2001 United States Olympic Curling Trials
The 2001 United States Olympic Curling Trials were held from December 9 to 16, 2001 in Ogden, Utah. Through double round-robin tournaments the trials determined which men's and women's teams would represent the United States at the 2002 Winter Olympics, also in Ogden. Tim Somerville's team won the men's side; his third time at the Olympics, first time for third Mike Schneeberger, and second time for Myles Brundidge and John Gordon. Kari Erickson and her team of Debbie McCormick, Stacey Liapis, and Ann Swisshelm won the women's side, their only loss coming after they had already clinched the Olympics berth. This was the first Olympics for Erickson and her sister Liapis and second for McCormick and Swisshelm.
Qualification
It was planned to have six men's teams and six women's teams compete at the Olympic Trials, with three methods of qualification: winning the 2000 or 2001 National Championships or through the National Olympic Qualifier events. On the men's side, Craig Brown's team was the first to qualify as the. Jason Larway's team won the but was deemed ineligible because, as a Canadian living in the United States, teammate Greg Romaniuk was eligible for the National Championship but not for the Olympics. Therefore, five men's teams qualified from the National Olympic Qualifier instead of four, to fill out the field of six teams. The 32-team Men's National Olympic Qualifier took place March 28th to April 1st, 2001 at the Duluth Curling Club in Duluth, Minnesota. The five teams that qualified for the Trials were Paul Pustovar, Scott Baird, Andy Borland, Doug Pottinger, and Tim Somerville. Through the Washington State Regional Qualifier Larway had earned a spot at the National Qualifier, but had to miss the tournament because it occurred at the same time as the, where he was representing the United States as the National Champion. Larway, with fellow curler Rich Ruohonen acting as his attorney, filed a grievance with the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Curling Association asking to be admitted to the Olympic Trials. Through an arbitration process Larway was eventually offered and accepted a seventh spot at the Olympic Trials.On the women's side, Amy Wright qualified as the and Kari Erickson as the. The Women's National Olympic Qualifier was held April 5 to 8, 2001 at the Utica Curling Club in Whitesboro, New York. Twenty teams competed, with Patti Lank, Lori Mountford, Cassie Johnson, and Nicole Joraanstad earning spots at the Olympic Trials as the top four teams. Margie Smith's team finished fifth and so was named an alternate qualifier, though ultimately was not needed.
Men
Teams
Seven men's teams qualified for the Olympic Trials:Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Alternate | Coach | Qualification method |
Craig Brown | Ryan Quinn | Jon Brunt | John Dunlop | Steve Brown | Champions | |
Jason Larway | Craig Disher | Travis Way | Joel Larway | Doug Kauffman | Mike Hawkins | Champions |
Paul Pustovar | Mike Peplinski | Dave Violette | Cory Ward | Doug Anderson | Mike Liapis | National Olympic Qualifier: first place |
Scott Baird | Matt Stevens | Cody Stevens | Phill Drobnick | Randy Baird | National Olympic Qualifier: second place | |
Andy Borland | Dave Johnson | Jeff Shapiro | Kevin Stevens | Ross Litman | National Olympic Qualifier: third place | |
Doug Pottinger | Troy Schroeder | Greg Johnson | Bill Todhunter | Nate Gebert | National Olympic Qualifier: fourth place | |
Tim Somerville | Mike Schneeberger | Myles Brundidge | John Gordon | Donald Barcome Jr. | Bud Somerville | National Olympic Qualifier: fifith place |
Standings
The final standings after a double round-robin tournament:Rank | Skip | W | L |
Tim Somerville | 9 | 3 | |
Craig Brown* | 7 | 5 | |
Scott Baird* | 7 | 5 | |
4 | Paul Pustovar | 6 | 6 |
5 | Doug Pottinger | 5 | 7 |
6 | Andy Borland | 4 | 8 |
7 | Jason Larway | 4 | 8 |
Draw results
All draw times are listed in Mountain Time Zone.Draw 1
Sunday, December 9, 2:00 pmDraw 2
Sunday, December 9, 7:00 PMDraw 3
Monday, December 10, 1:00 PMDraw 4
Monday, December 10, 7:00 PMDraw 5
Tuesday, December 11, 1:00 PMDraw 6
Tuesday, December 11, 7:00 PMDraw 7
Wednesday, December 12, 1:00 PMDraw 8
Wednesday, December 12, 7:00 PMDraw 9
Thursday, December 13, 1:00 PMDraw 10
Thursday, December 13, 7:00 PMDraw 11
Friday, December 14, 1:00 PMDraw 12
Friday, December 14, 7:00 PMDraw 13
Saturday, December 15, 1:00 PMDraw 14
Saturday, December 15, 7:00 PMTiebreaker
Sunday, December 16, 9:00 AMWomen
Teams
Six women's teams qualified for the Olympic Trials:Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Alternate | Coach | Qualification method |
Amy Wright | Amy Becher | Natalie Nicholson | Nikki Baird | Joni Cotten | Bob Fenson | Champions |
Kari Erickson | Debbie McCormick | Stacey Liapis | Ann Swisshelm | Mike Liapis | Champions | |
Patti Lank | Erika Brown Oriedo | Allison Pottinger | Tracy Sachtjen | Bev Behnke | National Olympic Qualifier: first place | |
Lori Mountford | Jean Deans | Shelly Pape | Stephanie Radl | National Olympic Qualifier: second place | ||
Cassie Johnson | Jamie Johnson | Hope Schmitt | Teresa Bahr Oberstein | National Olympic Qualifier: third place | ||
Nicole Joraanstad | Kirsten Finch | Katie Schmitt | Becky Dobie | Neil Doese | National Olympic Qualifier: fourth place |
Standings
The final standings after a double round-robin tournament:Rank | Skip | W | L |
Kari Erickson | 9 | 1 | |
Patti Lank | 8 | 2 | |
Cassie Johnson | 4 | 6 | |
4 | Nicole Joraanstad | 3 | 7 |
5 | Lori Mountford | 3 | 7 |
6 | Amy Wright | 3 | 7 |