By Ben Hoppe, U.S. curling writer
A few years ago, it seemed that Delaney Strouse’s team representing the United States at a world championship would be a question of "when" and not "if."
In February 2023, a 22-year-old Strouse burst onto the scene at the USA Curling National Championships in Denver. Fresh off a bronze medal finish over Fay Henderson at the World University Games, her rink won the silver in a closely contested battle with Tabitha Peterson's team. The future looked bright.
The following season, Team Strouse picked up where they left off, winning multiple events, competing in three Grand Slam of Curling major tournaments, and returning to the podium at nationals, this time winning bronze. After so much success, the team expected more.
But it didn’t come.
Looking back two years later with more clarity, Strouse realizes now that a continuous upward trajectory was not quite as realistic.
"Even though we had really great results … if you look at how we got to the playoffs, we were squeaking in almost every single event as the eight seed," Strouse recalled.
WATCH: Strouse faces Cousins in USA Curling National Championships final
In a sport where teams focus so much on process over results, the results for Strouse’s team were hiding the inconsistencies of a young team. Suddenly, the team stopped squeaking into the playoffs, and the losses began to pile up.
"Curling is always a sport that you’re going to lose more than you win," Strouse reflected.
It was a lesson she had to learn the hard way.
The hard times came to a head at the 2025 national championship. After the team missed the playoffs with a 2-5 record, Strouse thought she "just couldn’t do it anymore." She felt like she had let her teammates down on the way to a disappointing finish for a team with championship aspirations. The skip was hurting.
"I was really suffering from some mental health problems. I did not know if I even wanted to curl," Strouse said. "I was just so miserable."
So she sought out help and went to work.
Strouse went to personal therapy as well as group therapy to work through her mental health struggles. Over the course of six months, she went to therapy for at least three hours per week. It was a huge time commitment and a challenge, but the 25-year-old skip knows it was worth it.
"I’m a better athlete. I’m a better teammate. I’m a better person to myself," Strouse said.
The skip was open with her teammates and coaches about what she was going through and the work she was doing, and the team grew as a result. Strouse found herself becoming more comfortable being vulnerable with her teammates, and she also saw them not shy away from their struggles. As a team, they learned the importance of not giving space when they saw a friend in need but instead taking action.
"I think it’s really important, rather than using that as a time to step back, using it as a time to step in as a team," Strouse said. "I feel like that’s something my teammates have done a really great job of doing."
Even when Strouse decided to take on the game-calling duties at the national championship in Charlotte a few weeks ago, the team knew it was going to be a big step. Skipping is a task that puts extra mental stress on Strouse, and she knew her team would step in if they saw something or if she asked for help.
“They’ve just done a great job of understanding what I’ve gone through, and just being open and listening and understanding," she said. "All three of them are the best teammates.”
So when they took the ice together in Charlotte for the national championships, they knew they were going to lean on the growth they all had experienced.
In a week that saw games get delayed due to a leaky roof and test their mental fortitude, the women of Team Strouse trusted each other, focused on themselves, and didn’t worry about who they lost to or how they lost.
"I was really trying not to focus on the outcome and taking it one end at a time, one shot at a time, because really, that’s all I could do," Strouse said.
WATCH: Strouse makes delicate tap for two points
Growth requires hard work. And the long hours and commitment that Strouse put into herself to get help with therapy bore fruit.
Her team exhibited the maturity that comes from hard work, teamwork, and growth. And while it wasn’t the smoothest sailing, it ended with their first national championship. A victory that was a long time coming. A victory that was achieved together.
Now, they’ll take on the next challenge, again taking it one game, one end, one shot at a time when they take the ice on Saturday night against Kerri Einarson and in Calgary. Strouse knows she is hard-pressed to find a better place than playing for Team Canada on good ice at the Winsport Arena.
"The atmosphere is going to be great," Strouse said. "I want to enjoy the experience. I want to have fun. And I want to be there with my team and my coaches, and just get better every game."
