CLUB NATIONALS CHAMPIONS CROWNED
Photo by: Jeremy Whitman
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 31, 2025] — Team Leichter (Alex Leichter, Ryan Hallisey, Jared Wydysh, Ben Clark) from the Broomstones Curling Club and the Grand National, and Team Schroeder (Sidney Schroeder, Joanna Seboth, Celeste Marlow, Lois Buckingham, Toni Chanelle Paisley) from the Madison Curling Club and the Wisconsin Curling Association, captured the 2025 Men’s and Women’s Club National Championship titles.
In the Men’s final, Team Leichter took six points in the second end to take a commanding lead over Team Berg (Ryan Berg, Tim Hodek, Josh Moore, Randy Askew, Ethan Sampson) from the Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club and the Dakota Territory. Leichter and his teammates never looked back, and cruised to a 9-2 victory when Berg conceded after the fifth end.
Skip Leichter said, “Scoring six in the second end against the defending champions wasn’t something we expected, but we played really well all week. Throughout the event, we were able to put a lot of pressure on our opponents and got a few big scores that helped us take control of some games.”
The women’s championship final was a repeat of last year. As in 2024, it was Team Schroeder besting Team Podoll (Ann Podoll, Rachel Workin, Carissa Thomas, Rachel Kawleski, MacKenzie Ritchie) from the Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club and the Dakota Territory. The game was a back-and-forth affair, with Schroeder tying the game by stealing a single point in the eighth end following a measure, and then stealing again in the ninth end for the win.
Skip Schroeder said, “We knew it would be another very close game against Team Podoll. My teammates never gave up even when were down, and we were able to produce those steals in Eight and Nine to win.”
In the women’s bronze medal game, Team Bera (Nicole Bera, Laura Yee, Jessica Harsono, Lauren Luethy, Jacalynn Sharp) from the Potomac Curling Club and the Grand National won 8-6 over Team Stolt (Maureen Stolt, Julie Scalan, Peggy Gazzola, Shelley Dropkin) representing the Saint Paul Curling Club and the Minnesota Curling Association. On the men’s side, Team Nelson (Dave Nelson, Pat Roe, Will Buckingham, Erich Inglin) from the Madison Curling Club and the Wisconsin Curling Association earned the hardware, defeating Team Bond (Chris Bond, Sam Galey, Nick Pleasants, Thorsten Frank) from the Seattle Granite Curling Club and the Pacific Northwest Curling Association by a score of 5-4.
This national championship was hosted by the MIlwaukee Curling Club in Cedarburg, WI, the oldest continuously operating curling club in the United States. The current facility, completed in 2012, was an ideal setting for this event, and the countless club volunteers made it a great experience for the competitors.
USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell remarked, “It was terrific to hold this event, one that celebrates high-level competition and the club-based traditions of our sport, at a Member Club with as much history as Milwaukee. We are truly grateful for the efforts of the organizers and all the volunteers.”
More information about the event, including line scores, can be found here.
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, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
