USA Curling’s spectacular comeback path to gold medal match
Facing long odds before and during the Olympic curling tournament, the USA men’s team has thrived with their backs against the wall.
Matt Hamilton is a research and development technician at a company named Spectrum Brands. Tyler George owns and operates a liquor store. John Landsteiner is a full-time engineer. Finally, John Shuster works for Dick’s Sporting Goods as a Team USA sales associate. Who are these men and why do their jobs matter? These four men are the team that just made men’s curling history in the Olympic Games, and their journey to get there has been spectacular.
Curling isn’t the most popular sport in the United States. You’re not likely to run into a fan on the street who can talk about the finer points of throwing a curling stone and strategy of winning an end. In fact, many people who have tuned into the Olympic games these past couple weeks likely haven’t watched any matches before. However, one of the best stories of Pyeongchang has unfolded on the curling rink.
These four gentlemen faced long odds before the tournament even started. There are 10 countries in the round robin portion and only four make it to the semifinal. Led by Shuster, who is their skip (like a captain in any other sport), the ceiling of their potential was set at a bronze medal. Whatever small burden they carried seemed to disappear at the midway point of the round robin stage.
Shuster had his squad sitting at 2-2 after the first four matches, having beaten Korea and Denmark while losing to Italy and Sweden. They followed those matches up with losses to Norway and Japan, bringing their record to 2-4. They were in a position that required them to win their last three matches just to earn a chance at a tie-breaking match. One of the main problems? They faced the powerhouse Canadian squad that had won the last three gold medals and to whom USA had lost to in every non-Olympic meeting. Defeat seemed assured and the tournament would be over for the United States.
The USA started on the comeback trail by taking down the Canadians, giving Shuster and co. a glimmer of hope. They then followed that big win up with victories over Switzerland and Great Britain by a combined score of 18-8. The way the rest of the tournament broke, Shuster and his team finished high enough that they didn’t even need participate in a tie-breaker. They had moved on to the semifinals to face Canada once again.
In a tense, low-scoring match that was back and forth, the USA held the advantage going into the final end. The entire match and a berth in the gold medal game came down to one throw from Shuster and he came up clutch. He made his shot and catapulted the USA into a gold medal opportunity, guaranteeing the best curling finish the States has ever had in the Olympics.
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The match versus Sweden will take place on Saturday morning at 1:35 a.m. ET. Team USA has already suffered defeat at the hands of the Swedes, but they’ve been defying the odds for the last few matches. There’s no reason Hamilton, George, Landsteiner, and Shuster can’t win it all.
Curling may not be the most popular sport but the USA has shown the Olympic spirit and will to win. That’s all the fans can ask for and this team will come home proud of what they’ve accomplished. They haven’t taken the straightest path to glory, but history has been made and the gold medal beckons.