Ultimate Fan Guide to the U.S. Team Trials for Curling
Photo Courtesy USA Curling
It’s Beijing or bust for 12 of the nation’s best curling teams. The road to Olympic gold begins at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling at Baxter Arena from Nov. 12-21.
Who to watch
The 2018 Olympic gold medalists, Team Shuster, highlights the men’s division. John Shuster, Matt Hamilton and John Landsteiner return as a team, along with their newest edition Chris Plys.
For the women’s division, returning 2018 Trials competitors Tabitha Peterson, Nina Roth, Becca Hamilton and Cory Christensen can be seen on the ice. These women were part of the team selected to represent Team USA in the 2018 Olympics.
The complete list of qualified teams and the competition schedule is available at omahasports.org/curlingtrials.
The format
The top six men’s and the top six women’s curling teams from across the nation compete in a double round robin with a best of three playoff to end it.
Here’s how it’ll look: Excluding the finals, multiple draws occur at the same time on separate sheets of ice across the arena floor. During any single session, you are likely to see three draws. Most days of the Trials include a 9 a.m. session, 2 p.m. session and 7 p.m. session.
The best-of-three championship series begins Friday, Nov. 19 and runs through Nov. 20. If a winner is not declared after two draws, teams will play on Nov. 21.
With 12 teams total, the schedule will consist of 22 sessions. If tie breaker games are required, an additional three sessions may be added to the schedule.
How to purchase tickets
All-session tickets and single-session tickets for the Trials are available on ticketmaster.com or through the Baxter Arena box office. Single-session tickets start as low as $10, with most averaging at about $20 per session. Championship tickets begin at $40, but include both the men’s and women’s draws that day.
VIP experiences are available for groups of up to five people. VIP experiences are sold by the day. Contact the Baxter Arena box office to inquire.
Can’t-miss days
The most-anticipated dates start with the first night on Nov. 12 with opening ceremonies and Team Shuster’s event debut. The opening ceremony includes a light show and team introductions beginning at 6:30 p.m., with the first men’s draws kicking off at 7:30 p.m.
Team Persinger v Team Ruohonen, Team Dunnam v Team Dropkin, and Team Shuster v Team Brundidge make up the first competitions on Nov. 12 night.
The best-of-three finale for both the men and women begins on Nov. 19 and will continue to Nov. 20 with a possible tie breaker on Nov. 21. Winning teams of the finals will represent Team USA in Beijing.
Fans who wish to cheer on a certain curling team can find the complete team competition schedule on omahasports.org/curlingtrials.
Baxter Arena
Baxter Arena is once again home to the Curling Trials. The venue on UNO’s campus neighbors Aksarben Village with plenty of surrounding restaurants, hotels and entertainment.
Parking is free at and around Baxter Arena. Masks are required at the venue (per event policies) and the clear-bag policy is in effect.
A curling Fan Fest can be found along the concourses of Baxter Arena with vendor booths and official merchandise.
Learn to Curl
Fans can get a taste of the curling action by purchasing a Learn to Curl. This 30-minute session takes place on the Holland Ice at Baxter Arena. Groups of up to 40 are welcomed per session to learn the sport and throw stones across the ice. Tickets are only $15 each and can be purchased at omahasports.org/curlingtrials.
How to keep up with the action
NBC will carry the broadcasts for the Trials. Updates on standings, athlete feature stories, interviews and more can be found on Omaha Sports Commission’s and USA Curling’s social media, or through the event’s student-run digital newspaper at usacurling.org.