Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Jan. 1 edition of Pittsburgh City Paper and online at pghcitypaper.com.
Curlers who began curling less than five years ago are sweeping their way to new heights by taking on global competition in Stowe Township.
The Pittsburgh Curling Club will host the inaugural World Five-and-Under tournament (5&U Worlds) from Thu., Jan. 9 – Sun., Jan. 12 at their four-sheet curling facility in Stowe Township. Teams from the United States, three teams from Canada, and single teams from Israel, the Philippines, India, and Japan will compete in a 16-team round robin competition, split up into four groups of teams. The top eight will move on to an eight-team playoff.
USA Curling made the decision to have the Pittsburgh Curling Club host the championships late last summer. Although they were originally just hosts, one U.S. team couldn’t make the tournament, and members of the Pittsburgh Curling Club will now compete in their place.
Dustin Devine, who is on the Curling Club board and has been curling for eight years, has enjoyed organizing the tournament.
“We’ve done a lot of work with the teams and a lot of work with the co-founders of this tournament that reached out to us,” Devine says. “They reached out to us back in August about hosting this tournament, and it’s just been very good communicating with them, detailing exactly what they need from us, what we need from them.”
“We have members in wheelchairs. We have people that slide out traditionally … Everybody can do it.”
“Everybody is just excited, especially now that it’s almost here,” says Devine. “We’re just putting the finalizing touches on.”
The Curling Club already streams all the league games and tournaments they run, but now they will feature a sheet that focuses on one game with commentary. Devine says he’s grateful for the co-founders of the tournament and USA Curling for how well they worked together to have the championships come to fruition.
The 5&U tournament will allow those who are newer to curling get a taste of worldwide competition without any disparity in skill.
“What they found, after the big Olympic bump, was people were excited to try curling, but still a little intimidated to go to tournaments because you might be playing against people that have been curling for 20 years, and you’re just starting out,” Devine says. “They made these five-and-under championships so that newer curlers can compete against people closer to their skill level and experience level.”
As for the team, captain (or “skip”) Trevor Mathey, vice-skip Ian Andrew, second Mark Longwell, third Kimberly Giles, and alternate/coach Constantin Kohler make up the 5&U Pittsburgh Curling Club team.
“I see them every week at the club playing in league games, maybe staying after the game, throwing some extra rocks to hone in on their craft,” Devine says. “They’re also taking it very seriously as well … they’re definitely seeing this as an opportunity to really showcase their skills and measure themselves against the other top talent in the country.”
Devine added that some of those players have already pushed to compete in national USA Curling tournaments. He’s proud of the curlers and impressed with the skip and vice skip of the team.
“Trevor Mathey has been very involved, not only with learning curling and practicing curling, but he’s also been involved with the club, as he’s a board member,” Devine says. “Ian Andrew is another curler that I know has gone to some sweeping clinics … he has a really good mind for the game, too.”
Did you know? Brand new curling stones weigh 42 pounds. As the granite wears down over time, they can weigh as little as 38 pounds before they’re replaced.
Although this tournament is the first of its kind, the Pittsburgh Curling Club is no stranger to national competition. The club was founded in 2002 and, since then, has earned medals, including a 2016 Arena National Championship when they were still renting ice from RMU Island Sports Center. The club rented ice from RMU for 16 years before building their own facility.
Steve Buffington, the club president, was a curler on that gold medal team. Mark Robinson has captured a gold, silver, and bronze medal.
“We have leagues every night, we can have classes all the time, and we can expose the public to the sport so much more than we ever could [in the past],” Devine says.
“What makes curling a great sport is everybody can do it. We have members in our 20s. We have members in their upper 60s,” he says. “We have members in wheelchairs. We have people that slide out traditionally. We have people that maybe have bad knees, they do what they call stick curling … Everybody then can compete together. You’re not segregated off into these groups and these skill levels. Everybody can do it.”
Be First to Comment