SMITH, FARBELOW CAPTURE SENIOR NATIONALS TITLES
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 10, 2025] — A total of 35 teams—20 men’s, 15 women’s—traveled to Traverse City, MI, to compete for the right to be called the nation’s best curling team over 50 years of age.
When the rocks came to rest at the Traverse City Curling Center on Sunday afternoon, there were two familiar winners. The 2024 Men’s champions, Team Farbelow (Mike Farbelow, Rich Ruohonen, Bill Stopera, Darren Lehto), defended their title by defeating Team Wright (Jeff Wright, Sean Silver, Chris Schallmo, Russ Brown) 6-4, in a thrilling game that was only decided when Wright’s in-off in the eighth end just missed the mark. On the Women’s side, Team Smith (Margie Smith, Norma O’Leary, Shelly Kinney, Shelly Kosal) topped Team Segovia (Julie Segovia, Cynthia Smith, Dena Rosenberry, Anna Murphy) by a score of 5-2. It is Smith’s ninth national Senior Women’s title, O’Leary’s sixth, and Kosal’s eighth. Kinney earned her first Senior Women’s win.
In the Bronze medal games, Team Pustovar (Paul Pustovar, Ross Litman, Eric Beste, Mike Kniffin) won 6-4 over Team Jackson (Murray Jackson, Kim Hicks, Brian Chick, Mario Riveron), while Team Lawless (Tracy Lawless, Leslie McGregor, Lisa Johnson, Kim Wapola) defeated 2024 champions Team Montgomery (Angela Montgomery, Stephanie Erstad, Kathleen Lake, Anne Gravel) by a score of 7-2.
The players in the field came from across the country—states represented included Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with a number of teams from Michigan. It was the largest Senior Nationals since the event became an open-entry championship.
USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell remarked that, “It is great to see the enthusiasm for this championship, and we were rewarded with some exciting curling. We are grateful to Kate Sterken and the incredible volunteer efforts of the Traverse City members for making this such a positive experience for everyone.”
The large field also provided an infusion of economic activity into the Traverse City area—more than 200 out-of-towners took advantage of the many dining, lodging, and shopping options in the area.
Teams Smith and Farbelow will now represent the United States at the World Senior Curling Championships, scheduled for Fredericton, NB, Canada, from April 26th through May 3rd.
To see replays of the games from the Senior Nationals, visit the Traverse City Curling Center YouTube channel.
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.
