DWYER/EMT CAPTURE WHEELCHAIR MIXED DOUBLES TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Photo by: Michael Woolheater
[EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, November 15, 2025] — Team Dwyer/Emt (Laura Dwyer, Steve Emt) emerged as the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling champions, defeating Team Ricker/Samsa (Penny Ricker, David Samsa) in the Best-of-Three final.
In Game One, Dwyer/Emt cruised to a convincing 9-1 win, getting the lead early and never looking back. In that game, Dwyer logged a shooting percentage of 88%.
Game Two looked to be more of the same, with Dwyer/Emt staking an early 7-1 lead. But Ricker/Samsa showed true resilience, scoring six unanswered points to tie the game at 7-7 and force an extra end. But Dwyer/Emt demonstrated resolve, steadied their nerves, and secured two points to earn a 9-7 victory and punch their ticket to the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Games.
Following the win, Dwyer said, “I’m excited to show others what it’s like to work hard towards a goal and achieve something.”
Asked for his thoughts, Emt noted, “I just found out we’re the first two athletes to be named to the team for the Paralympics, and that is an incredible honor. Knowing many other Paralympians makes that an incredible honor, and we’re going to do some good stuff in Italy.”
Dwyer and Emt will be joined at the Paralympic Games by National Wheelchair Team Director Pete Annis and Coach Clare Moores. The players that will be a part of the five-person team competing as Team USA at the Paralympics will be named following an upcoming Selection Camp.
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.
