MAY 2022

U.S. SENIOR WOMEN’S EXPERIENCE SHINES ON WORLD STAGE

Expansive accolades have not only kept the women who represented the United States at the World Senior Curling Championships 2022 motivated to compete, but have created a mutual respect, enjoyable dynamic, and lessons for all.

The women who represented the United States at the World Senior Women’s Curling Championship 2022 have had significant careers in curling. In fact, the only thing more significant than their histories is the respect that they share for each other.

While their paths have varied, a long-standing and mutual admiration has intersected those paths as Margie Smith, Ann Swisshelm, Shelly Kosal, and Shelley Dropkin joined forces as a senior women’s curling team in 2020.

The list of accolades on the Team USA senior women’s squad is vast and one would be hard-pressed to find a lengthier resume detailing not only their accomplishments on the curling ice, but also contributions to the sport they all love.

For seven-time U.S. Senior Women’s National Champion, U.S. Club National Champion, and USA Curling Team of the Year award winner, Margie Smith, the love extends beyond the pebbled sheet of ice where she’s found so much success.

“I think that when you curl your whole life, you meet a ton of people,” said Smith. “The best thing about Seniors is you get to pull people together that you’ve known all your life and build really unique opportunities together.”

Those unique opportunities have taken shape most recently for the Smith-skipped rink in the form of back-to-back U.S. Senior Women’s National Championship titles.

Despite the repeat Championship victories, the Team’s season was cut short in 2020 due to COVID-19.

“We play a lot, but we haven’t played a lot together,” added Smith. “With every game that passes we’re finding our voices more and settling into our team systems.”

While feelings of discomfort would be understandable as a team settles in on the world stage, ‘opportunity’ was a consistent theme in every conversation and dynamic that Team USA brought to Curling Club Trois-Chêne / Genève, host site of the World Senior Curling Championships 2022.

“Well, I mean, the opportunity to play with one of the greatest skips in the history of USA women’s curling, Margie Smith, speaks for itself,” answered Ann Swisshelm when asked about her continued passion for the sport. “That, along with the chance to put red, white and blue on your back and play for Team USA. I live for it.”

Swisshelm is no stranger to representing her country. A two-time Olympian, five-time Women’s National Champion, two-time Senior Women’s National Champion, Club National Champion, two-time USA Curling Female Athlete of the Year, USA Curling Team of the Year award winner, and member of the only USA women’s curling team in history to win a world championship title, Swisshelm has not only seen the biggest stages, but thrives on them.

Kosal’s seven National Championship titles, several of which were alongside Margie Smith, Dropkin’s passion, and Swisshelm’s continuity of achievement, combine four women who share the common denominator of a deep passion for curling and all that comes with it.

“Shelly and Margie have played together for a very long time. Seeing the level of success that they’ve had and to be included in even a small part of that is outstanding,” said Swisshelm with a palpable tone of gratitude. “And then you look at Shelley Dropkin and you think how much she’s given to the game and how well she’s played over the years, it’s just fun.”

While every player bookmarks their winning moments as something special, for Team USA, the process has been just as noteworthy.

“Genuinely knowing that everyone is giving their all on every shot, no matter how it turns out,” said Ann Swisshelm about what makes this team extraordinary. “That there’s no grief or baggage from a miss. We high five for what we’ve learned, and we move on and it’s genuine.”

The beauty of experience distilled the World Senior Women’s Curling Championship 2022 down into something much bigger than what happens on the ice. It’s displayed the meaning of sportsmanship and the opportunities that sport brings.

“I tell a lot of young people that you don’t get to curl if you don’t have a team and I think most of them look at me with funny eyes because they don’t realize how important it is to have a team around you,” concluded Margie Smith. “Just about every one of those people who I’ve formed teams with over my lifetime have become lifelong friends. That’s why we come back.”

The women of Team USA went on to capture the silver medal in Geneva, Switzerland.

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In times of great global unrest, it is comforting that the camaraderie built through sport can always be counted on.

It is that spirit of collaboration that led the Ukrainian National Curling Team to seek refuge in Utah for the summer in order to train and stay safe as the Russian aggression in Ukraine continues into its third month.

USA Curling worked alongside the World Curling Federation to facilitate the opportunity for the Ukrainian National Team to come to the United States at the invitation of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. They will spend the summer training in the Salt Lake City area and curling at the Utah Olympic Oval.

“We were very pleased to try and play a small role in helping our friends from Ukraine. Working with Beau Welling, our representative on the WCF Board, we were able to facilitate appointments at the U,S. Embassy in Estonia so their journey could start,” said USA Curling CEO Jeff Plush. “We often talk about the ‘Spirit of Curling’ and never has this been more true. We are thankful that they made it to Utah safely.”

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