2026 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials Presented by Lilly – Curling
Nov 10, 2025 - Nov 15, 2025 | Sioux Falls, SD, United States
For the first time in winter sports history, the Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials were combined at the 2026 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials Presented by Lilly – Curling. U.S. curlers battled it out to better determine future qualification, while wheelchair curling mixed doubles partners Laura Dwyer and Steve Emt qualified for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
The event will took place Nov. 11-16, 2025 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The event was broadcasted live on Peacock.
There were eight teams – four male and four female – that competed for the Olympic spots, and two Para mixed doubles teams for the single Paralympic spot. The athletes competing can be found below and on USA Curling.
Game Highlights: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Curling Trials - Men's Final Game 2
Game Highlights: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Curling Trials - Women's Final Game 2
Game Highlights: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Curling Trials - Wheelchair Curling Mixed Doubles...
Game Highlights: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Curling Trials - Men's Finals Game 1
Game Highlights: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Curling Trials - Women's Final Game 1
Game Highlights: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Curling Trials - Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Game 1
John Shuster's Clutch Shot Sends Keeps Team Shuster Alive in the Men's Final
Laura Dwyer and Steve Emt React to Qualifying for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina...
Curling 101 with USA Curling Athletes
A School Field Trip to the 2026 Olympic & Paralympic Curling Trials Provided the Athletes Wi...
Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse Receive their 'Made It' Hats for Qualifying for Milano Cortin...
2026 Curling Trials: What is the Skip?
The 2026 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials - Curling a part of Making Team USA present...
Matt Hamilton
Sport:Curling
Number of olympic medals this Athlete has won
- gold medals:
- 1
- silver medals:
- 0
- bronze medals:
- 0
Athlete Stats
- Hometown
- McFarland, WI
- Height
- 6'2"
- Age
- 36
Cory Thiesse
Sport:Curling
Athlete Stats
- Hometown
- Duluth, MN
- Height
- 5'4"
- Age
- 31
Fun fact
She works as a lab technician outside of curling
David Samsa
Sport:Wheelchair Curling
Athlete Stats
- Hometown
- Suamico, WI
- Age
- 60
Fun fact
Korey Dropkin
Sport:Curling
Athlete Stats
- Hometown
- Duluth, MN
- Height
- 5'9"
- Age
- 30
Fun fact
Started curling at the age of 5
Taylor Anderson-Heide
Sport:Curling
Athlete Stats
- Hometown
- Minneapolis, MN
- Age
- 30
Below are Team USA athletes currently competing to qualify for the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team. Please note this is not a finalized roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
| name | sport | Education | hometown | age | Medals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Taylor Anderson-Heide Sport: Curling Education: University of Minnesota Hometown: Minneapolis, MN Age: 30 Qualified | Milano Cortina 2026 | Curling | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | 30 | |||||
 Madison Bear Sport: Curling Education: Concordia University-St. Paul, B.S., Minnesota State University Moorhead, M.S. Hometown: Portage, WI Age: 28 | Curling | Concordia University-St. Paul, B.S., Minnesota State University Moorhead, M.S. | Portage, WI | 28 | |||||
JB | Curling | Chippewa Valley Technical College | Eau Claire, WI | ||||||
DC Danny Casper Sport: Curling Education: University of Minnesota Hometown: Briarcliff Manor, NY Age: 24 Qualified | Milano Cortina 2026 | Curling | University of Minnesota | Briarcliff Manor, NY | 24 | |||||
 | Curling | University of New Hampshire | Nashua, NH | 26 | |||||
 | Curling | University of Minnesota | Portage, WI | 28 | |||||
 Laura Dwyer Sport: Wheelchair Curling Education: University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Hometown: Oconomowoc, WI Age: 48 Qualified | Milano Cortina 2026 | Wheelchair Curling | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Oconomowoc, WI | 48 | |||||
 Steve Emt Paralympian 2018, 2022 Sport: Wheelchair Curling Education: Eastern Connecticut State University, B.S., University of St. Joseph (West Hartford, CT), M. Ed Hometown: DeForest, WI Age: 55 Qualified | Milano Cortina 2026 | Wheelchair Curling | Eastern Connecticut State University, B.S., University of St. Joseph (West Hartford, CT), M. Ed | DeForest, WI | 55 | |||||
 | Curling | Bemidji State University | Bemidji, MN | 31 | |||||
 Aileen Geving Olympian 2018, 2022 Sport: Curling Education: University of Minnesota Duluth Hometown: Duluth, MN Age: 38 Qualified | Milano Cortina 2026 | Curling | University of Minnesota Duluth | Duluth, MN | 38 | |||||
Mixed Doubles Champ Korey Dropkin Eyes A Second Ticket To Milan At Curling Trials
When Korey Dropkin watched the U.S. men’s curling team make history at the Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006 — becoming the first American squad to win an Olympic medal (bronze) — he was just 10 years old, a kid in the basement of his parents’ Massachus...
Curler John Shuster Has Been to a Handful of Olympic Games, but He Hopes To Change That
John Shuster can count on one hand how many Olympic Games he’s been to. But that will have to change if he qualifies for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The five-time Olympian would tie the record for most Winter Olympics attended by a U....
What to Watch: 2026 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Mixed Doubles Curling
February 6, 2025, marked the official one-year-out date from the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, and Team USA will know its first two athletes that will have the "hammer” advantage on qualifying for those games in a few short days. As of late...
PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Shined Brightly During Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024
Top notch performances by Team USA athletes at Olympic venues throughout the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 provided further proof that the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 is alive and thriving. The U.S. Youth Olympic men's...
Mixed Doubles Curlers Ella Wendling and Benji Paral Have Heard About The History, Now They Want To Repeat It
It’s not every day that teenage curlers Ella Wendling and Benji Paral get to compete on the same sheets that the U.S. men’s curling team, nicknamed “The Rejects,” made famous during the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.That’s why they’re not takin...
Curling Skip Kenna Ponzio Is Taking It All In At The Youth Olympics
The 16-year-old from Minnesota is on a team with her cousin for the competition in Gangwon, South Korea.
U.S. Wheelchair Curling Team Finishes In Fifth Place At Paralympic Games
...
Wheelchair Curling Team Back In Thick Of Playoff Hunt With Two Wins
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