Women's Olympic curling team finishes second in Switzerland

Road to Vancouver, Part 1 - The *2010 Olympic women's curling team led by Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.) finished second at the Grasshopper Women's Masters in Zurich over the weekend. After stumbling to a 0-2 start, McCormick and teammates Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Nicole Joraanstad (Madison, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Tracy Sachtjen (Lodi, Wis.) won five straight to advance to the championship final. They lost to Germany's Olympic team, 7-6, in an extra end. This completed a successful European trip for the women's team after a semifinal finish the week prior at an event in Switzerland.

Road to Vancouver, Part 2 - The *2010 Olympic men's curling team, led by John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.) are competing at the Grey Power World Cup of Curling this week in Ontario, a Capitol One Grand Slam event featuring many of Canada and the world's top curling teams. Follow along at http://www.grandslamofcurling.com/world-cup/.

Olympians in Rockefeller - Curling's 2010 Olympians and three members of the 2010 Paralympic wheelchair curling team will take part in the United States Olympic Committee's Olympic Winter Festival on Nov. 4 at New York's Rockefeller Center. All eight Olympic sports will be represented with many demonstrations, including curling, taking place. In addition, the curling Olympians and Paralympians as well as other 2010 Olympic sport hopefuls will appear on NBC's "The Today Show" to mark the 100-day countdown to the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Athletes slated to take part include: Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Nicole Joraanstad (Madison, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.), John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.), Jason Smith (Duluth, Minn.), Jeff Isaacson (Gilbert, Minn.), John Benton (St. Michael, Minn.), Augusto Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.), James Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.) and Jackie Kapinowski (Point Pleasant, N.J.).

*pending formal announcement this winter by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

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