2014 CONTINENTAL CUP North America wins back-to-back Cups By Terry L. Kolesar, Editor T
eam North America retained the World Financial Group Conti- nental Cup title with a 36-24 win over Team World Jan. 19 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
A new attendance record was set at the Continental Cup with total at-
tendance for the four-day event featuring 11 draws of action coming in at 51,215. Tis marks the second highest curling event hosted in the U.S. Te Grand Forks Men's World Championship in 2008, which had 23 draws, came in with 51,731. “We've loved hosting the 2014 WFG Continental Cup – the first time out
of Canada – in Las Vegas. Great curling, great fans, great volunteers – and a historic achievement, breaking all Continental Cup attendance records," said Anne Warner Cribbs, event co-chair. “We appreciate our partnership with USA Curling, the CCA, and the WCF. It takes a great team to produce an event like this ... so congrats to all.” Tis is the 10th time that the Cup has been staged, with North America
now boasting six title wins. Tis was the fourth Cup title for American skip Erika Brown, who won titles in 2014, 2011, 2004, and 2002. Brown is the only athlete to win four Cup titles. “I knew secretly that it would be four wins for me if we ended up on top so that was pretty awesome,” said Brown, who will lead Team USA at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games. Brown's team helped North America's cause by earning three points in
the final women's skins competition against Team World's Eve Muirhead. “We wanted to come back and being able to play here in the U.S. and
with my dad and do great as team – both Team Brown and big Team North America – is a sweet way to finish,” Brown said. Team North America's team includes USA's Brown (Oakville, Ontario),
Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Jessica Schultz (Minneapolis, Minn.), Ann Swisshelm (Chicago), John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.), Jeff Isaacson (Vir- ginia, Minn.), Jared Zezel (Hibbing, Minn.), and John Landsteiner (Du- luth, Minn.). Te team also included Canada's Brad Jacobs, Ryan Fry, EJ Harnden, Ryan Harnden, Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer, Dawn McEwen, Jeff Stoughton, Jon Mead, Reid Carruthers, Mark Nichols, Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk, and Lisa Weagle. North Amer- ica's coach was Canada's Rick Lang while USA's Steve Brown (Madison, Wis.) was captain. Fiſteen points were available in the skins finale as Team North America
came into the game with a three-point lead. Stoughton's Canadian team swept Team World's David Murdoch, 5-0. Te Cup was clinched by the Ja-
// CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR
FEB. 26-MARCH 5 2014 World Junior Championships, Flims, Switzerland
MARCH 1-8 2014 U.S. National Championships, Aston, Pa.
MARCH 7-16 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, Sochi, Russia
12
usacurl.org ))
MARCH 14-16 College National Championship, Blaine, Minn.
MARCH 15-22 2014 U.S. Mixed National Championship, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
MARCH 15-23 2014 Ford World Women's Championship, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada
North America's John Shuster (leſt) and Jeff Isaacson strategize during team competition at the Continental Cup.
Photo by Michael Burns Jr.
Competition Team-Round 1
Mixed Doubles, Rd1 Team-Round 2 Team-Round 3 Singles
Mixed Doubles, Rd2 Team-Round 4 Team-Round 5 Team-Round 6 Skins-Round 1 Skins-Round2 Grand Total
World 2 1 0
1.5 5
0.5 1 1
0.5 8.5 3
24
North America 1 2 3
1.5 1
2.5 2 2
2.5 6.5 12 36
cobs rink in the seventh end en route to an eventual 4-1 defeat of Norway's Tomas Ulsrud. “Aſter a couple of slip-ups earlier in the day, I knew our team was really eager to go out there and show that we can play and bring back the same attitude we had at the Trials. We did today. And we can't wait for Sochi aſter playing the way we did tonight,” said Jacobs, who will be the skip for Team Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
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