Eau Claire to Host USA Curling Senior Women’s National Championship

The Eau Claire Curling Club is set to host the top women’s senior teams in the United States as the 2014 USA Curling Senior Women’s National Championships get underway at the Eau Claire Expo Center on Thursday, January 23.  Practice rounds begin at 9:00am with a six-game round robin tournament beginning at 1:00pm.

The championship will continue throughout the weekend. Tiebreaker games, if needed, will be played in the afternoon of Sunday, January 26. The team with the best record is the winner.

Margie Smith is seeking her third senior title as her team finished seventh at the 2013 World Seniors. Smith also won the title in 2011 and had a fourth-place showing at the World Seniors that year. The women’s field also features two other skips who have won the senior title previously. Wisconsin’s Pam Oleinik captured the national event in 2012, 2008 and 2007, earning a bronze medal in 2007 at the world event. Seattle’s Sharon Vukich won back-to-back U.S. senior titles in 2009 and 2010.

Live scoring from the event will be featured online at www.usacurl.org, courtesy of USA Curling partner CurlingZone.

The winning teams will be nominated to Team USA to compete at the 2014 World Senior Championships April 22-29 in Dumfries, Scotland. The U.S. women are seeking their first-ever gold medal at the world senior event.

For more information or detailed schedule information, contact Amy Vreeman at 715-271-2759.

Visit Eau Claire is sending this press release courtesy of the Eau Claire Curling Club. Visit Eau Claire effectively markets the Eau Claire area as a destination for conventions, group tour, sporting events, and leisure markets; to promote regional economic growth; to enhance the area’s overall identity and image; to sell fun, promote fun, and most importantly – have fun.