U.S. MEN ACHIEVE 5-4 RECORD AT WORLD JUNIOR CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022
Photo by WCF / Cheyenne Boone
On May 15-22, 2022, the top junior curling countries from across the globe have gathered in Jönköping, Sweden, to compete in the World Junior Curling Championships 2022.
Representing the junior men from the United States is the squad skipped by Danny Casper. Danny Casper, Ethan Sampson, Sam Strouse, Coleman Thurston, and Marius Kleinas took the ice at the 2022 Championships for the first time on May 15th in a North American battle against Canada.
“It means a lot to be playing here on the world stage in Sweden,” said Danny Casper. “It’s been really nice to be here not only on the world stage, but to have the opportunity to compete against new teams and get those competitive juices flowing again.”
In a thrilling matchup, the scoreboard was tied at the halfway mark before the U.S. opened the second half with a stolen point and scored a deuce in the tenth end for an 11-10 victory.
Despite the electric start, the U.S. men ran into trouble in their next matchup against Scotland, losing 9-1.
Unfortunately for the Casper-skipped rink, the loss to Scotland marked the beginning of what would be a four-game losing streak to Korea, Switzerland, and then Germany.
Refusing to let up on the years of practice and preparation put into gearing up for the highly anticipated world stage, Team USA rebounded on the fourth day of competition, defeating the unbeaten Norwegians in an 8-5 victory to lock in their second win of the competition.
The U.S. men carried that momentum with them into the next game, topping Sweden 9-8, before taking down the Italians in an 11-6 victory.
On the final day of round robin play, the U.S. knew a win and some help from other teams could qualify them for playoffs.
Focusing on what they could control, Team USA took the ice in commanding fashion, defeating New Zealand 10-1 in just seven ends of play.
“Ending this Championship on a strong note was really important for us,” said Casper. “We knew we had a long road ahead of us when we lost those four games in a row earlier in the week.”
In an effort that can only be defined as remarkable, Team USA ran the table after sitting at a 1-4 record and clawed their way back into the midst of the standings to achieve a 5-4 overall record.
“I think the main contributor to our four-game win streak was just having fun, reminding ourselves what a special week this is for all of us, and what an honor it is to be here,” added Casper. “We play much better when we’re having fun and I think that really showed in the second half of the week.”
The four consecutive wins kept the U.S. men in playoff contention until the final round robin matchup, where help from a few teams would’ve qualified the U.S. for playoffs.
“Even though the end result was not what we wanted, it felt really nice to put a few great games together and remind ourselves of what we’re capable of and that we deserve to be here,” concluded Casper.
Congratulations to Danny, Coleman, Marius, Sam, and Ethan on representing the United States with great sportsmanship, skill, and resiliency.
USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Toyota, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), and Sitrin, and is partnered with IHG, Rock Solid Productions Inc., Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People.
