junior B tournament, also in Finland.


February 18, 2024

Wausau West Boys Win State Curling

Congratulations to the Wausau West boy’s curling team for outlasting the field Friday and Saturday and winning the high school state tournament.

2024 west boys state champs

The team of Hunter Britton, Micah Mathias, Ryan McCallum, and Carson Kirsch won the competition with a 9-7 victory over the team from Poynette in the final contest.

In the girl’s competition, it was a repeat of last year as Poynette defended their state title by outshooting Stevens Point.


February 1, 2024

TEAM USA WINS BRONZE

2024 mixed jr olympics medals2024 mixed jr olympics hug

The U.S. youth mixed curling team of Wausau’s Ella Wendling and Eau Claire’s Benji Paral won a thrilling match over Sweden yesterday to take home the bronze medal.

Their final game at the Youth Olympics in Gangwon, Korea, was one of the most competitive of the eight they played in the 24-team competition.

With Sweden leading 4-3, the Americans tied the game in the last end, and then scored three in the extra end to seal the victory and the bronze medal.

In the gold medal game, Great Britain defeated Denmark.

Overall, Wendling and Paral went 5-0 in round-robin play to win their pool, then defeated Czechia in the quarter-finals, and lost 6-5 to Denmark in the semi-finals before their medal win last night.

The team was coached by Wausau West curling coach Jim Wendling.

 

 

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January 30, 2024

TEAM USA MIXED DOUBLES ADVANCES AT YOUTH OLYMPICS

Ella and Benji mixed jr olympics 2024 smaller

The U.S. mixed doubles curling team, featuring Wausau West's Ella Wendling and Eau Claire's Benji Paral, defeated Ukraine 9-1 in six ends on Monday to assure the team a spot in the playoffs.

The win followed a crucial 8-3 win over Norway on Sunday before at the Youth Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea.

The pair now stands at 4-0 in pool play, with a match against Slovenia remaining.

According to Wausau West curling coach Jim Wendling, the Norway game went back and forth through the first four ends, before the Americans played a "fantastic fifth end and stole four to take a 7-2 lead." The US then gave up--or forced--just a single point in the sixth end, and came back to grab a point in the seventh and force Norway to call the game.

Against Ukraine, Team USA piled up an insurmountable lead and the game was called early. Earlier, the Americans had defeated Sweden and Qatar.

Action can be followed at http://www.olympics.com. The competition features youth teams in a range of winter sports, mirroring the Olympics.


1/14/2024

The Wisconsin girls’ team came up short in the final rounds at the U18 National Championships in Lafayette, Colorado, yesterday.

After winning their pool-play group, the team lost in the semi-finals to the Massachusetts girls, 9-0. In the third-place game, they were defeated 8-4 by Team Johnson of St. Paul.

Participants included Ella Wendling (skip) and Adriana Fisher from Wausau, Emily Rubenzer from Stevens Point and Savannah Koch from Poynette.

u18 girls at nationals

On the boys’ side, the Caden Hebert rink from Eau Claire finished in first place, defeating Team Guentzel from St. Paul. The Matthew Lannoye team from Portage finished fourth.

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1/12/2024

Wendling Rink off to Good Start in Colorado

The Wisconsin girls’ team got off to a good start at the U18 National Championships at Rock Creek Curling in Lafayette, Colorado, near Denver.

Featuring Wausau’s Ella Wendling and Adriana Fisher, the team won its first two matches. They defeated team Johnson from Minnesota, 7-6 this morning. Yesterday, they defeated their first-round opponent, 9-1.

The other members of the team are Emily Rubenzer from Stevens Point and Savannah Koch from Poynette.

According to Wausau West High School curling coach Jim Wendling, the two Wisconsin boys teams also won their opening matches.

Round-robin play among 12 girls’ and 12 boys’ teams continues through Saturday.

Semi-finals and finals are on Sunday.


January 10, 2024

Wausau’s Matt Thums and his partner Oyuna Oranchimeg (Twin Cities) won the USA Curling wheelchair mixed doubles championship last weekend in Fort Wayne, IN.

Their next step will be to represent the U.S. at the world wheelchair mixed doubles curling event in March in South Korea.

MattThums

In Fort wayne, Thums and Oranchimeg came from behind to win three straight matches in the round-robin competition. Thums said they were able to get their distance right and make some good shots when they needed to.

“In the semifinal, we found ourselves in a hole to start but we kept telling each other just get on the board and we will battle back,” he said “It started with scoring that first point and we then found our groove.”  He said the final was a close game against Shawn Sadowski and Laura Dwyer, both from Wisconsin.

Thums, Oranchimeg, Sadowski, Dwyer and Steve Emt from Connecticut will make up the U.S. team at the four- person world competition, also in South Korea in March.


The Wausau West girls’ team defeated Wausau East to win the 71st Tietge high school curling bonspiel this past weekend.

Marshfield won the boys’ competition. Forty-four teams competed, bringing a total of 196 student curlers to the Wausau Curling Center on Wausau’s southeast side.

tiege 2024 west girls

The West girls included Ella Wendling, Maya Hoff, Allison Kurth and Lauren Bahlow, the same lineup that won the Tietge girls’ crown last year.

On the East team were Adriana Fisher, Ana Sewall, Louisa Duckworth, and Evie Bleese.

Wendling and Fisher will team up as two of the four girls representing Wisconsin at the U18 national championships this coming weekend in Denver.


“You’re never too young to learn how to curl.”

That advice could be attributed to Josh Pearson and Jim Wendling, Wausau curling coaches who organized the 2023 Junior Curling Bonspiel Dec. 28-29 at the Wausau Curling Center.

jrcurlers2024 2jrcurlers2024

Teams from Wausau and Stevens Point came out victorious in the developmental league tournament, and the first-ever mixed doubles event for older curlers.

The junior developmental program ran on Sunday evenings throughout November and December at the Curling Center on Curling Way on Wausau’s southeast side.

Pearson said 36 young curlers participated in the training program this year, an increase from prior seasons which had been affected by the COVID pandemic and saw between 6 and 15 participants.


LOHJA, FINLAND

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12/19/2023

The USA Junior Men’s curling team took silver medals at the World B Junior Men’s curling championships today in Lohja, Finland.

The team, led by Wausau’s Wes Wendling, lost to Canada 7-4 in the championship match.

Trailing 5-4 in the last end, the Americans were unable to tie it up, and the Canadians scored two to win the tournament.

In the third-place game, Denmark defeated New Zealand 7-5.

All told the US team went 7-2 over the week-long event, and their final four finish qualified them for a spot in the Junior Men’s World Championships, to be held in Finland, beginning Feb. 17.

Curling with Wendling were Jackson Armstrong of Appleton, Kevin Tuma of St. Paul, MN, and Jackson Bestland and Caden Hebert of Eau Claire.


Boy’s and girl’s U18 teams crowned champs in Wausau curling meet.

Curlers from Wausau, Stevens Point, Poynette and Portage won the U18 curling competition at the Wausau Curling Center this weekend, earning the right to represent Wisconsin at the national U18 tournament in Lafayette, Colorado, next month.

In the girl's meet, the team of Ella Wendling and Adriana Fisher of Wausau, Savannah Koch (Poynette) and Emily Rubenzer (Stevens Point) went undefeated in pool play to win the tournament.

u18 girls winners 2023  u18 boys winners 2023

On the boy's side, the team of Matthew Lannoye and Brody Welchman from Poynette, along with Ethan Macomber of Portage and Joey Dobbs of Stevens Point, also went undefeated to win.

A total of three girl's teams and five boys' teams entered and competed Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Jim Wendling, curling coach at Wausau West H.S., coordinated the event.


ella wendling mixed doubles web

 

Wausau West high school curler Ella Wendling and her teammate Benji Paral (Eau Claire) won the U.S. Youth Mixed Doubles Curling competition November 2-5, 2023 in Bemidji, Minnesota.

The win earned the pair a spot on Team USA at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, beginning January 19, 2024.

The two defeated Team Giroux-Podhradsky (St. Paul) in the final match after going 4-1 in round-robin play which involved 23 teams.


jimwendlingusacurling

Wausau West High School curling coach Jim Wendling, who also organizes the annual Tietge High School curling bonspiel and the Wisconsin state high school curling championships at the Wausau Curling Center, has been named “Breakout Coach of the Year” by USA Curling.

He was one of four US curling coaches and athletes honored by the curling organization, whose CEO Dean Gemmell said “as the new curling season gets underway, it’s great to recognize athletes and coaches who performed so well last year.”

Wendling had been a coach of two runner-up finishes at the U-18 (under 18 years of age) national championships, but in 2023 his team—led by son Wes—went on an undefeated run to win the Men’s U-21 Junior National Championship

Wendling credits many others with helping and influencing him along the way.

“Marcia and Cal Tillisch, Dennis Tietge, Lucas Ostrowski, and many others have helped me learn the game and grow as a coach,” he says.  “I also need to mention Scott Armstrong from Appleton.  He and I coached Wes's team for the last seven years and have pushed each other to find the next thing that would make our team better.”

The other USA Curling individual awards went to Cory Thiesse, female athlete of the year; Korey Dropkin, male athlete of the year; Cathy Overton-Clapham, coach of the year, and Pam Wilson, wheelchair athlete of the year.


The USA Men's Junior National curling team seeks supporters for its upcoming season.

The team, consisting of Wes Wendling, Kevin Tuma, Caden Hebert, Jack Armstrong, and Jackson Bestland, will be representing the United States at the 2023-24 World Junior Curling B Championships in Lohja, Finland.  Additionally, the team will be competing at numerous high-level events in both the US and Canada from September to March.

Please consider this request letter of financial sponsorship for the USA’s Men’s Junior National curling team. Wes Wendling, Kevin Tuma, Caden Hebert, Jack Armstong, and Jackson Bestland will be representing the United States at the 2023-24 World Junior Curling B Championships in Lohja, Finland. They are seeking your assistance in funding the upcoming season.


Wendling 2023 us jr nationals gold for web

The Wausau-based team of Wes Wendling (skip), Jackson Armstrong, Chris Kirsch, and Kevin Tuma brought home the coveted first-place trophy from the U.S. Junior National Curling Championships, held at the Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, Mass, in early April 2023.

Wendling and Kirsch are Wausau West graduates, Armstrong is from Appleton, and Tuma is from St. Paul. All are currently attending college.

The Wendling rink went undefeated through the tournament and bested the rival Hebert rink from Eau Claire in the final match, 8-5 in nine ends.

“I’ve been curling for 13 years,” says Wes, “and this is my greatest achievement so far. He attributed the victory to good play by his teammates and a good strategy. “It made the game and my shots a lot easier when we set up the house well. I would have to throw easy shots like guards instead of run-backs against a couple of points.”

Wendling, who’s twice finished second in the Under 18 nationals, and won two Wisconsin High School state championships, is getting ready for the next challenge. They’ll be representing the U.S. at the World’s next spring, but first, they’ll be participating in the World Junior Bs in December 2023.

“To prepare for this, we will be joining the national team program,” he explains. “That includes a physical fitness program at the Training Haus located at the Vikings practice facility in Minnesota, along with more opportunities for more ice access throughout the summer in the Twin Cities, and some competitive US and Canadian bonspiels.”



2023 Club National Championships REV Date

Rinks from Ardsley, NY, and Denver, CO, Won the USA Curling Club National Championships in Wausau

Wausau, WI, 3/19/23

The Politano rink from Ardsley, NY, won the women’s competition, and the Mansell rink from Denver, CO, won the men’s at the USA Curling 2023 National Club Championships at the Wausau Curling Center.

The Politano rink defeated the Swisshelm rink from Detroit, 8 to 4, completing a 6-2-0 record for the four-day tournament and taking home the women's gold medal. The winners laid five stones in the second end to take a solid lead. The rink included Sere Politano, Megan Stopera, Amber Will, Elizabeth Harmon, and coach Bill Stopera.

In the men’s division, the Mansell rink defeated the Ward rink from Eau Claire, WI, 5-3 in a close match, to go undefeated throughout the tournament and claim the gold. On the Mansell team were Elliott Mansell, Aaron Johnson, Simon Jarrett, Cameron Cabrera, and Sean Franey.

Twenty-four men’s and women’s teams competed in the tournament beginning Thursday, March 16 and curling in pool play through Saturday, March 18. Tie-breakers, semi-finals and finals were Sunday, March 19.


Scottish Ladies Curling Team to Visit Wausau Club October 2022

Scottish Women and US Curlers Compete in Wausau

Release:  10/28/2022

Curling came to America from Scotland, and on October 27, 2022 the Scottish Women’s Curling team came to Wausau.

The Scots curled morning and afternoon matches against U.S teams made up of women curlers from the Wausau Curling Club, and clubs in Rice Lake and Madison. Competition was keen, with teams essentially breaking even in the 10 games played.

More important than games won or lost were the points accumulated by each team. The Scots are on a tour of 14 U.S. curling clubs from Denver to New England. If they score more points across all matches, they’ll win the Marguerite Roberts Quaich, a shallow vessel that is a symbol of trust and friendship.


Junior Women earn Gold, Junior Men earn Bronze

Team Tamboli 2022 Jr Womens champions croppedWendling2022 Jr Mens Bronze cropped

Wausau’s junior curlers brought home medals in the National Junior Curling Championships which concluded Saturday, April 30, at the new Sentry Curling Center in Plover.

The women’s Team Tamboli, with Wausau West High School curler Amelia Hintz, defeated the Sophia Ryhorchuk team from Minnesota, 9-8. The gold-medal game came down to the final end as Tamboli—leading by two—took out the opponents’ second rock with the final shot, limiting them to one.

Others on the winning team were Jordan Hein of Portage, and Miranda Scheel and Tessa Thurlow from North Dakota.

It was the second close win over the Minnesotans. Team Tamboli edged them 6-5 in the playoff game on Friday.

In the men’s competition, the Wes Wendling team from Wausau, with John Wilkerson and Chris Kirsch also from Wausau, took the bronze medal. After advancing to the final four, they lost 5-4 to Team Sampson from Fargo, N.D., Saturday morning.

Sampson won the championship with another nail-biter over the Kauffman team from Blaine, Minn., 9-8.


Fort Wayne, IN – The Wendling rink from Wausau earned silver medals in the National U-18 curling competition in Fort Wayne, Ind., March 30-April 2, 2022.

u18 2022Congratulations to team members skip Wes Wendling, third Chris Kirsch, second Carson Kirsch, and lead Nolan O’Keefe.

After winning their first two matches in the early rounds, Wendling lost to St. Paul in the 13th draw, 12-3, then came back strong two draws later to score two in the seventh end and defeat Lowell, Mass., 6-4.

The win set up the championship match, once again against the St. Paul team. They lost 9-2, but the climb into the final draw earned them a second place and the silvers.

According to coach Jim Wendling, two of the team members—Wes Wendling and Chris Kirsch—will be participating in the U21 (under 21) competition in Stevens Point at the end of this month.


Good Curling, Matt!
All the best to Matt Thums, skip of the USA Wheelchair Curling team, at the Paralympics March 4-13, 2022 in Beijing.

Matt is a member of the Wausau Curling Club and a resident of Weston, Wisconsin.

He and the team of Dave Samsa of Green Bay, Steve Emt from Connecticut, Pam Wilson from Denver, and Batoyun Uranchimeg from the Twin Cities are taking on the world’s best wheelchair teams in the “Ice Cube” used for curling at the recent Olympic Games.

You can follow Matt and Team USA on NBC, Peacock, and USA TV. First games are Saturday, March 5. See the schedule below.

Go Matt and Team USA!

 

wheelchair curling schedule

 

 


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