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Women's World Championships Begin Saturday in Japan
By Terry Kolesar Luder // USA Curling // March 15, 2007
(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) - Aomori, Japan, will host the 2007 World Women's Championship, which opens up play Saturday at the Aomori Prefectural Skating Rink. This is the first Asian nation to host the women's world championship.
The USA will be represented by the Debbie McCormick rink, which finished second at last year's world championship in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
Joining McCormick (Rio, Wis.) are teammates Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Nicole Joraanstad (Madison, Wis.) and Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.). The team has selected Maureen Brunt (Portage, Wis.) as the team's alternate. They are coached by Wally Henry (Madison, Wis.). Ironically, Henry's team is representing the U.S. at the World Senior Championships in Edmonton, March 25-31. Henry will miss the first few days of the competition to coach Team McCormick. In 2003, McCormick and Pottinger teamed up to win the USA's only gold medal in women's world competition. McCormick also is a two-time Olympian (1998, 2002).
Twelve teams will play in a round robin to determine the playoff teams. The U.S. women will open up play at 10 a.m. (13 hours ahead of ET) Saturday against Denmark's Angelina Jensen rink followed by an 8 p.m. game with Italy's Diana Gaspari team. Sunday will be a test for the Americans as they face heavyweights Canada and Sweden. The U.S. women lost to Sweden's Anette Norberg in the gold-medal game last season but defeated Canada's Kelly Scott in the semifinals as well as in round robin play. These two teams will undoubtedly be the toughest competition for the experienced U.S. squad. Norberg's team has won the world championships the previous two seasons in addition to the gold medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
Live scoring during the event can be found on the USA Curling website at www.usacurl.org. Player biographies also can be found on our website.
Here is a look at Team USA's schedule (all game times 13 hours ahead of ET):
3/17: Denmark (10 a.m.), Italy (8 p.m.)
3/18: Canada (3 p.m.), Sweden (8 p.m.)
3/19: Czech Republic (10 a.m.), Russia (8 p.m.)
3/20: Germany (10 a.m.), Scotland (3 p.m.)
3/21: China (10 a.m.), Switzerland (3 p.m.)
3/22: Japan (10 a.m.)
3/23-3/25: Playoffs
USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, AmerAust Technologies and Nike as well as by AT&T, General Motors, The Home Depot, and Bank of America through a joint marketing program with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
For more information: Terry Luder, USA Curling, terry.luder@usacurl.org, 715-344-1199
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