Repeats, resurgences, debuts, and last chances

This year is the second season of the current iteration of arena nationals where the previous year’s champion gets a berth to defend their title, and another slot is reserved for the winner of a Last Chance Qualifier event. The success of the 5-and-Under program has brought a number of benefits to curling in the US, but it was also an inspiration for this last chance event for arena nationals.

For the 24-25 season, a slot was reserved at arena nationals for the men’s and women’s winners of the event. It saw a modest registration in year one, but those numbers improved for the second year. We also saw this last chance model used to determine the final spot at the Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials where 48 teams traveled to Eveleth, Minnesota to compete to be the 10th team into the Trials in Colorado.

This year, mixed doubles championship has a larger field of 16 teams, so 4 slots are being awarded in Eveleth with a strong showing of 32 teams registering for this event. And for this season, yet another last chance qualifier has arrived: a qualifier which will award two women’s and two men’s slots to the national championships in Charlotte.

Currently, registration looks to be low, but I expect we will see that bump up with the conclusion of this weekend’s St. Paul Cashspiel. These last chance events are fantastic opportunities to create more accessibility to various national championships, so I hope there is a good turnout of teams headed to Massachusetts for this major addition to the annual calendar.

This qualifier, in particular, is an opportunity for teams who don’t have the financial resources or time availability to tour and try to accumulate points. It can also serve as a valuable litmus test for curlers and teams wanting to take the next step in their curling development. Who knows, maybe we see an arena team or two make their way to Brookline. No doubt there are some curlers in the field in Las Vegas who would fit right in.

Let’s dive into the preview of the men’s Arena National Championship teams. Don’t forget to check out the women’s preview, if you missed it!

Watching and Tracking

CurlVegas offers streaming through their YouTube channel, and all games should be streamed through that website. Because of how their streams and scoreboards are set up, viewers should also be treated to a live ticker of scores from other sheets.

Scores, standings, and a detailed draw schedule can be accessed through the USA Curling event page.

Draw Schedule

Both the men’s and women’s events will feature 12 teams. When the event was held at larger clubs, the draw schedule began on a Thursday. With fewer sheets available, though, the draw schedule needed to be stretched out to begin on Tuesday, October 14th.

The first draw will take place at 3pm PT on October 14th with two women’s games and two men’s games. Beginning with the 8pm men’s draw on Tuesday night, draws will alternate between men’s and women’s draws. USA Curling posted the schedule on their website.

The playoffs will follow the same format as last year, beginning on Saturday evening with six teams making the playoffs and will wrap up on Sunday afternoon.

Meet the Teams

Teams are listed in order of peer seeding.

Men’s Pool A

Myers – Dallas/Fort Worth Curling Club (Mid-America)

Last year, I picked Team Myers to win their 5th consecutive arena national championship. I predicted that we were “a year or so away before Team Myers is dethroned.” It turns out, I was a year or so off as the DFW rink was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Rocket City’s Team Curtis.

Because of their elimination, they had to go back to playdowns this year to earn their spot back at nationals. They did not mess around, winning each of their six games by a minimum of three points, including an 8-ender to close out the final. The loss last year seemed to have refocused the team, and you have to imagine they’re as motivated as ever to get their name on the trophy one more time before they (hopefully) graduate to dedicated ice.

Curtis – Rocket City Curling Club (Grand National)

Team Curtis not only upset the top-ranked team in the quarterfinals of last year’s national championship, but they also won Rocket City’s first ever medal at a national championship with their bronze finish in Wausau. The club, established in 2018, saw the fruits of years of impressive growth flourish, and they’re still continuing to see that. Curtis went an undefeated 5-0 in the GNCC playdowns and will see if they can upgrade bronze to another color this year in Las Vegas.

Tesch – Cedar Rapids Curling Club (Midwest)

For Cale Tesch and his rink from Iowa, 9-1 seems to be a common theme. They won both games of their best of three playdown by that score, and 9-1 also happens to be their combined pool play record over the last two arena championships. Unfortunately, that tidy group play record has translated to a 1-3 playoff record, with their lone victory securing a bronze medal in 2023. Team Tesch will have the chance to avenge two of those losses in pool play against both Curtis and Myers this year. If they can come out on top in either one of those two games, they should be in good position to make a playoff run.

Russell – Curling Club of Rochester (Minnesota)

Minnesota was the final region to host its playdowns, and with Glacial Ridge Curling Club transitioning to dedicated ice, Rochester looks to be in strong position send representatives to nationals for some time (that is, until Minnesota’s third largest city also gets dedicated curling). Team Russell defended their Minnesota state title with some wild games in mid-August. They went 2-3 last year in a very crowded pool and will need to go at least 3-2 this year to have a chance to make the playoffs.

Shlimovitz – Grand Rapids Curling Club (Great Lakes)

Team Shlimovitz is headed back to nationals after a one-year hiatus. They last appeared at nationals in Eveleth as Team Galsworthy in 2023, where they posted a 2-3 record. The team has changed slightly since I shared their best-of-3 GLCA playdown victory with Rob Shlimovitz being listed as skip. This may be the debut for their skip at arena nationals, but he is no stranger to championship settings, having curled at multiple junior nationals 10 years prior.

Gullickson – Bend Curling Club (Pacific Northwest)

It looked for some time as though the Pacific Northwest would concede their spot at arena nationals, but Team Gullickson from Bend, Oregon stepped up to represent the region without contest. Gullickson and his second, Chet Liew, last competed at arena nationals in 2018. The Bend Curling Club representatives will likely face an uphill battle in Pool A when they take the ice in Las Vegas.

Men’s Pool B

Spangler – Wine Country Curling Club (Mountain Pacific)

Last year in Wausau, everything came together for Camren Spangler. A year after finishing in 4th in Eveleth, Spangler dropped a singular game to Nick Myers in pool play on the way to the top of the podium at arena nationals. As the reigning champions, they did not have to compete in playdowns. As an added bonus, the California rink did not need to coordinate travel to the Midwest and gets to stay in the Pacific Time Zone when they head to CurlVegas. Across their last two arena appearances, the Wine Country team has a 10-4 record and will have a target on their backs as they look to add to their impressive resume.

Ridder – Aksarben Curling Club (Mid-America)

The 2024 arena season was a heck of an arrival on the arena curling season for Team Ridder. First, they impressively took the MACA playdown title, and then they doubled down by advancing to the finals of arena nationals in Wausau after sneaking into playoffs with a 2-3 record. While the team’s namesake is their 4th, Nic Ridder, watch for the experienced David Hill to throw lead and call the game.

They took advantage of the Last Chance Qualifier by going undefeated and will be looking to take advantage of this opportunity to try and make another deep run at arena nationals while they still can. The 300+ member Aksarben Curling Club is looking into options to build dedicated ice, and they need it with so many members!

Weber – Sioux Falls Curling Club (Dakota Territory)

As with Team Myers, it was a bit surprising to see Team Weber wind up with a 1-4 record in pool play at arena nationals last year. The 2023 arena runner-up squad rebounded by going an unbeaten in the 9-team Dakota playdown. The roster is unchanged from 2024, and if they can find that magic from Eveleth, they’ll be a tough game for anyone throughout the event.

Gilbert – Oval Curling Club (Mountain Pacific)

For the second time in three years, Team Gilbert emerged from the MoPac playdowns. Had the current 6-team playoff been in use in 2023, Gilbert would have qualified for the playoffs in that event, but they finished just shy with a 3-2 record. They went on to qualify for 5-and-Under nationals later that season. While they were unable to requalify in either event last year, they had one of the most impressive resumes of any 5U teams, boasting a 13-6 record in all 5U qualifier events. Following their 5-1 record at the MoPac playdowns, don’t be surprised if this team makes a playoff run out of Pool B.

Chladil – Rhinelander Curling Club (Wisconsin)

As I mentioned in the women’s preview, Rhinelander Curling Club was only established in 2023, and yet the club finds itself with not just one, but two representatives at arena nationals this year. Pete Chladil and his Hodag rink won an absolutely wild best-of-three in the Wisconsin playdowns. They’ll need to rekindle some of that magic in Vegas in a tough draw.

Bouch – Talkeetna Curling Club (Alaska)

Alaska has never before sent a team to the Arena National Championships. Not only did it come as a shock when they claimed a spot in the field, but they also needed a playdown to determine their representative. Team Bouch of Talkeetna Curling Club earned their place with a win over a team from Palmer Curling Club. Located a little over 2 hours north of Anchorage, Talkeetna Curling Club joined USA Curling in 2021 and will be represented for the first time at a national championship.

I aim to share more about the folks at Talkeetna Curling Club in a future newsletter, but for now, know this: while all the curlers at arena nationals have to exhibit so much dedication to the sport of curling, Team Bouch and the folks at Talkeetna take that to another level. In a time when travel can be so cost-prohibitive, it’s fantastic to see a team from Alaska make the trek to the lower 48 for this championship.

My Picks

Gold: Myers, DFW
Silver: Spangler, Wine Country
Bronze: Tesch, Cedar Rapids

With a championship in Las Vegas, perhaps I shouldn’t play it safe and should instead make some risky picks to click in Sin City. But I decided to be objectively boring.

Team Myers looked incredibly focused in their regional playdowns, and with their future arena eligibility up in the air, I think they’ll do everything in their power to get themselves on top of the podium one more time. This is not an unbeatable team, but there is a reason they won four consecutive championships. For this year, I think we’ll see the arena power shift back to the MACA region.

With strong track records of success over the past two years, Spangler and Tesch should be well-positioned to bring home some hardware if they play to their abilities. I wouldn’t be shocked to see either of these teams end up with gold, either, but it will all come down to who performs the best when they get into the hack.

I’ll be back early next week with a recap of the event and reviews of both the women’s and men’s finals!

Between the Slam in Alberta and the Arena National Championships in Las Vegas, enjoy the tidal wave of curling action!