WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BERTHS ON THE LINE AT PAN CONTINENTALS
Photo: Bob Weder Photography
[EAGAN, MN, October 26, 2023] — As the popularity of curling grows around the world, so does the competition for berths in the World Women’s and World Men’s Curling Championships.
The Pan Continental Curling Championship, often referred to as the P-Triple Cs or the PCCC, was contested for the first time last season This year’s event will be get underway on October 29th at the 12-sheet Kelowna Curling Club in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Through this championship, all curling nations outside of the European Zone have an opportunity to compete at the world level.
The PCCC qualifies countries for the 2024 World Championships—the top five of each gender will earn berths. The BKT Tires World Women’s Championship will be in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, from March 14-24, while the LGT World Men’s Championship is slated for Schaffhausen, Switzerland, from March 30-April 7.
Separately, the European Championships will qualify eight teams to the 2024 World Championships, while the host country receives a berth to bring the field size at both the World Men’s and the World Women’s to 14 teams.
Based on their positions in the World Curling Federation Team Ranking System, the United States will be represented by on the Women’s side by Team Peterson (Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Becca Hamilton, Tara Peterson) and on the Men’s side by Team Dropkin (Korey Dropkin, Andrew Stopera, Mark Fenner, Tom Howell). Vicky Persinger will join Team Peterson as the Alternate, while Ben Richardson will be the Alternate for Team Dropkin.
“We have a job to do in Kelowna that’s bigger than just our team,” noted Dropkin. “We’re there to ensure the USA has a spot in the World Championships, which is critical for our sport, for all who compete, and for Olympic qualification. We’re looking forward to getting on the ice in Kelowna and earning it.”
Both Dropkin and Peterson played in last year’s event, held at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary.
“It’s always a thrill to represent the United States on the world stage,” added skip Tabitha Peterson. “Securing a spot for Team USA at the 2024 Women’s Worlds is crucial, and we’ll be 100% focused on getting it done in Kelowna.”
More event information related to the PCCC is available here. Games will be streamed—find out more about how to watch here.
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, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), Rock Solid Productions, IHG, 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.
