// 2014 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES Sweep to Sochi By Terry L. Kolesar, Editor,
terry.kolesar@usacurl.org P
rivet! Curling will make its fiſth straight appearance as a full- medal sport when the games of the XXII Olympiad begin Feb. 7 in Sochi, Russia.
Te Ice Cube Curling Center will host the curling competition as well
as the wheelchair curling competition when the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games are contested just weeks aſter the Olympic Games conclude. Te Ice Cube seats around 3,000 specta- tors and hosted the 2013 World Junior Curling Championships and 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Champion- ship as the official test events. Te U.S. teams for the 2014 Olympic
Games will be determined at the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling in November in Fargo, N.D. Te U.S. will be seeking its first-ever
Olympic gold medal when the Ameri- cans hit the ground in Sochi. But first things first, we need to get the men's team qualified for Sochi. Te women earned enough qualification points at the last two world championships to earn their berth already. On the men's side, the Americans fell just short and will now have to earn the berth at a last chance qualifier Dec. 11-15 in Fussen, Germany. Te winning teams at the Olympic Team Trials will rep- resent the U.S. at the Olympic Games. Tat means the men's team that wins the Trials will head to Germany in December to earn their ticket to Sochi. Te Ice Cube is located in the Coastal Cluster of Olympic venues and
is just a stone's throw from the hockey stadium, speed-skating and figure- skating venues. Te Olympic Village also will be a short walk or drive for athletes going to and from the curling venue. According to Sochi 2014 or- ganizers, the “Ice Cube” Curling Center is the smallest, but probably one of the most comfortable sports venues in the Olympic Park. Te design of the venue is minimalistic and it symbolizes democracy and accessibility as well as festivity, which are characteristics of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Te name has associations with the architectural form of the venue, which is 19.3 m high and 30 m x 60 m in width and length, resembling an ice cube. Ten countries will compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic curling
competitions. Teams will complete a round robin with the top four teams moving on to a traditional playoff format, with the winners of the semifi- nals moving on to play for the gold medal while the losing sides will square off for the bronze medal. Wheelchair curling debuted as a Paralympic medal sport in 2006. Te
U.S. just missed the podium in 2010 when the team finished fourth in Van- couver. Te 2014 Paralympic Games will begin March 7 with the opening ceremony. Jimmy Joseph, who curls out of the Utica Curling Club, is set to make his third appearance for the U.S. at the Paralympic Games in Sochi. To learn more about the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games, visit
www.sochi2014.com/en. Until then, Dasvidania! n
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usacurl.org ))
Te official medals (above) for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games were unveiled this summer.
Te Ice Cube Curling Center (above) will be the stage for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. Tis photo from Getty Im- ages shows the view from the "home" end.
Patrick McDonald (center) will lead Team USA at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games as the USA seeks its first medal at the event.
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