ARENA NATIONALS BRING TOP ARENA-BASED CURLERS TO WISCONSIN
Photo by: Bob Weder
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, October 24, 2024]—The top players who compete regularly on skating ice that is prepped for curling are in Wausau, WI, this week for the USA Curling Arena Club National Championships.
The eight-sheet Wausau Curling Club, host of recent national championships including the 2021 Men’s & Women’s Nationals and the 2023 Men’s & Women’s Club Nationals, will provide competitors with a first-rate experience in a world-class venue.
Twelve women’s teams and twelve men’s teams will vie for the national title. Each Recognized Regional Association (RRA) receives an entry, with an additional berth going to the RRA with the greatest number of playdown entries. In 2024, MOPAC teams was awarded those berths in both the Men’s and Women’s fields.
New in 2024, berths were also awarded to the previous year’s champions and the winners of a National Qualifier Bonspiel. The qualifier bonspiel was hosted by the LaCrosse Curling Club and held this past September.
Teams from Texas—Team Segovia (Julie Segovia, Alyssa Parks, Heather Cook, Jessica Bostwick, Alison Miller /The Curling Club of Houston ) and Team Myers (Nick Myers, Lait Sando, Kevin Roberts, John Lambert/Dallas-Fort Worth Curling Club)—will be looking to defend the titles they won in 2023. Team Segovia was also the champion in 2023. while Team Myers will be aiming for it’s fifth consecutive title, four with Nick Myers at the skip position.
USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell remarked, “This event is truly an ideal way to kick off our championship season. Arena curlers are definitely our most dedicated, as they overcome all kinds of obstacles just to get on the ice each week and many travel extensively to compete. There is great energy at this event every year, and we’re looking forward to four days of terrific curling in Wausau.”
Teams will be divided into two pools of six teams each, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-final games will play in the gold medal, while the losing teams will vie for bronze. ‘
Live scores will be available on CurlingZone and streaming will be available on USA Curling TV and Wausau Curling TV.
MEN’S TEAMS
Sioux Falls Curling Club/Dakota Territory: Austin Weber, Mike Johnson, James Bald, Adam Craghead
Cleveland Skating Club/GLCA: Guy Mercer, John Wagner, John Negus, Robert Dean, Rick Hubbard
Rocket City Curling Club/GNCC: Sam Curtis, Shane Stewart, Brad Hammond, David Tutwiler
Aksarben Curling Club/MACA: Nic Ridder, Sean Morrison, David Hill, Doug Michel, Nic Swiercek
Cedar Rapids Curling Club/Midwest Curling Association: Cale Tesch, Parker Abbott, Stephen Spence, Greg Schmitt
Curling Club of Rochester/Minnesota Curling Association: Steve Russell, Michael Blazing, Bryant Schmidt, Tyler Despins
Wine Country Curling Club/MOPAC: David Betts, Steve Sampson, Chris Skidmore, Eric Putnam, Nelson Hilger
Wine Country Curling Club/MOPAC: Camren Spangler, William Hillman, Brian Feldman Jr., Brian Feldman
Inland Northwest Curling Club/PNWCA: Ben Preiss, Mat Helvik, Matt Selle, Jer Swigart
LaCrosse Curling Club/Wisconsin Curling Association: Brian Bessert, Dustin Luecke, Ryan Brown, Westley Wamsley
Curling Club of Houston/Qualifier Bonspiel Winner: Carl Schaeper, Don Huggins, Nathan Nissley, Greg Major
Dallas-Fort Worth Curling Club/Defending Champions: Nick Myers, Laith Sando, Kevin Roberts, John Lambert
WOMEN’S TEAMS
Sioux Falls Curling Club/Dakota Territory: Morgan Weber, Jennifer Anglin, Sarah Linneman, Samantha Garrett
Cleveland Skating Club/GLCA: Katy Mercer, Carole Negus, Erin Wagner, Shana Miskovsky
Rocket City Curling Club/GNCC: Abbey Carlson, Victoria Tutwiler, Lea Stall, Jo Smith, Sara Hammond
Dallas-Fort Worth Curling Club/MACA: Brigitte Robertson, Fran Walsh, Liana Knott, Carrie Lambert
St. Louis Curling Club/Midwest Curling Association: Flannery Allison, Becky Reale, Ashley Alojipan, Samantha Rezansoff
Curling Club of Rochester/Minnesota Curling Association: Kaisey Ackerman, Susan Horsman, Sophia Walsh, Laura Gardner, Kelsey Schuder
Silicon Valley Curling Club/MOPAC: Jennifer Asis, Melissa Wheeler, Julie Wolf, Jaclyn Pytlarz, Kathalin Alsmeier
Wine Country Curling Club/MOPAC: Katie Feldman, Lee Ann Shearing, Melissa McGuire, Amy Putnam
Boise Curling Club/PNWCA: Rhiannon Avery, Glenda Carr, Susan Lahart, Ann Pendleton Beach
LaCrosse Curling Club/Wisconsin Curling Association: Kaitlyn Hamann, Kathryn Davis, Mara Keyes, Rachelle Hagen, Dawn Hays
Orange Country Curling Club/Qualifier Bonspiel Winner: Queena Mewers, Kyra Manayan, Tessa Brockie, Anne Bonache
Curling Club of Houston/Defending Champions: Julie Segovia, Alyssa Parks, Heather Cook, Jessica Bostwick, Alison Miller
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, 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, Dale's family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, 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.
