CHAMPIONSHIPS


USA World Championships Team Qualification Process 2016-17


resent USA at the men’s and women’s World Championships. Beginning this year, any team ranked in the Top 25 of the year-to-date


T


World Curling Tour Order of Merit (OOM) on Jan. 23, 2017, (*or the date in close proximity that the WCT OOM rankings are updated immediately following the WCT events the weekend of Jan. 19-22) will be eligible to rep- resent USA in the men’s or women’s 2017 World Curling Championships by winning the U.S. men’s or women’s 2017 National Championships, regard- less of whether or not that team has the highest OOM points total among the top three finishers in the Nationals. What this effectively does is allow teams to count points from up to eight


eligible competitions, since the OOM is based upon that number. At the same time, the points system that has been in place (outlined below) will continue to be utilized in the event that a team not in the World Curling Tour Top 25 on Jan. 23, 2017, wins the U.S. Nationals in February in Everett, Wash. Te High Performance Advisory group includes Athletes Advisory Coun-


cil representatives Craig Brown, Allison Pottinger and Doug Pottinger; High Performance Program staff members Derek Brown, Ann Swisshelm, Scott Baird, and Phill Drobnick; Competitions Committee Co-Chairman Sam Williams, as well as Pete Fenson, Gerry Geurts, Kent Beadle, and USCA Chief Executive Officer Rick Patzke. Tis group also reached out to numerous other athletes and coaches for input during the review process. Some of the reasons supporting this change include: Over the last three to four years we have seen a steady improvement by all


U.S. teams on the OOM and at least one team (both men and women) has been in the Top 25 OOM YTD at the end of the season. Below are the Top three USA team’s YTD results over the last three years,


which shows the upward trend: Season


2013-14 2014-15 2015-16


Men’s results 24, 27, 29 (avg. 26.6) 19, 27, 30 (avg. 25.3) 11, 22, 30 (avg. 21) Women’s results 18, 31, 34 (avg. 27.6) 20, 27, 29 (avg. 25.3) 14, 26, 32 (avg. 24) As this shows, Top 25 is a very realistic and achievable target. It also


makes sense to use this as a benchmark since we are already using a target of Top 15 (both OOM and YTD OOM) to qualify for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for curling. Teams can earn additional points in and beyond the U.S. Nationals toward the Trials qualification. To summarize, the 2017 World Championships Team Qualification Pro-


cess is: t "OZ NFO T BOE XPNFO T FMJHJCMF UFBN UIBU XJOT UIF 6 4 /BUJPOBM


Championships and was in the Top 25 of the year-to-date World Curling Tour Order of Merit on *Jan. 23, 2017, will be named as USA’s team for the respective 2017 World Curling Championship. t *G B NFO T PS XPNFO T UFBN UIBU XJOT UIF 64" $VSMJOH /BUJPOBMT


was not ranked in the WCT Top 25 on *Jan. 23, 2017, then USA’s World Championship teams will be the men’s and women’s teams with the highest OOM points total at the conclusion of the Nationals that have placed in the top three in their respective National Championship. t *G UIFSF JT B UJF JO QPJOUT BOE B 5PQ UFBN BT EFTDSJCFE BCPWF EJE OPU


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USA Curling (( 9


he USCA High Performance Advisory Group has completed its annual review of the World Team Qualification Process, and has made one significant adjustment in how teams can qualify to rep-


One significant adjustment in how teams can qualify to represent USA at the men’s and women’s World Championships has been put in place this season. Photo by Rich Harmer for USA Curling


win the Nationals), the team placing highest among the top three at the Nationals will qualify as USA’s World Championship team. t 5FBNT DBO DPVOU UIFJS TJY CFTU 0SEFS PG .FSJU 00. SFTVMUT HPJOH JOUP


Nationals; however, a team may only use a maximum of 4 U.S.-based OOM events toward their total of six results. t "MM 6 4 UFBNT XJMM TUBSU UIF TFBTPO BU [FSP QPJOUT t "MM 6 4 UFBNT XJMM CF SFRVJSFE UP SFHJTUFS UIFJS UFBN XJUI UIF 8PSME


Curling Tour to be eligible to score OOM points toward USA Worlds Team Qualification. Teams no longer have to report their point totals to a USCA designee aſter each event, as we are monitoring the results on the WCT OOM. t 5FBNT NVTU IBWF B NJOJNVN PG UISFF FMJHJCMF SFHJTUFSFE QMBZFST PO


the ice for all games at any event to earn OOM points toward USA Worlds Team Qualification. t 5FBNT DBO POMZ VTF 6 4 /BUJPOBMT FMJHJCMF QMBZFST PG UIF TBNF HFOEFS BT


a substitute to earn OOM points toward USA Worlds Team Qualification. t ćF 6 4 /BUJPOBM $IBNQJPOTIJQT TIBMM BXBSE UFBNT 00. QPJOUT BT follows: First – 110 points, second – 85 points and third 65 points. Q


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