Pustovar, Sugahara newest members of USCA Hall of Fame

Stevens Point, Wis. - Five-time national champion and multiple world medalist Paul Pustovar (Hibbing, Minn.) and longtime curling supporter Kaytaro "Kay" Sugahara (Stamford, Conn.) are the newest members of the United States Curling Association Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies will be held later this year at the discretion of the future inductees.

Pustovar, 57, has competed at 21 men's national championships, capturing national titles in 1977, '80, '91, '98 and 2002. At the World Men's Championship he won a bronze medal in 1991 and twice finished fourth (1977, 2002). He also won the senior national title in 2009, finishing second at the subsequent World Senior Championships. In 2007, he coached the Todd Birr team at the world championships, bringing home the bronze.

"It's a great honor, probably the greatest that's ever been bestowed on me in curling," Pustovar said of the induction. "Just to be mentioned with all the other curlers that are in the Hall of Fame is incredible."

"I have known Paul for 30 plus years and words cannot describe Paul's high level of standards and dedication to both the sport of curling and community," said Paul Vendetti, Hibbing Curling Club president, in his nomination paperwork. "Paul's demeanor both on and off the ice is monumental and his expertise and knowledge of the game have been valuable on numerous occasions, especially when the Hibbing Curling Club hosted the U.S. Nationals in 2008. Paul has proven himself to be an asset to both the Hibbing Curling Club and the community on all levels."

Pustovar started curling in 1967 in Chisholm, Minn., in the high school program after being introduced to the sport by his father, a charter member of the Chisholm Curling Club.

According to Pustovar, his greatest curling moment on the ice came in 1991 at the world championships in Winnipeg. After the team lost its first three games, they won the next four out of five to get into the playoffs where they eventually won a bronze medal. Great focus and a strong work ethic continue to assist Pustovar in his curling career.

"The mark of a good curler is that you're able to forget about everything else in your life when you step on the ice. Especially when you're the skip, you have to remember every shot," he said.

Pustovar currently plays vice skip for the Todd Birr rink, which won bronze at the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling in February. He also continues to skip his senior team with the hopes of repeating as national champion and representing the U.S. at the world level once again.

"As long as my knees work, and I don't have any aches and pains, I'll keep playing," he said and laughed. "My longevity in this sport has been that I haven't been hurt."

In fact, Pustovar hasn't missed a curling season since 1970. After attending college in Duluth, Minn., he received his master's degree in education from Mankato State University and taught for a few years in Burnsville, Minn. "I was always in a place where there was curling because of my passion and love of the game," he said. Now living in Hibbing, Pustovar works as an insurance agent, which gives him the flexibility in his work schedule to travel to curling events and compete at a high level. Pustovar and his wife, Carole, have two sons and two grandchildren. He has twice been USA Curling's Male Athlete of the Year (1998, 2002).

Sugahara was a key proponent in making curling an Olympic medal sport in 1998, after years of tirelessly marketing the sport worldwide. His decades of contributions to the sport have earned him his induction into the Hall of Fame in the builder category.

"This is a great honor, but a bit surprising. All I care about is growing the sport of curling worldwide," Sugahara said. "When I'm in Japan, Singapore, Houston, wherever, I spread the word. That's why I worked so hard on getting it in the Olympics. I'm just out to help the sport."

When the world championships lost its sponsor, Sugahara and Chuck Hay of Scotland, along with Canadians Laurie Artiss, Don Lewis, Don Turner and Doug Maxwell formed Hexagon Curling International and sponsored three world men's championships from 1986-88 (by 1988, Sugahara was the lone sponsor). Soon after, Ford of Canada stepped in as title sponsor.

"He has given not only to the Worlds but also to several clubs close to his home - Ardsley, Nutmeg and Norfolk. He remains a charter member of the Houston club and the club in Tokyo," said Sally MacKenzie, Nutmeg Curling Club, in her nomination paperwork. "To this day, Kay continues to be a silent donor to many clubs and events throughout the world. As many know, Kay does not always welcome recognition but seems to find a way to contribute where there is a need and asks politely to not be mentioned."

Sugahara, owner of Fairfield Maxwell Services, Ltd., a shipping management company in New York City, was instrumental in 2006 when the USCA obtained 40 sets of curling stones through the World Curling Federation to be used to help start new curling clubs after the wave of popularity spinning from the 2006 Olympic Winter Games jumpstarted a substantial growth in USCA membership (since 2002, the USCA membership has increased 27 percent). Sugahara's company donated the transportation of the stones from Scotland to the USCA national office in Stevens Point, Wis. Those rocks were quickly dispersed to eager new clubs on a rent-to-own basis.

Sugahara was first introduced to the sport of curling in 1973, as he lived near the Ardsley (N.Y.) Curling Club. He has been a fixture at world championship events since he first attended in 1980.

In 1988, Sugahara received the World Curling Federation's Elmer Freytag Award, an award given to curlers or builders contributing to the sport. Builders are honored for distinguished service and major contributions to the development and advancement of curling internationally, according to the WCF website.

Now in his early 70s, Sugahara continues to curl, albeit begrudgingly with the stick, and his passion for the sport of curling continues to strengthen. "Helping out, wherever I can, allows me to maintain a connection with the sport," he said.

Sugahara has two daughters, Lisabeth and Katy, and two grandchildren.