2024 SENIOR MEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF
Photo by: Seattle Curling Club/Ray Kwan
[EAGAN, MN, February 7, 2024] — Championship season continues this week, as the The Heather Curling Club in Mapleton, MN, hosts the USA Curling Senior Men’s National Championship. Sixteen teams will take to the ice, all vying to be Team USA at the World Senior Men’s Championship, slated for Oestersund, Sweden, in late April.
Curling has a long history in Mapleton, with games being played in the area as far back as 1856. The club has been at its current location since 1950.
“It’s exciting to bring this prestigious championship to a place with such deep roots in the sport,” remarked USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell. “Senior Men’s Nationals brings together top players aged 50 and older, and always delivers a week of great shotmaking and camaraderie.”
An open-entry event, 16 teams have traveled to Mapleton, all hoping to finish the week as national champions and travel to Sweden as Team USA. There are names throughout the field that will be familiar to those who follow curling. Last year’s silver medalists Team Farbelow enter the event as the top seed, but there is no shortage of talent in this championship. The 2022 gold medal winners, Team LeClair of the Coyotes Curling Club in Arizona, are returning, along with former World Senior Men’s and five-time Men’s National Champion Paul Pustovar. Jeff Wright, who skipped a team to the 2018 title, is also in the mix. Team Larway of Seattle Granite, the 2023 champion, is not returning to defend their title.
More information about the 2024 Senior Men’s National Championship is available here.
The Senior Women’s National Championship will be at the Circle City Curling Club, just outside Indianapolis, from February 19-25. The winner of that event will also head to Sweden to compete for a world title.
2024 Senior Men’s Nationals—Teams
Team Arlo: Matt Aro, Mark Hartman, Jim Osborne,Chris Laabs, Jay Clark
Team Arrell: Kent Arrell, Steve Russell, Chris Dibble, Duane Hebert
Team Tschumakow: Alex Tschumakow, Scott McLeod, Dick Dawson, Keith Dropkin, Tim Luehrman
Team Farbelow: Mike Farbelow, Rich Ruohonen, Bill Stopera, Timothy Solin
Team Hedstrom: Bob Hedstrom, Steve Cerkvenik, Ken Olson, Nate Olson
Team Hester: Chris Hester, David DeBois, Jeffrey Wick, Phil Shryock
Team Jackson: Murray Jackson, Kim Hicks, Brian Chick, Mario Riveron
Team Leclair: Bob Leclair, Fred Maxie, Jeff Baird, Tom Danielson
Team Ho: Tim Ho, Benj Guzman, Michael Sampson, Paul Marseglia
Team Pustovar: Paul Pustovar, Ross Litman, Dan Wiza, Mike Kniffin
Team Schiestel: Jon Schiestel, Keith Mischo, Al Boldt, Alan Batchen
Team Starkey: Ken Starkey, Randy Cumming, Bob Tessman, Jeff Kennedy
Team Ussatis: Todd Ussatis, Owen Sampson, Tom Munich, John Lambert
Team Tolvstad: Mark Tolvstad, Bryan Rau, Kirby Baumgard, Mark Becking
Team Torkelson: Greg Torkelson, Staffan Axelsson, Jeff Elborne, Scott Gerstenkorn
Team Wright: Jeff Wright, Steve Waters, Sean Silver, Russ Armstrong
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.
