Californians win gold at Arena National Curling championships at Wausau
10-27-24
Wausau, WI – The teams who traveled farthest were the biggest winners at the USA Curling Arena National Championships held at the Wausau Curling Center over the past week.
Team Asis from San Jose, CA, skipped by Jennifer Asis, won the women’s gold medal, defeating the defending national champions, the Segovia rink from Houston.
On the men’s side, the Spangler rink of Roseville, CA, skipped by Camren Spangler, won the gold with a win over the Ridder rink from Spokane, WA.
The Segovia and Ridder teams were awarded the silver medal.
The women’s bronze medal winners were the Katie Feldman rink, also from Roseville. The men’s bronze medalists were the Sam Curtis team from Huntsville, AL.
The winners had to battle through five round-robin pool-play games over three days to get to the finals, and then outcurl opponents in the quarterfinal and semifinal brackets.
“We jumped in front early and then played our game, “said Asis. “We made our shots when we needed to.” Her team won 6-5 with a score in the last end, and included team members Melissa Wheeler, Julie Wolf, Jaclyn Pytlarz and alternate Kathalin Alsmeier. Coach was Jeremy Malerich.
For Spangler, his team’s 8-5 victory marked the end of a long haul. “We’ve been here six times before,” he said. “It’s been a long time but it finally paid off.” With him on the ice were William Hillman, Brian Feldman, and Ben Felman, Jr.
Arena curlers play in communities that have no dedicated curling facilities, but curl on ice arenas used for hockey and skating. Teams winning in each of USA Curling’s regions competed at Wausau, beginning with practice sessions last Wednesday, Oct. 23.
They enjoyed their stay in Wausau and much appreciated the Olympic style curling facility owned and maintained by the Wausau Curling Club. Kim Susens and Steve O’Keefe from local club co-chaired the
event, in cooperation with USA Curling’s executive staff from the Twin Cities. The local ice committee worked with the national organization to provide ice conditions that competitors said were perfect for curling.
UMR, ENT and Allergy Associates, and the Jefferson Street Inn were the major event sponsors.
The curling action at Wausau doesn’t cool off. On Sunday afternoon, Nov. 10, the local club will host one of the games between the Canadian men’s team and Wausau curlers in the Can-Am Cup.
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Wisconsin teams happy to be on in-state ice, proud of state’s curling tradition
10-24-24
Wausau, WI – The La Crosse men’s and women’s teams representing Wisconsin at the USA Curling Arena National Championships in Wausau this week are happy to be close to home and proud to show off the state’s curling tradition to others from around the country.
Twelve women’s and 12 men’s teams from throughout the country are curling on the Wausau Curling Center ice, beginning yesterday (Thursday) through Sunday, Oct. 27. Curling starts at 8 a.m. and runs through 10 p.m. , Friday and Saturday. The gold, silver and bronze final games start at 2 p.m., Sunday. Yesterday a bagpipe procession and curling demonstration highlighted the opening ceremony.
The La Crosse men’s team is skipped by Brian Bessert, who said he’s not curled at Wausau before but has heard nothing but good things about the local club and facility. He says his team’s goals are to make it out of pool play and into the quarter finals. “The nationals are a really good showcase for a lot of good curlers from around the country,” he said. “ I think there will be a lot of great curling and the competition will be tough, but that’s an exciting challenge!”
Kaitlyn Hamann leads the La Crosse women’s team and feels it’s an “honor” to curl in the national tournament here in Wisconsin. She’s been here before, participating in the annual Wausau Highlander’s bonspiel for women curlers. “We really enjoyed it in Wausau,” she said. La Crosse is a young team, with all but one of its members curling just four years or less. “We love the sport,” Hamann said. “It’s great to have the championships here and show off Wisconsin’s curling tradition.”
Like the other teams competing at Wausau, the La Crosse teams curl on “arena” ice which is used for skating, hockey and other sports in their communities. The La Crosse club began by curling on river ice in 1914. The club was inactive for several years, but was reconstituted in 2010 and started curling again at the Green Island Ice Arena.
Other teams competing are from Washington State, California, Idaho, Texas, Alabama, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska.
The public is invited to attend any the competition. Daily tickets are $10 at the door, with no charge for persons age 15 and under. You can buy the entire series for $30.
