TEAM SHUSTER AND TEAM PETERSON WILL REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES AT U.S. STEEL PAN CONTINENTAL CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Photo by: World Curling
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, August 11, 2025] — This past weekend, Team Shuster and Team Peterson rose to the top at the Pan Continental Curling Championship Playdown, securing the right to represent the United States at the 2025 U.S. Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships (PCCC), scheduled for October 19-26 in Virginia and Eveleth, MN.
The event featured the top three U.S. teams of each gender in the World Curling Team Rankings, competing in a double round robin. The men’s field included Team Shuster (John Shuster, Chris Plys, Colin Hufman, Matt Hamilton), Team Dropkin (Korey Dropkin, Tom Howell, Andrew Stopera, Mark Fenner), and Team Casper (Danny Casper, Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Oldenburg, Rich Ruohonen), while the women’s side featured Team Peterson (Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, Taylor Anderson-Heide, Team Strouse (Delaney Strouse, Anne O’Hara, Sydney Mullaney, skip Madison Bear), and Team Cousins (Elizabeth Cousins, Annmarie Dubberstein, Allison Howell, Liz Janiak).
On the men’s side, Team Shuster went undefeated throughout the weekend to lock in their spot. The women’s competition proved to be a nail-biter, with round-robin play ending in a three-way tie. Team Strouse prevailed 6-3 over Team Cousins in the first tie-breaker game, but Team Peterson won the decisive final game by an identical 6-3 score.
USA Curling National Team Director Phill Drobnick said, “It was great to have the teams that will be participating in the November Team Trials for a weekend of high-level competition. We look forward to watching Teams Shuster and Peterson compete against a strong international field at the Pan Continental Championships held in the United States.”
With their victories, both teams now look forward to representing the United States this fall. The U.S. Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships serve as a key qualifier for the 2026 World Curling Championships.
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.
