TEAM PETERSON EARNS FINAL BERTH IN WOMEN’S CURLING AT OLYMPICS
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, December 12, 2025] —Team Peterson is now Team USA.
Skip Tabitha Peterson led teammates Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, Taylor Anderson-Heide, and Aileen Geving to an 8-4 victory over Norway at the Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) in Kelowna, Canada. At this competition, eight squads that had competed in previous World Championships played to determine the final two entries in the 10-team women’s field at the upcoming Games in Cortina.
Norway jumped out to an early lead in this contest, and the Americans found themselves trailing 3-0 after the second end. But the team showed the same resilience it had demonstrated throughout the competition, rallying to score three points in the third end to tie the score. After Norway blanked the fourth, Peterson and her teammates stole single points in the fifth, sixth, and seventh ends to lead 6-3. Norway did manage a single point of their own in the eighth when last rock thrower Kristin Skaslien made a difficult draw to the side of the button.
It wasn’t enough, however, as the United States delivered the knockout blow in the ninth when Peterson made a soft weight tap to score two and lead 8-4. In the tenth and final end, the Americans ran the Norwegians out of rocks and became Olympians.
Team Peterson had a convincing run at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Sioux Falls, SD, in November, losing just one game on their way to victory. With a short break between that event and the OQE, the team prepared with an intensive training camp at Curl Mesabi in Eveleth, MN, before heading to Kelowna.
Following the game, Peterson talked about how they rallied after trailing early, saying, “We knew there was lots of time to battle back, and that’s just what we did.”
With this victory, Tabitha Peterson reached her third Olympic Games. This will also be a third Games for Geving. For Peterson’s sister Tara and Thiesse, it’s a second Games appearance, while it will be the first for Anderson-Heide.
Peterson added, “It’s very special, especially with this group of girls. I can’t wait to get there and perform and show the world what we can do.”
Thiesse will also compete in Cortina in Mixed Doubles play with teammate Korey Dropkin after qualifying for the Games at last year’s World Championship. That discipline will open the Olympic Games in Cortina on February 4th, while Women’s play will begin on February 12th. The full schedule can be found here.
With wins by Team Peterson and Team Casper at the OQE, the United States will now be represented in all three disciplines, as the country has been since Mixed Doubles was introduced in 2018.
About USA Curling
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA Curling is the National Governing body for the Olympic sport of curling and the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling in the United States. The mission of USA Curling is to grow, strengthen, and advocate for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling in the United States by prioritizing accessibility and programmatic development from grassroots to podium. USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, the Dale’s family of beers, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Ice, Sports & Solar (ISS), Rock Solid Productions, Jet Ice, and Laurie Artiss. USA Curling is a proud member of World Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. To learn more, visit usacurling.org.
