FARGO — Fargo’s best curlers, in fact, North Dakota’s and America’s best curlers, will be center stage next week.
When the United States takes on Canada in a prime time live championship in Colorado, the USA Team is really just a bunch of men from Fargo.
You couldn’t ask for a better script: Team Berg is from Fargo, and members hail from hometowns like Bisbee and Cavalier, N.D., where curling is king.
“I was about 5 years old when I started playing; my neighbor got my dad into it and I rode with them to the curling club in Devils Lake, where I started,” Tim Hodek, team member, said.
“I probably threw my first rocks when I was 10 years old in Cavalier,” teammate Randy Askew said.
Now, Team Berg is Team USA; Ryan Berg, Hodek, Josh Moore, Askew and Ethan Sampson. After winning the state and national title, they will now represent America when they face Canada on Sept. 17-18 in the Everest North American Curling Club Championship.
“To represent America and play against the Canadians — Canada is the world leader in curling, by far. So it will be fun to see how we stack up against them,” said Berg, the team’s skip, or captain.
Preparing has not been easy. The ice is out at the Fargo Curling Club for summer, so they traveled to the Twin Cities for practice. Still, this team says they are ready.
“All comes down to the adrenaline and the competition. We are all competitive people. That excitement, nerves, a lot of emotions,” Moore said.
For them all, it’s a dream of a lifetime.
“This is the first time, other than the Olympics, where a curling event has been broadcast live across North America,” Berg said. “It means a lot to me to be able to wear the US flag on my back, it has always been a dream of mine, so to have that come true is fun.”
The Everest North American Curling Club Championships are on Tuesday, Sept. 17, and Wednesday, Sept. 18, carried live on CBS Sports.
You can watch them
here
and follow the curling team
on their website
.
Kevin Wallevand has been a reporter at WDAY-TV since 1983. He is a native of Vining, Minnesota in Otter Tail County. His series and documentary work have brought him to Africa, Vietnam, Haiti, Kosovo, South America, Mongolia, Juarez,Mexico and the Middle East. He is an multiple Emmy and national Edward R. Murrow award recipient.
Reach Kevin at [email protected] or 701-241-5317
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Publish date : 2024-09-10 12:50:00
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