SENIOR NATIONALS SET TO GET UNDERWAY IN SEATTLE
Team Smith, Silver Medalists, 2022 World Senior Women’s Championship
[EAGAN, MN, March 4, 2023] — The best teams comprised of players over the age of 50 take the ice at the storied Granite Club in Seattle, WA, this week at the USA Curling Women’s and Men’s Senior National Championships. Champions will move on to represent the United States at the World Senior Curling Championships, scheduled for April 21-29 in Gangneung, Korea.
Both the Men’s and Women’s fields feature the 2022 champions—Team Bob LeClair (Bob LeClair, Fred Maxie, Jeff Baird, Tom Danielson, Greg Gallagher) and Team Margie Smith (Margie Smith, Ann Swisshelm, Shelly Kosal, Shelley Dropkin). At the World Seniors in 2022, Team Smith earned the Silver Medal while Team LeClair advanced to the first playoff round.
The field features other players who have won this title before. In addition to local favorites Team Larway—Joel Larway skipped his Granite Curling Club team to the national championship in 2020— Tracy Lawless of Illinois was a Senior Champion in 2017, while Paul Pustovar of Minnesota won this event in both 2009 and 2010, and captured World Gold in 2010. Others in the field who have represented the United States at World Women’s, World Men’s, or Olympic Games include Swisshelm, Doug Kaufmann, Darren Lehto, Pustovar, Rich Ruohonen, and Bill Stopera.
“Our Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s Nationals feature high-level curling and reflect the ability of our sport to deliver great competitive experiences throughout a player’s lifetime,” noted USA Curling Interim CEO Dean Gemmell. “On-ice action will be intense, but this event also offers players a chance to gather off the ice and renew friendships made throughout their careers.”
Opening draw action gets underway at 8:30 PM Pacific Time on Monday, March 6th. More event details, including full team rosters, can be found here and webcasts of games can be found on the Granite Curling Club of Seattle YouTube channel.
USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), Rock Solid Productions, IHG, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling, as the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States, is also supported by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
