Who\What introduced you to Curling?
My first exposure to curling was in 1986, when a friend and I visited the local curling club unannounced. We found a dozen or so people there, and a friendly gentleman spent an hour teaching us the basics of sliding and sweeping. Being 20 years old and focused on outdoor sports, I didn't take up curling at that time, but the seed had been planted, and I returned to it 22 years later.
Having competed at the highest level in another sport (3-time USA National Champion and 2-time World Silver Medalist in Freestyle Skydiving, aka freefall gymnastics), I'd been considering a number of other sports on which to focus my energy. I met my future wife (a Canadian) in 2004 and found myself mesmerized by curling on television, particularly Russ Howard's participation with Team Gushue and the battle to become Team Canada for the 2006 Olympics. My wife had never curled, but I convinced her to try it in 2008, and we curled socially for two years.
After a great experience at Elaine Dagg-Jackson's Four Foot Curling Camp in the summer of 2010, I dedicated myself to competitive curling. I trained 3 days/week and received a lot of individual coaching from 9-time USA Mixed National champion Brady Clark. My skills rapidly improved and, by my fourth season, I was being invited to curl with some of the best players at my home club. Sharon Vukich, a prior USA Mixed Doubles National champion, invited me to play with her and the experience was incredibly valuable.
Heading into my fifth season and wanting to push myself even further, I approached Jason and Joel Larway, two former USA National champions, and they brought on Mark Johnson, a well-known Canadian (and American-born) curler to skip us. 2012-13 will be my first season competing in WCT events, the USA Challenge Round and, hopefully, the USA Nationals.
Do you have any pre-game superstitions or rituals?
No superstitions, but I do warm up before a game by running in place for 5 minutes and then stretching.
What is your career highlight to date?
Having the opportunity to team with Mark Johnson, Jason Larway, and Joel Larway in just my fifth season of curling.
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