Standings: The MEN: Todd Birr (Mankato, Minn.) 1-0 Craig Brown (Madison, Wis.) 1-0 Brady Clark (Lynnwood, Wash.) 1-0 Alex Leichter (Boston, Mass.) 1-0 John Shuster (Superior, Wis.) 1-0 Daily Pebble Hunter Clawson (Clarksville, Md.) 0-1 The official publication of the 2017 USA Curling National Championships Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017 Stephen Dropkin (Minneapolis, Minn.) 0-1 Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) 0-1 Heath McCormick (Sarnia, Ontario) 0-1 Darryl Sobering (Broomfield, Colo.) 0-1 WOMEN: Cory Christensen (Duluth, Minn.) 0-0 Cristin Clark (Lynnwood, Wash.) 0-0 Cora Farrell (Fairbanks, Alaska) 0-0 Cassie Potter (St. Paul, Minn.) 0-0 Past national champs in this year’s competing field: Becoming Team USA: Nina Roth (McFarland, Wis.) 0-0 Women: Beginning this year, any team ranked in the Top Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) 0-0 • Alex Carlson (2015) 25 of the year-to-date World Curling Tour Order of Jamie Sinclair (St. Paul, Minn.) 0-0 • Sophie Bader (2014) Merit (OOM) on Jan. 23, 2017, is eligible to repre- Becca Wood (Parker, Colo.) 0-0 • Nina Roth (2014, 2010) sent the U.S. in the men’s or women’s 2017 World • Becca Hamilton (2014) Curling Championships by winning the U.S. men’s Draw 1 scores (men): • Jessica Schultz (2013, 2011, 2005) or women’s 2017 National Championships, regard- • Tabitha Peterson (2012) less of whether or not that team has the highest Birr 10, McCormick 2 • Cassie Potter (2005) OOM points total among the top three finishers in Clark 9, Sobering 2 Men: the Nationals. Two teams have reached that ranking Brown 8, Dropkin 6 • Pete Fenson (2014, 2011, 2010, 2006, 2005, – the Heath McCormick and Nina Roth rinks. The Leichter 7, Fenson 3 2003, 1994, 1993) 2017 Nationals will award teams OOM points as Shuster 9, Clawson 3 • John Shuster (2015, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2003) follows: First – 110 points; second – 85 points; and • Joe Polo (2014, 2011, 2010, 2006, 2005) third – 65 points. • Brady Clark (2016, 2013) To view the most current OOM points: Upcoming games: • Philip Tilker (2016, 2013) Current U.S. team rankings and point totals com- Sunday: • Tyler George (2015, 2010) ing into Nationals: Noon: Men’s Draw 2 • Craig Brown (2008, 2000) 1. Team Nina Roth -- 142.3943 Fenson v. Shuster • Colin Hufman (2016) 2. Team Jamie Sinclair 103.6185 McCormick v. Leichter • Greg Persinger (2016) 3. Team Cory Christensen -- 89.6739 • Matt Hamilton (2015) 4. Team Jessica Schultz -- 45.0921 Clawson v. Sobering • John Landsteiner (2015) 5. Team Madison Bear -- 29.0001 Clark v. Brown • Trevor Host (2015) 6. Team Cassie Potter -- 24.7606 Dropkin v. Birr • Sean Beighton (2013) 7. Team Cristin Clark -- 9.3501 4 p.m. Women’s Draw 1 • Martin Sather (2012) 8. Team Becca Wood – 0.0 Wood v. Sinclair • Heath McCormick (2012) Men: Potter v. Schultz The 2017 USA Curling National Championships kicked off Saturday night at XFINITY Arena of Everett. Brady Clark’s team is the defending champion rink and had many fans in • Jason Smith (2009) 1. Team Heath McCormick -- 159.6537 the stands, including some donning “ big head” replicas of Clark and teammate Greg Persinger. • John Benton (2009) 2. Team Craig Brown -- 110.1296 Clark v. Bear/Farrell Photo by Rich Harmer, Daily Pebble Chief Photographer • Rich Ruohonen (2008) 3. Team John Shuster -- 102.163 Roth v. Christensen • Todd Birr (2007) 4. Team Brady Clark -- 86.1816 8 p.m. Men’s Draw 3 Olympians in the field: 5. Team Todd Birr -- 68.8327 Clark v. Clawson • John Shuster (2014, 2010, 2006-bronze) 6. Team Pete Fenson -- 38.434 Birr v. Fenson • Jessica Schultz (2014, 2006) 7. Team Stephen Dropkin -- 38.3062 • Jared Zezel (2014) 8. Team Hunter Clawson -- 22.9996 Shuster v. Leichter Off & Sweeping in Everett • John Landsteiner (2014) 9. Team Alex Leichter -- 16.2928 Sobering v. Dropkin By Terry L. Davis, Daily Pebble Editor ing four points in the second end against Darryl and Heater struggled. He didn’t have his draw • Craig Brown (2014) 10. Team Darryl Sobering -- 6.466 Brown v. McCormick he first round of action of the 2017 USA Sobering’s team from Colorado. The two-time weight, which is the last thing you’d expect from Curling National Championships is in the national champion Clark sealed the win in the him,” said Birr, 48. “It’s a slippery game, and that A live webstream, in partnership with the books at XFINITY Arena of Everett. eighth end with a second four-ender for the 9-2 happens. I feel for him as I’ve been there myself.” U.S. Olympic Committee and the 12th End TThe first draw of the men’s round robin got triumph. Birr won the national championship 10 years Sports Network, is available throughout the underway tonight at the 10,000-seat arena with Todd Birr’s team earned a 10-2 win over Heath ago in Utica, N.Y., and led Team USA to a bronze championship at www.usacurl.org all 10 teams taking the ice to kick off the week- McCormick in the battle of past event champions. medal at the 2007 Men’s World Championship, long championship. Prevailing with opening McCormick’s team gave up a steal of four in which is also the location of this year’s men’s round victories were teams skipped by Todd Birr the second end when the team’s final draw came world event. Social media for the event: @usacurl & (Blaine, Minn.), John Shuster (Superior, Wis.), up short. After being forced to draw for a single “I look at it the other way ‘Has it been 10 @curlingseattle on Twitter Alex Leichter (Boston), Craig Brown (Madison, point in the third end, McCormick allowed Birr’s years?,’ Birr said about winning his first and only @2017curlingnationals on Instagram. Wis.), and the defending champion Brady Clark team to pile stones in the rings that resulted in national championship in 2007. “The Olympic Hashtag: #curlingnationals (Lynnwood, Wash.). a three-point end for Birr’s Minnesota rink. Not Trials is the carrot that’s out there. We need some Clark and teammates Greg Persinger (Fairbanks, able to generate offense, McCormick’s side offered help, but it’s the last grasp to try to have a shot at Alaska), Colin Hufman (Minneapolis, Minn.), and the handshake after six ends to conclude the game. Phil Tilker (Seattle) got off to a solid start by scor- “We played all right. They struggled, obviously, Continued on Page 3 4))usacurl.org Fargo to host 2018 National The Field: Men Team Birr: Todd Birr (Blaine, Minn.), Rich Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), John Benton (St. Michael, Minn), Championships Tom O’Connor (Brooklyn Center, Minn.) Team Brown: Craig Brown (Madison, Wis.), Kroy ing in Scheels Arena to the families, fans, officials and Nernberger (Madison, Wis.), Sean Beighton (Seattle), By Terry Davis, Editor staff who get to be part of this first-class championship Quinn Evenson (Fairbanks, Alaska) SA Curling’s National Championships experience and all that the area has to offer,” said Rick Team Clark: Brady Clark (Lynnwood, Wash.), Greg will make a return to the Fargo- Patzke, USA Curling’s chief executive officer. “The Moorhead area in 2018 as Scheels great people at the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Persinger (Fairbanks, Alaska), Colin Hufman (Seattle), ArenaU hosts the premier national event. Visitors Bureau, Athletic Commission and curling club Philip Tilker (Seattle) On the heels of the 2018 Olympic Winter have outdone themselves with each subsequent event Team Clawson: Hunter Clawson (Clarksville, Md.), Cody Games, the 2018 National Championships will we have had there, and no doubt the same thing will Clouser (Brewyn, Pa.), Caleb Clawson (Clarksville, Md.), take place March 3-10, 2018, in Fargo, N.D. happen again. With the 2018 Olympics serving as a Andrew Dunnam (Dresher, Pa.) “Scheels Arena is very excited to have the springboard to concentrate curling fever back in the Team Dropkin: Stephen Dropkin (Minneapolis, Minn.), Curling Nationals return to Fargo in 2018,” land that prides itself on being ‘North of Normal,’ this said Jon Kram, president and general man- will be a can’t-miss event.” Ethan Meyers (St. Paul, Minn.), Trevor Host (St. Paul, ager of Scheels Arena. “It will have been seven Scheels Arena is a 5,000-seat hockey arena located Minn.), Brandon Myhre (Minneapolis, Minn.) years since Scheels Arena last hosted this in southwest Fargo and is home to the USHL hockey Team Fenson: Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.), Jared Zezel event. Having experience hosting the 2011 USA team the Fargo Force, Fargo high school hockey and (Hibbing, Minn.), Mark Fenner (Bemidji, Minn.), Alex Curling Nationals and the 2014 Olympic Curling many other special events. USA Curling and Scheels Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) Trials, the arena looks to make this event even Arena will partner with the Fargo-Moorhead Curling Team Leichter: Alex Leichter (Boston), Martin Sather better. Scheels Arena welcomes the curling com- Club and Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors munity and all the athletes that will be compet- Bureau in hosting the event. (Yonkers, N.Y.), Nate Clark (Nashua, N.H.), Ryan Hallisey ing in this event.” “The Fargo Moorhead Curling Club and our mem- (Medfield, Mass.) Fargo, which hosted the 2011 National bers are very excited to be working with Scheels Arena Team McCormick: Heath McCormick (Sarnia, Ontario), Championships and 2014 U.S. Olympic Team and the City of Fargo to bring the Men’s and Women’s Chris Plys (Duluth, Minn.), Korey Dropkin (Duluth, Minn.), Trials for Curling, was selected over Kalamazoo, Nationals event back to Fargo in 2018,” said Steve Tom Howell (Milwaukee, Wis.), Coach Phill Drobnick Mich.