Benji Paral

Quick Facts

• Position: Second
• Specialty: Men’s Curling, Mixed Doubles Curling

Biographical Information

Growing up in Wisconsin, Benji Paral picked up curling at age 7 when his dad brought him to junior curling. In 2019, a local school teacher and Olympian, Mike Peplinski, who represented Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, formed a competitive junior curling team with Paral and four other members of the Eau Claire Curling Club.

Within five years, they were back-to-back U18 national champions and won their first junior championships (U21) in 2025. The team from Eau Claire, Wisconsin represented Team USA at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Turin, Italy where they won a silver medal. It was the U.S.'s third medal all-time in men's curling at the Winter World University Games, joining a gold medal won in 2007 by a team with John Shuster as skip and a silver medal in 2023.

At age 15, Paral represented Team USA at the Youth Winter Olympics Gangwon 2024 in mixed doubles with partner Ella Wendling. They finished with a bronze medal, losing only one match the entire tournament.

Off the ice, Paral enjoys drumming and Culver's cheese curds.