QUALIFICATION EVENTS FOR 2024 FIVE-AND-UNDER NATIONALS RELEASED
Round-robin play at the 2023 Five-and-Under Nationals.
While the search for a host site for the Nationals is ongoing, 22 of the 23 qualifier events for the 2024 USA Curling Five-and-Under National Championship are now official.
The national championship will once again feature a field of 24 teams, made up of competitors who have five years of curling experience or less and are over the age of 21. For complete information about the qualifying process for this event, please review the section on Five-and-Under Nationals in the 2023-24 Qualifying Procedures document.
In 2023, this championship brought curlers from across the nation to the historic Hibbing Curling Club in Hibbing, MN. In an exciting final, Team Bliven of Wisconsin bested Team Mellin of Minnesota 8-4 to capture the title. In the bronze medal game, Team O’Reilly, featuring players from New York and the state of Washington, defeated Team Townsend of Wisconsin by a score of 10-7.
The 24 berths in the 2024 Five-and-Under National Championship will be determined as follows:
23 teams will qualify through results in 23 different recognized Five-and-Under Bonspiel Qualifiers.
The host club of the 2023 Five-and-Under National Championship will also receive a berth.
“The nationwide expansion of bonspiels for our newest players has been one of the great success stories in our sport, and we are grateful to everyone who has done the work to fuel it,” said Dean Gemmell, CEO of USA Curling. “This qualification process helps drive interest and participation in these events, and we are committed to providing a great experience for the competitors who earn berths in the Nationals.”
At the present time, there are 22 Bonspiel Qualifiers—one more qualifier will be added in the coming weeks. When selecting Qualifier bonspiels, USA Curling considers expected size of field, event history, and geographic location. The goal is to have events that feature larger fields while also providing curlers across the country opportunities to reach the national championship.
Gemmell added, “The initial work to bring Five-and-Under curlers together was done by a volunteer committee, and 2018 Olympic Gold Medalist John Shuster has been a key player in the development of this USA Curling championship. It’s further proof that good things happen when curlers work together.”
The list of Bonspiel Qualifiers is below. Registration for each event is managed by the member clubs that run them.
1) Windy City 5U Cash Spiel, Windy City CC
9/28/23-10/1/23
Contact: Matthew Ault (matthew.ault.1989@gmail.com)
2) Arizona 5U, Coyotes CC
10/20/23-10/22/23
Contact: Tracey Drummond (5andunder@coyotescurling.com)
3) The Cool Duck, Ardsley CC
11/2/23-11/5/23
Contact: Jeff Greenberg (jeffgreenberg@nyc.rr.com)
4) Mad Anthony, Fort Wayne CC
11/10/23-11/12/23
Contact: Craig Fischer (craig@fortwaynecurling.com)
5) PNWCA 5U, Seattle Granite CC
11/18/23-11/20/23
Contact: Will Dimmit (will.dimmit@pnwcurling.org)
6) Fighting Hornet 5U, Charlotte CC
12/7/23-12/10/23
Contact: Dana Derylak (dana.derylak@gmail.com)
7) Midwest Cup, Kettle Moraine CC
12/1/23-12/3/23
Contact: Matt Raine (MJR0027@gmail.com)
8) Stevens Point 5U, Stevens Point CC
12/8/23-12/10/23
Contact: Jason Tree (jason.w.tree@hotmail.com)
9) Frigid Apple, Appleton CC
1/19/24-1/21/24
Contact: Kyrstn Bergh (kpetersbergh@gmail.com)
10) Lakeside 5U, Duluth CC
1/19/24-1/21/24
Contact: Tony Lasky (lakesidecurling@hotmail.com )
11) Evergreen 5U, Evergreen CC
1/19/24-1/21/24
Contact: Cindy Martinez (bonspiels@evergreencurling.com)
12) Frozen Five, Madison CC
1/26/24-1/28/24
Contact: Lauren Leckwee (lauren.leckwee@gmail.com)
13) Portage 5U, Portage CC
2/9/24-2/11/24
Contact: Shannon Schultz (Shannon.schultz99@gmail.com)
14) MOPAC 5U, San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club
2/9/24-2/11/24
Contact: Katie Feldman (5u@mopacca.org)
15) Fairbanks 5U, Fairbanks CC
2/9/24-2/11/24
Contact: David Hejna (david@curlfairbanks.org)
16) Superior 5U, Superior CC
2/16/24-2/17/24 (First Event games will be eight ends)
Contact: Michael O’Brien (mikenmona@msn.com)
17) Cincinnati 5U, Cincinnati CC
2/17/24-2/18/24
Contact: Joe Furlong (joeanalytical@gmail.com)
18) Francis Dykes, Broomstones CC
2/22/24-2/25/24
Contact: Richard Brown (rbox@hotmail.com)
19) Childs Women’s Challenge, Potomac CC
2/22/24-2/25/24
Contact: Courtney Shaw (cmfshaw@gmail.com)
20) Dakota 5U, Grand Forks CC
3/8/24-3/10/24
Contact: Dan Lindgren (grandforkscurling@gmail.com)
21) Denver 5U, Denver CC
3/22/24-3/24/24
Contact: Kerri VanNorman (keri.vannorman@denvercurlingclub.com)
22) The Space Race, Rocket City CC
4/5/24-4/7/24
Contact: Brian Stehle (RocketCityCurlingClub@gmail.com)
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Toyota, Thorne, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of the World Curling Federation and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
