Duluth curlers compete at the Olympics

Most of the time, Duluthians don’t have to travel further than the glass windows overlooking Pioneer Hall at the DECC to watch some of the best curlers in the country.

Starting Tuesday, folks won’t even have to leave their homes to see these locals play — just turn on the TV and tune in to the U.S. men’s Olympic curling team. (See schedule following story.)

The five players and coach of Team USA Curling 2010 — which curls out of the Duluth Curling Club (DCC) — came together during last year’s season.

Here’s a brief synopsis of their road to success, according to the team’s Web site:

The original four-man team — Skip John Shuster, Jeff Isaacson, Jason Smith and John Benton — played eight events on the World Curling Tour, qualifying for the playoffs in four of the eight events.

Then, after peak play in the second U.S. Curling Association (USCA) playoff round, they earned one of the final 10 spots at the 2008-09 USCA National Championships, which also doubled as the USCA Olympic Trials. (Duluth, by the way, was well represented at the Olympic trials in 2009. Of 80 curlers competing, 17 were current members of the DCC.)

“There’s a really high level of competition here in Duluth,” Shuster, 26, told the Budgeteer in an interview last year.

After a shaky start at that event, Team Shuster won a dramatic back-and-forth final game and we know the rest of the story: They became the first athletes selected to go to the 2010 Olympics and also to represent the United States in the 2009 Men’s World Championships.

At that point, the final step was to add an alternate and a coach to the team. They selected the 2008 World Junior Men’s Champion, Duluthian Chris Plys, and his coach, Phil Drobnick, also a champion curler.

Those who want to get to know these Northland Olympians a little better can start with their Web site, www.teamusacurling2010.com, which has links to their television appearances and some great personal details. (For instance, Jeff Isaacson’s favorite food is “walleye with mac and cheese” and John Shuster really got started curling during a Sunday night junior curling program in Chisholm when he realized he “wasn’t going to be a basketball player.”) Instead, he went on to be a 2006 Olympic Bronze medalist and four-time Men’s National Champion, among other things.

Shuster said the camaraderie that flavors league play and bonspiels at the DCC is still evident at the topmost levels.

“Very much so,” he said. “Maybe it’s even the best at the highest level — very odd.”

U.S. Men’s Curling Schedule

Events are live unless noted:

Tuesday, Feb. 16

vs. Germany, 11 a.m., on the USA network

vs. Norway, 9 p.m., CNBC (Tape delay 1:30 a.m. Feb. 17.)

Wednesday, Feb. 17

vs. Switzerland, 4 p.m., CNBC

Thursday, Feb 18

vs. Denmark, 11 a.m., USA

Friday, Feb. 19

vs. France, 4 p.m., CNBC

Saturday, Feb. 20

vs. Sweden, 11 a.m., MSNBC

Sunday, Feb. 21

vs. Great Britain, 4 p.m., CNBC

Monday, Feb. 22

vs. Canada, 11 a.m., USA

vs. China, 9 p.m., CNBC

Tags: budge sports, john shuster, duluth, budgeteer, olympics, vancouver, olympian, medalist