The sport may get snickers, but curling combines the touch of golf, the leg strength of diving and the steely strategy of any Olympic event going. The U.S. men’s and women’s teams may earn their first Olympic medals at the Turin Games. The Canadians are out to sweep gold.
U.S. Olympic team
Men:
Pete Fenson, 37, Bemidji, Minn., skip
Shawn Rojeski, 34, Chisholm, Minn., vice skip
Joe Polo, 23, Cass Lake, Minn., second
John Shuster, 23, Chisholm, Minn., lead
Scott Baird, 54, Bemidji, Minn., alternate
Women:
Cassie Johnson, 24, Bemidji Minn., skip
Jamie Johnson, 25, Bemidji Minn., vice skip
Jessica Schultz, 21, Anchorage, Alaska, second
Maureen Brunt, 23, Portage, Wis., lead
Courtney George, 19, Duluth, Minn., alternate
Sure bet:
Canadian women
Shannon Kleibrink has her teammates thinking golden thoughts. She skipped her foursome to an 11-4 win over Cassie Johnson’s American team during a match in early January.
Who to watch
American men
Pete Fenson owns a pizzeria in the curling hotbed of Bemidji. His team, which meets once a week in Bemidji to practice, finished sixth at the 2005 World Curling Championships.
American women
Cassie Johnson and sister Jamie Johnson have won a world junior title. More recently, they finished second at the 2005 World Curling Championships. Those who know the Bemidji, Minn., sisters say their sweet smiles and soft laughs belie a fiery spirit on the ice.
Norwegian men
The 2002 gold medal winners are back. The Norwegians has earned fifth place or better at every world championship since 1999.
Best all-time
Sandra Schmirler, Canada
She won three world titles by the time she led Canada’s team to a gold medal in 1998. That would be her only medal. Sixteen months after Schmirler returned home a hero, she was diagnosed with cancer. She died in 2000 at the age of 36.
