Individual tryouts were held Nov. 23-24 in Utica, N.Y.  From that event, a pool of athletes were selected and invited to participate in two bonspiels. The 2008 team will consist of Augusto Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.), James Pierce (North Syracuse, N.Y.), James Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y) and Jacqueline Kapinowski (Point Pleasant, N.Y.). Robert Prenoveau (Chittenango, N.Y.) will travel as the team's alternate.

The team will compete at the World Wheelchair Championship Feb. 2-9 in Sursee, Switzerland. Games at the world wheelchair curling championship are six ends in length and no sweeping of the stone is allowed. Teams must consist of both men and women in order to be eligible. Other competing countries include Canada, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Scotland and Switzerland. The U.S. team, which included Pierce, Perez and Joseph, finished sixth at last year's world championship. Norway is the defending champion.

Newcomer Kapinowski just began curling this fall while the remaining team members have competed at past world championships as well as at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games.

The team recently competed together and won the Third Annual Cathy Kerr Memorial Bonspiel in Ottawa and placed third at the U.S. Open International Bonspiel in Utica, N.Y.

The U.S. wheelchair program has been growing in numbers thanks in part to the Sitrin STARS program, wheelchair curling clinics and participation in veterans programs. USA Curling recently hired a national wheelchair curling outreach director and has a national wheelchair curling coach in place.

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.