St. Paul set to host World Seniors, World Mixed Doubles in April The Daily Pebble

everal of this week’s competitors teers for the event in a variety of areas, Volume 1, Issue 5 Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011 will be representing the U.S. at the including officiating. Visit Find us online: www.usacurl.org * http://2011usacurlingnationals.com S World Senior Championships April www.2011worldcurling.com to find out 16-23 at the St. Paul Club. Team more. The USA’s mixed doubles team of Geoff Goodland (minus Team Jeanetta — Brady & Cristin Clark will make their sec- he’s too young) will wear the red, white ond event at the World Mixed Doubles, and blue as will Team O’Leary’s Margie which is played simultaneously with the Smith as she’ll be skipping the women’s Senior Championships. Good curling, Curling’s USA team. The club is looking for volun- Team USA!

Trivia answers: little fan 1) The average age of this year’s men’s competitors is 37. By Terry Kolesar

2) The average age of this year’s ou may notice in the stands throughout this women’s competitors is 30. week, 10-year-old Ian Strong cheering loudly and collecting autographs from the 3) Patti Lank and daughter Y competitors or handing out pink roses to the female Mackenzie Lank were both athletes. He drove for nearly two days with his mom all born on July 4. the way from Detroit to take in this week’s action at the 4) Chloe Pahl, 16, Team Haag 2011 USA Curling National Championships.

Ian became a big fan of the sport after the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and came out to the 2010 Nationals in Kalamazoo, Mich., last year to Photos by Bruce Bernstein take in the action. Now a curler himself at the Midland Curling Club, Ian is a huge fan of Tyler George, Shawn Rojeski, Ashley Lawreck and Monica Walker as they are just a few of the athletes from last year’s Nationals that have stayed in touch with Ian and have been mentoring him through Facebook and e-mails. He took suggestions about what type of shoes and brooms to buy from the Ian Strong of Michigan shows off his autographed program after collecting athletes he admires and now Ian and his older sister are nearly every team’s signatures. both officially curlers. Inside this issue: Ian had a chance to sit in on a few ends of the Tues- day morning on USA Curling’s audiocast with Ben Trivia Time 2 Thank you to our sponsors: Tucker to call the game and give his very mature thoughts and comments. He’s staying for the whole Game match-ups 2 week and convinced his school principal at the Perry Speaking of mascots, Ian Photos of the Day Center in Grande Blanc, Mich., that it would be OK for 2 named his pet guinea pig him to be absent since there is math involved in curling. Fiona (a very appropriate Chris Plys, Rock Star? 3 Ian was even bold enough to offer up his own pre- Scottish name, he said), as Game Results & Standings dictions for the outcome of this year’s Nationals. He said the official team mascot for 3 he likes on the men’s side and Cassie Pot- Team George this week. World Seniors/Mixed Doubles 4 Follow USA Curling on Facebook & Twitter ter on the women’s. If he’s correct, those teams may Don’t worry, Fiona didn’t want to adopt him for future events as a mascot. make the long trek. USA Curling Sponsors 4 Page 2 The Daily Pebble Volume 1, Issue 5 Page 3

Quote of the Day:

―Curling is like Wednesday’s Match-ups: Fruity Pebbles, Draw 14, 8 a.m., men: Rock thrower to rock star you have a colorful variety of athletes Larway v. Hamilton By Regan Mizuno Standings and personalities,‖ Brown v. Jacobson Women: had the pleasure of catching up with *Patti Lank 7-0 Kali Mork, George v. Goodland Chris Plys, 23, Olympic curler and com- Event Co-Chairwoman * 6-1 Disher v. McCormick petitor in the U.S. Nationals in Fargo. * 6-1 Cassie Potter 5-2 Birr v. Fenson I We began the interview with a topic that Nicole Reiser 3-4 is meaningful to both of us, music. Draw 15, Jenna Haag 2-5 12 p.m., women I asked Chris about his songwriting goals: Norma O’Leary 2-5 Aileen Sormunen 2-5 Brown v. Lank When did you start playing guitar, and what Chrissy Haase 1-6 sort of music do you write? Lori Karst 1-6 Sormunen v. Haase *clinched playoff berth I started playing guitar four or five years ago Haag v. O’Leary and started writing from there. It’s more of a Game scores, Draw 11: Karst v. Reiser hobby than anything else, but music is some- Reiser 9, Haase 7 thing that is a huge part of my life. I would Pottinger v. Potter Lank 7, Haag 4 like to get into it in the future, and when I play Pottinger 10, Sormunen 9 Draw 16, 4 p.m., men: I lose myself in it. Brown 12, Potter 10 Fenson v. George Do you want to write for other people or sing Karst 8, O’Leary 6 the material yourself? Birr v. McCormick Game scores, Draw 13: It doesn’t matter to me – I have had so many Potter 7, Haag 6 Hamilton v. Disher things going on the past couple of years, I Pottinger 10, Reiser 3 Goodland v. Jacobson haven’t had a chance to think about it. I just Lank 9, Karst 5 Haase 9, O’Leary 4 finished recording an album in Minneapolis When Chris Plys, vice for Team George, Brown v. Larway st Brown 9, Sormunen 4 The Daily Pebble: which will be released March 1 . I play some isn’t curling, he’s busy recording music.

 Terry Kolesar, Editor Draw 17, 8 p.m., women: shows around Minnesota and Wisconsin – I Men’s Standings:  Jerome Larson, keep it low-key. Some coffee shops, lining up Haase v. Karst How do you control your nerves on the ice? Pete Fenson 6-0 Photography with other bands from the Midwest. I’ve never been super into visualization and Tyler George 5-1  Rick Patzke, Potter v. Lank Tell me about recording. mantras. For me, I grew up playing every Todd Birr 4-2 Assistant Editor Brown v. Pottinger sport under the sun, and the reason I like curl- Heath McCormick 4-2  Contributing writers: Some of the stuff I’ve recorded was written ing is the competition, and obviously some of 3-3 Andrea Kopischke & Haag v. Sormunen over the past couple years. I’m really into the people. Competition and traveling – that’s Zach Jacobson 3-3 Keith Bistodeau, 1) What is the average age of the men’s competi- indie hip hop and the Midwest hip hop scene. what I live for in sports. So I definitely get 2-4 North Dakota State tors at this year’s Nationals? Reiser v. O’Leary University; Regan I kind of try to take bits and pieces from John nervous, but it’s like a nervous where I’m more Geoff Goodland 1-5 Mizuno, San Francisco 2) What is the average age of the women’s com- Meyer or Trevor Hall. I play more blues stuff, nervous that I’d just thrown that shot 8000 Craig Disher 1-5 Bay Area Curling Club; petitors at this year’s Nationals? and I like some of the ―old blues guys‖ like Jason Larway 1-5 Cool picture, times and the one time you need it… I never and Ben Tucker John Lee Hooker and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I right? But cared much about what people thought about 3) Two athletes on the same team share the exact got to record in a studio that a lot of my music Game scores, Draw 12: The Daily Pebble can be whose hand is me and that sort of thing. I got a bit of a rap same birthday, which is also a holiday. Name it? Is it the McCormick 6, Jacobson 2 found online as well: heroes have recorded at. for that growing up, but I like not being the www.usacurl.org/ them. hand of God? George 6, Hamilton 5 same as everybody else. curlingrocks The editor will What is your advice for fellow musicians and Birr 10, Brown 5 4) Who is the overall youngest competitor in this buy a beer for curlers regarding getting over their nerves? Find out more about Chris at ―Chris Plys Music‖ Fenson 8, Larway 4 Comments? Send an email year’s Nationals? the first person and ―Chris Plys‖ on facebook. Goodland 6, Disher 4 to Terry Kolesar at to tell me the Nervous is good. Because in everything, from Answers can be found on the back page so keep [email protected] right answer. curling to music, if you’re not nervous, it’s no reading! Regan Mizuno is a curler in San Jose, a fitness fun. instructor, and mechanical engineer.