// CHAMPIONSHIPS
Brown, Clark rinks capture 2013 National Championships
By Terry L. Kolesar, Editor
Center in Green Bay, Wis. One skip is a familiar winner while the other won for the first time.
T Women's gold medal game: An all-star team of Olympians will make a return to the big stage to represent
the U.S. at the upcoming world championships as Erika Brown led her team to a gold-medal victory. Brown (Oakville, Ontario) and teammates Debbie Mc- Cormick (Rio, Wis.), Jessica Schultz (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Ann Swisshelm (Chicago) defeated the Courtney George rink, 7-6, in an extra end to win the title. “It’s a dream come true. It’s been our goal for the last two years so we’ve been
really focused. We knew this is what we wanted, and were going to do anything it takes to get there. It’s going to be an amazing feeling to represent the U.S. again at a world championship,” Schultz said. Tis is the seventh national title for Brown, a 1998 Olympian; the eighth for
McCormick, a three-time Olympian (2010, 2002, 1998); third for Schultz, a member of the 2006 Olympic team; and fiſth for Swisshelm, a 2002 Olympian. Tey are coached by 2007 U.S. national champion Bill Todhunter. “It just feels great to be with these three women and a great coach. Every time
I have the United States of America on my back I feel so proud playing a sport I love. Having the support of everyone around me is so special,” McCormick said. It was the first women’s championship final for George (Duluth, Minn.) and
her team of Aileen Sormunen (Duluth, Minn.), Amanda McLean (St. Paul, Minn.) and Julie Lilla (Trempealeau, Wis.). In the 10th
end Brown needed a tap-up on her own stone in the eight-foot to
win but came up a few inches short and the game went into overtime. Aſter get- ting into a little bit of trouble early on in the extra end with a few missed peels, 2003 world champion McCormick saved the end with a double peel to open up the house. Tat set the stage for the skips. Brown executed a double takeout aſter George’s first stone sunk a little too deep into the four-foot. George attempted the double takeout with her final stone but it was a nose hit, giving Brown the takeout for the win. “We just had to keep reminding each other to breathe and that we’ve been
here before, that we’re pretty confident and that we’ll make our shots. We were hoping it would come down to Erika making a shot to win,” Schultz said about the team’s demeanor during the extra end. Team George finished third at last year’s Nationals and moves up to the silver
in 2013. Team Brown now becomes Team USA for the 2013 World Women’s Championship March 16-24 in Riga, Latvia. In addition, the win puts the Brown team into the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling, Nov. 10-17, in Fargo, N.D., along with teams skipped by Allison Pottinger and Cassie Potter. Te fourth team will be determined by USA Curling’s High Performance Selection Committee and announced in May. “It feels great. We came into this game knowing it was going to be a tough
game. Tese girls have played amazing all week and we really respect them,” McCormick said. “We talked about just playing our game. We were nervous, of
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wo new champions were crowned on Feb. 16 at the 2013 USA Curling National Championships presented by Brooms Up Curling Supplies at the Resch Olympic Pavilion at the Cornerstone Community Ice
course, but we talked about just playing our game. We’ve had a great season and worked so hard to stay positive.” Men's gold medal game:
Seattle’s Brady Clark has added another gold medal to his tally but this one
has different words on it. Te nine-time U.S. mixed champion and three-time U.S. mixed doubles champion led his team to a 6-5 win over Minnesota’s Tyler George to win the men's title. “I can compare it probably to the first time we won our mixed nationals and
the first time we won our mixed doubles to go to the worlds. Tose are two of my biggest highlights. Te first time you win something, it’s hard to compare,” Clark said. “All that work and preparation that goes into trying to win and to be able to finish it off is an amazing feeling. We trained hard. We said all year it would be great to go to Worlds, but we wanted to earn our right to get to the Olympic Trials.” Tis is the first men’s national title win for Clark (Lynnwood, Wash.) and
teammates Sean Beighton, Darren Lehto and Philip Tilker (all of Seattle). “I’m speechless. Tis was the goal at the beginning of the season,” said Beigh-
ton, who won the junior national title in 2010. “We all put a ton on the line. Our families were all very supportive of our early touring schedule and we forked out a ton of money out of our own pockets because we knew this was it or bust. We accomplished our goal and I couldn’t feel better right now. Tis win is pretty sweet.” Te Clark rink is the first team from Seattle since 2004 to win the national
championship. “Our whole goal was to at least get to the [Page playoff] 1-2 game so we could get that Olympic [Trials] spot, so this was kind of our gravy we still wanted,” said Tilker, 35. “We started strong and hit a little slump, but finished strong. Brady played great. He picked us up in this game and then we finally showed up to play and gave him some help.” With the win, Team Clark will now represent the U.S. at the 2013 Ford World
Men’s Championship March 30-April 7 in Victoria, British Columbia. Te team also is qualified for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Fargo, N.D., on Nov. 10-17. George (Duluth, Minn.) and teammates Chris Plys (Duluth, Minn.), Rich Ruohonen (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Colin Hufman (Seattle) also have secured a spot in the Trials, which will take place at Scheels Arena, host site of the 2011 Nationals. “It feels kind of cool. It really hasn’t sunk in. It definitely feels a little better
to win than to lose,” said Lehto who was runner-up at the 2003 Nationals. “It’s awesome it will be in Victoria. We’ll have lots of friends and family to come up.” In the seventh end, last-rock thrower Plys attempted a tough angle raise dou-
ble takeout but only got one out, giving Team Clark a steal of one. “We had three ends set up for two or more. Te first end we had the house
split and Tyler rolled out on his second shot, I think. In the second end, we’re laying five at one point and Chris’s rock came up too far. We were guaranteed at least two or three, maybe more and that was a game changer,” said Ruohonen, who won the national title in 2008 with Craig Brown. “Ten in the fourth, same thing, we should have had two. It could have been over in the first four ends. Hats off to them, they made a lot of great shots.” In the final end George missed a takeout on the lone Clark stone in the rings, which allowed Clark to draw around the guard and place a second stone in the
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