TEAM DROPKIN RETURNS
USA Curling is excited to announce that Team Dropkin will be returning as one of the three men’s teams in the High Performance Program this upcoming season.
The team of Korey Dropkin (skip), Joe Polo (vice-skip), Mark Fenner (second), Thomas Howell (lead) and Alex Fenson (alternate) are eager to continue building on the success that they found last season.
The foursome of Dropkin, Howell, Fenner and Fenson first played together in the Junior High Performance Program and rejoined forces after the conclusion of the quadrennial in 2018. The following season, they collaborated with Polo, who had recently returned from the 2018 Winter Olympic Games as a gold medalist.
“Joey is an outstanding shot-maker and he brings so much experience to this team,” Dropkin said when asked about the value that Polo adds to the squad. “He’s been there and he’s done that. He’s got that relaxed, composed and very supportive personality.”
While the team has most notably gone by the title of “Young Bucks” on tour, their youthfulness has not stood in the way of managing nerves and achieving success. Just this past season, Team Dropkin made USA Curling history after winning the KIOTI Tractor Tour Challenge - Tier 2, thus making them the first American men’s team to win a Grand Slam of Curling title.
“We put a strong focus into both our on and off ice preparation, along with working hard on the mental side of the game,” Dropkin said. “The Slam title was a great display of the grit and potential that this team has.”
The team concluded their 2019-20 season at the US Men’s National Championships in Spokane, WA after falling short of the playoffs.
“The disappointing finish at nationals was a big learning opportunity for us as we move forward and prepare ourselves for next season,” Dropkin said. “I’m really happy to be moving forward with these guys. We made some great progress last season and I have so much faith in our ability to succeed as a team.”
