By Ben Hoppe, U.S. curling writer
Team Shuster have repeatedly said this season has been their strongest. Heading into the week at Charlotte, Shuster had posted an outstanding 51-18 record, qualifying for the playoffs in every event. That streak continued at the USA Curling national championships, with the team going undefeated in round robin play.
The playoffs, however, were not totally smooth sailing for the team looking to add to an already great season with a crown in the Queen City. Andrew Stopera was locked in all week and defeated Shuster in the Page 1-2 playoff game, forcing Shuster to win another game on Sunday morning before a rubber match with Stopera a few hours later.
In the finale, Team Stopera gave Shuster all they could handle, putting the 2018 Olympic gold medallist in a two-point deficit with four ends left. Shuster was given little wiggle room for big ends, but they were not to be denied. They played the scoreboard to perfection over the final four ends, alternating two-point hammer ends with forces of one point in non-hammer ends.
The result was Shuster having the hammer in the extra end and having a pick-out for the win. When John Shuster released the rock, his fate was in the hands of Chris Plys calling the line and a sleeveless Colin Hufman sweeping the rock. It seemed only fitting that the two players who have made clear their intentions to step back from competitive play were the ones who guided the rock to the win and leave the sport as national champions. After the game, Shuster could be heard on the stream congratulating Plys and Hufman for “going out on top.”
The win marks Shuster’s 11th national championship title, and the win earns the team a ticket to the World Men’s Curling Championship in Ogden, Utah.
In a December interview, Shuster shared one of his bucket list items has been to win a world championship, and now he’ll have the opportunity to do just that on home soil.
STROUSE BOOKS TICKET TO CALGARY
Three years ago, it looked like an eventual national championship for Delaney Strouse was a foregone conclusion. However, future success in any sport, curling included, is never guaranteed. Strouse’s team would endure roster changes and inconsistent results.
The current season was no different. They began the year by bringing in Maddie Bear to throw lead rocks and call the game, but the team made another change going into nationals by handing the skipping duties back to Strouse.
Four games into the seven-game round robin, the change had yielded mixed results. The Strouse rink found themselves with a 2-2 record, tied with five other teams in the eight-team field. The team was able to grind out two wins in their final three games to make the playoffs.
They dropped their final game of round robin play against top-ranked Elizabeth Cousins, and Cousins would win the immediate rematch in the Page 1-2 playoff matchup. Fortunately for Team Strouse, they found the right time to beat Cousins in the championship final. With the humidity in the arena adding another layer of variability, Strouse’s preference for throwing hits paid off. The Michigan-based skip stole two points in the second end and scored two or more points in three of the four ends with the hammer advantage to secure a 9-6 victory.
This win is the first national title for all four members of Team Strouse. They will now represent the United States in Calgary for the World Women’s Curling Championship.
ICE CREW AND TEAMS NAVIGATE RAIN DELAYS
While the event got off to a smooth start in Charlotte, things got dicey halfway through the event when overnight rain in Charlotte found its way through a leaky roof of the Bojangles Coliseum. Earlier in February, rain and subsequent leaks had postponed a hockey game for the local AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. With this knowledge, the USA Curling ice crew was able to make contingency plans for rain.
Those plans were put into action overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, causing draws to be delayed, and eventually forcing one game to be played at the nearby Charlotte Curling Association. Once the rain subsided on Friday, teams still had to deal with frost issues and humidity, but the ice technicians were generally able to maintain conditions despite the circumstances.
“Stuff happens out of everyone’s control,” Plys said in a comment on social media. “The ice has been great until this rain, and they’ve done a great job giving us a good surface given all these challenges.”
USA Curling had scheduled the finals to be played at two separate times, but with the delays caused by the weather, both championship finals had to be played simultaneously.
