Jon Mielke’s numerous curling contributions include serving on the USCA Board of Directors, North Dakota Board of Directors, and the Capital Curling Club and Minot Curling Club boards.

He began curling in 1973, during a physical education class at the University of North Dakota Grand Forks. Moving to Bismarck, he became a founding member of the Capital Curling Club in 1982. Mielke is a USCA Level III instructor, Level III coach, has collaborated on USCA instructional camps and clinics, and is a contributing columnist on training topics for the U.S. Curling News. He chaired the 2002 Men’s and Women’s World Curling Championships and 2002 World Senior Curling Championships. Most recently, he served as the USCA’s liaison to the Grand Forks Organizing Committee for the 2008 World Men’s Curling Championship, and as Team USA’s official team leader at the Men’s World Championships in 2007 and 2008.

As a competitor, Mielke won the 1997 North Dakota Men’s State Curling Championship and represented his region at the 1997 U.S. National Championships. He has competed at multiple ND mixed national championships and was the Senior Men’s National Championship runner-up in 2004. He has coached at Junior Nationals as well as the Men’s and Women’s National Championships. Selected as part of the most recent Scot Tour, the team succeeded in recovering the coveted Herries-Maxwell Trophy.