The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Mixed Doubles Curling took place in Lafayette, Colorado. Curling is a big fan favorite in the Winter Olympics, and it's big in Canada and states like Minnesota and Wisconsin. But it's also growing in popularity in the Rocky Mountain West. And that's one of the reasons that Lafayette was chosen for the Olympic trials.
“The greater Denver curling community has really been terrific, and we've seen terrific growth here since 2015,” said Dean Gemmel, the CEO of USA Curling. “And this facility here in Lafayette, Rock Creek Curling, is just a terrific partner for us. We host a lot of events here. It's probably the nicest venue in the United States for curling.”
Ten teams from around the country competed over five days, including a team from Denver. During the trials, two teams took turns facing off against each other on the ice, with each team member taking turns sliding granite stones toward a target called the house. And while one team member throws the stone or rock, their team partner furiously brushes or sweeps the ice in front of the stone. This is to reduce friction, and it helps the stone travel further it also helps control how much the stone curls toward the house.
The sport originated in Scotland, with the earliest accounts dating back to 1540. Its history here in the U.S. is much more recent.
“It was in the Olympics early and then out until ‘98 when World Curling and a group of people worked with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to have it brought back in,” Gemmel said. “And I know they're grateful they did. We get more hours as a sport during the Olympic coverage than any other. People are fascinated by it every four years. We just like to keep people fascinated in between those four years.”
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin from Duluth, Minnesota, secured the gold medal in the Olympic trials after playing 12 games. Dropkin, who did most of the sweeping, says the sport is very physically demanding.
“It's a full-body workout. It's a combination of a push and a pull type of workout while you're gliding down the slippery sheet of ice and using footwork to help you stay balanced while all of your weight is on your broom,” explained Dropkin. “You know, so it's upper body, it's lower body, it's core, it's the whole combination.”
Thiesse and Dropkin are the 2023 world champions. Thiesse says communication and team work are key to their success.
“We practice together a lot. We both live in Duluth, so that makes it pretty easy. We work with a sports psychologist who really helps us out with some of that stuff too,” Thiesse said. “We've been good friends forever so we have a lot of fun out there and know that we play our best and we work well together.”
Following their victory in Colorado, Thiesse and Dropkin will now represent the U.S. at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in New Brunswick, Canada in May. A high enough score at that event will qualify them for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games in Italy.
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