The best curlers in the country are coming to Minnesota for the 2025 USA Curling Men’s and Women’s National Championships, which will be held in Duluth from Jan. 27 through Feb. 2.
It’s the first time the event has been held in the state since 2008, when it was hosted by the Hibbing Curling Club.
It’s a convenient location for many of the athletes, several of whom are from the Duluth area, which is something of an elite curling hotbed.
2018 Olympic gold medalist skip John Shuster is the skip of the two-time defending national champions. Shuster, who lives in Superior, Wis., is the most decorated curler in U.S. history. He’s competed in five Olympic games, also earning a bronze medal in 2010.
Two of his teammates, Chris Plys and John Landsteiner, live in Duluth. Landsteiner was also a member of the 2018 Gold medal team.
Duluthian Korey Dropkin skips another top team, which won the national championship in 2021.
On the women’s side, Duluthian Cory Thiesse is a member of the defending national champion team. And all four members of another top contending team are from Duluth, including two-time Olympian Aileen Geving, who now lives in Cohasset, Minn.
There’s just “something about the atmosphere” at the Duluth Curling Club that’s produced a bevy of competitive curlers, said Geving.
“I think one of the ways that you learn in sport is just by watching others and seeing what other people who are better than you are doing,” added Geving.
“And so when you have a whole pool of athletes that shows you the right way to do things and how to progress, it just leads to a culture of wanting to become a better player.”
The winners will represent the U.S. at the 2025 World Men’s and World Women’s Championships, and will earn a berth in the 2026 Olympic Team Trials if they finish sixth or higher at those events.
“It’s exciting to bring this important national championship to a city and a state that is synonymous with curling,” said USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell.
“Duluth is home to Olympic and World Champions, and we know that people from around the country will have a terrific experience when they visit this thriving city.”
Eight men’s and women’s teams compete in a round robin tournament, with the top teams advancing to the playoff and championship games on Feb. 1-2.
Tickets are available to watch in person at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), and it can also be streamed online.
Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest.
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