MILWAUKEE — The phrase “U.S. curling superstar” probably qualifies as an oxymoron in a nation that pays attention to the obscure winter sport for roughly two weeks every four years.
So let’s just say Debbie McCormick is among the most accomplished female curlers in U.S. history.
She was skip of the 2003 world championship team — the only time an American team has won the women’s title — and is a seven-time U.S. champion and three-time Olympian.
About the only thing she hasn’t done is stand on the podium at the Winter Olympics.
McCormick, 34, who was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but lives in Rio, Wis., hopes to rectify that at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
“A medal is definitely important,” McCormick said. “But I don’t think you can focus on the medal. It’s a long haul. We have to focus on each rock, each end, each opponent, one step at a time.
“We have a possibility of winning the gold medal, but you can’t just think of that one game.”
McCormick is skip of the U.S. team, which includes two other Wisconsin curlers: second Nicole Joraanstad of Madison, Wis., and alternate Tracy Sachtjen of Lodi, Wis. The other team members are vice skip Allison Pottinger of Eden Prairie, Minn., and lead Natalie Nicholson of Bemidji, Minn.
McCormick’s father, Wally Henry, coaches the team, which is ranked among the top six in the world.
“All we want to do is curl our best and see what happens,” Henry said. “Of course, they want to come home with the gold medal, as every Olympian does. Anything under medal status would be disappointing.”
As the skip, McCormick throws the last two stones of each end, holds the broom as a target for her teammates’ shots and makes the strategic calls.
“I think the biggest pressure is delivering the last two stones of each end,” she said. “Then if it’s a close game, your last stone could win the game or lose the game. But I love the butterflies. I love it when it’s a close game and I’ve got the shot for the win.”
McCormick also was an Olympian in 1998 and 2002, finishing fifth in Nagano and fourth in Salt Lake City.
In 2002, the Olympic team trials were held in December, so the U.S. had only weeks to prepare for the Games. This year, the men’s and women’s teams qualified in February and will have had a year of preparation when the Olympic curling competition begins Feb. 16.
The teams have had access to ice all year at the Green Bay Curling Club and have participated in seven high-performance camps since May.
“The preparation is completely different this time,” McCormick said. “You can’t even compare. In 2002, we qualified in December so we only had two months to prepare. Two of our team members were in Chicago, I was in Madison and the others were in Bemidji, Minn. So we were spread out and we hardly had time to practice.”
Going into Vancouver, the women’s team has left no stone unturned in its quest for its first Olympic medal (the men’s team skipped by Pete Fenson won bronze in 2006).
The women work with a sports psychologist and have a strategy coach and a delivery coach, who coordinate with Henry. They also have worked with athletic trainers on their physical conditioning because they will have to play nine 21/2-hour games just to get to the final four in Vancouver.
Overuse injuries are common in the sport, and fatigue can affect a curler’s focus and concentration.
“I’ve noticed a difference,” McCormick said. “We’ve had a couple tournaments where we’ve had three-game days and I didn’t feel tired at all. There have been no injuries on our team and we just seem sharper, more focused.”
Curling has been a medal sport at the Olympics since 1998 and thanks in large part to NBC’s coverage and Fenson’s bronze medal, the sport has grown in recent years in the U.S. Curling still is played mostly in the upper Midwest, but clubs have popped up in Texas, Tennessee and even Arizona.
Canada, home to 1.2 million of the world’s 1.5 million curlers, has the top-ranked men’s and women’s teams going into Vancouver. The 10-team women’s field also includes China, the reigning world champion, and Sweden, the defending Olympic gold medalist.
The curling competition is sold out at the Vancouver Olympic Center and the crowds will be loud and enthusiastic.
“We play best when it’s loud and rowdy, so that’s going to play right to our strength,” Pottinger said. “We’re not going there to show up and have a good time. We want to go there, we want to play well and we want to be on top of the podium. Our goal is gold. We’re not going to be satisfied with anything else.”
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