[EAGAN, MN, December 8, 2023]  — The 2023 Women’s World Junior-B Curling Championship kicked off this morning at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja, Finland. Team USA is represented by Team Scheel, skipped by Miranda Scheel, with Sara Olson playing third, Allory Johnson second (vice-skip), and Tessa Thurlow as lead.

The women will have a five-game pool play schedule in Group D with Australia, Poland, China, Slovenia, and Turkey from December 8th to 10th. 25 teams total will compete in the women’s event. After pool play concludes, the top two teams from each pool will earn playoff berths.  

Scheel faced Poland this morning in the opening draw. They won the game 12-4 after seven ends. They went on to beat Slovenia 11-4 after a strong start to the game, scoring two in the first and stealing five in the second. They will play China in their next round robin game at 1am CT on December 9th.

Team Scheel won the U.S. Junior National Championship earlier this year to secure their spot at the World Junior Bs. “I’m looking forward to competing at another world event. I’m excited to show all the work this team put in!” said Miranda Scheel

The men’s event will begin on December 14that the Kisakallio Sports Institute. This will be Team Wendling’s (Wes Wendling, Kevin Tuma, Jackson Bestland, Jackson Armstrong) first World event as a team. Their six-game round robin play will take place from December 14th to the 17th.

Live scores can be found here throughout the event.

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.