By Ben Hoppe, U.S. curling writer
Taylor Anderson-Heide was the only person on her team to have never won an Olympic Trials. Laura Dwyer was the only curler in the Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Paralympic Trials who had never been to a Paralympic Games. Rich Ruohonen was at his sixth consecutive Olympic Trials but had never made it past the finals. And now, after the week they endured at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Trials in Sioux Falls, S.D., they’re no longer the odd ones out.
Dwyer made multiple shots with the hammer for huge scores in both games of the Wheelchair Mixed Doubles final. Anderson-Heide’s impact on the game through her sweeping might have made her the MVP of game one of the women’s final. While Ruohonen did not see ice time, his role on this team over the past two seasons cannot be understated, and with his help, his team finally came out on top in an Olympic Trials.
These three curlers have now added an important accomplishment to their resumes. For Dwyer, it is time to start planning travel to Italy in March. For Anderson-Heide’s Team Peterson and Ruohonen’s Team Casper, there is still work to do with their teams in Kelowna, B.C., next month before they can start making any overseas travel plans.
U.S. curling fans were treated to some incredible games in Sioux Falls over the course of the week, and the Olympic and Paralympic Trials wrapped up over the weekend with best-of-three finals in all events.
CASPER RISES TO TOP IN ELECTRIC FINAL
The last time the U.S. Olympic Trials did not feature John Shuster, Danny Casper was only six months old. Every four years since 2005, Shuster has earned the right to be Team USA at Olympic competitions.
Meanwhile, the young Team Casper has been on a steady rise up the world rankings in recent seasons. Shuster’s reign at the pinnacle of United States curling was challenged by the newcomers, and the ensuing battle did not disappoint.
The best-of-three finals went the distance, and in each game, Casper gave Team Shuster all they could handle while allowing very few opportunities for Shuster to gain momentum. Casper’s mistakes were limited, allowing just one steal throughout the entire three-game set.
The only slip-up for the team came on Casper’s last rock in the seventh end of Game 1. Vice Luc Violette began sweeping early and mistakenly dislodged one of Shuster’s rocks in the back of the house as Casper’s rock nudged a Shuster stone to lie four. Shuster agreed the shot would have been made for four and left the result as-is. Asked about it the next day on the television broadcast, Shuster admitted his team was not going to be winning that game regardless of it being three points or four, another testament to Team Casper’s impressive performance and shotmaking.
Even in scenarios where it seemed Shuster was set up for a potentially big end, someone on Team Casper was able to come up with a clutch shot. In the game they lost, which may end up as the best curling match of the entire year, they made their opponents work for every point. Shuster was poised for a massive score in the eighth end, but Viollete threw a bullet, which prevented Shuster from scoring more than two points. The team answered Shuster’s deuce with a precise hit for three from Casper. If it weren’t for incredible shotmaking from Shuster and second Colin Hufman, the series could have easily ended in a two-game sweep.
In the seventh end of the deciding third game, Shuster was again set up to score at least two, if not more, following a near-perfect freeze-tap by the 2018 gold medallist. Again, Casper answered. The 24-year-old skip made an incredibly precise double takeout on the two Shuster rocks, completely deflating any momentum built in Shuster’s favour to that point.
With that hit, the new reality of United States curling started to become clear. Reality set in when Casper made a hit to run Shuster out of rocks in the 10th end and put a cap on one of the best three-game series curling fans will ever see.
“Team Shuster is an amazing team and amazing people,” Casper said via text on Sunday night. “It’s a shame someone had to lose.”
This, though, was not a loss by Team Shuster. It was a win by Team Casper. They did not wait for an opportunity; they made the opportunity. Team Casper had to work for every inch of this battle for the ages against the best curler in the history of the United States.
Shuster paved the way when he won gold at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, serving as an inspiration to the very curlers that managed to overtake him in 2025. And now, those curlers have the opportunity to earn their place at the Winter Olympic Games and make their own mark on the landscape of curling in the United States.
This is a big step for the team, but Casper recognizes this is only the first step they will need to take.
“We still have a lot of work to do to get to the Olympics, and as much as we enjoyed this win, we want to make sure we put our best foot forward in representing the country in the Olympic Qualifying Event, and hopefully onward.”
PETERSON EARNS TRIP TO KELOWNA
All four members of Team Peterson found themselves back in an Olympic Trials best-of-three final, exactly where they were four years ago. Last time, though, Tabitha Peterson and Tara Peterson were facing off against Anderson-Heide and Cory Thiesse as opponents. This time, they were throwing rocks of the same colour.
Peterson entered the event as the expected favourite and looked the part all week. They dropped just one game in the round-robin, their final draw against Team Strouse. The team exhibited poise throughout the entire week, and they showed why they were the top-ranked American team in the event.
The final would be a rematch of February’s extra-end championship final against Elizabeth Cousins, and Peterson took no chances to allow either game to get to an extra end this time around. The reigning national champions began Game 1 with a measured start and gradually increased the pressure on Cousins throughout the two-game sweep.
Even with a scoreboard showing tight matches early in both games, Team Peterson waited for opportunities and kicked into high gear when needed. In Game 1, they hit the gas in the eighth end following four perfect shots from Thiesse and Tabitha Peterson, aided by clutch sweeping to score three, effectively securing the game.
In Game 2, they were again methodical and got a nearly flawless game from Thiesse, hailed by many as the best shotmaker in the country. With smart shot calls from the skip and equally good execution from Thiesse, Tabitha Peterson was consistently in good situations throughout the matchup and took advantage of any half-shots from Cousins to secure their Olympic Trials victory in the minimum two games.
A lot has changed in the lives of Team Peterson over the last four years, with weddings and becoming first-time moms in addition to roster changes. Now, four years after they faced off as opponents, the four women of Team Peterson got to experience the taste of an Olympic Trials victory together, keeping their dreams of the Olympic Games alive.
DWYER/EMT SWEEP FIRST WHEELCHAIR MIXED DOUBLES TRIALS
Laura Dwyer and Steve Emt couldn’t have drawn up a better start to their Paralympic Trials in Sioux Falls. If they wanted to get out to a fast start, they did. The reigning Wheelchair Mixed Doubles national champions raced out to a 6-1 lead in just three ends. It was too much, too fast for their challengers, Penny Ricker and Dave Samsa, and a concession was forced after six ends.
Initially, Game 2 looked like it was headed the same direction, with the team securing another four-ender on their way to a 7-1 lead through four ends. Their opponents, though, were not ready to give up. Ricker and Samsa swapped their throwing order and managed to roar back from the six-point deficit.
Yet, Dwyer and Emt stayed calm. Positive affirmations flowed continuously between the two, and in between ends, the duo went through their usual breathing exercise to get them back to their optimal levels of performance and reset.
“We treat every end like a brand new game,” Emt said. “No matter what just happened, whether we took five or gave up five, we always tell ourselves that it’s 0-0 and go back to working on the processes and not worrying about the outcome.”
The positivity and reset helped Emt throw a perfect draw to the top of the four-foot circle with his first rock in the last end to sit with two counters. Ricker and Samsa were unable to find their way in to outcount the Dwyer/Emt rocks, and victory in a two-game sweep belonged to Dwyer and Emt.
In the postgame interview, Dwyer was asked what message she had for her sons. “Always keep pushing for what you want,” Laura told NBC’s Kira Dixon. “Never give up.”
For Laura Dwyer and Steve Emt, their hard work and dedication earned them the opportunity to compete for a medal when Wheelchair Mixed Doubles makes its Paralympic debut in Italy.
