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The following is a Q&A with former Briarcliff resident Andrew Stopera, whose team won the U.S. men’s national curling championship earlier this year. The 27-year-old, a 2015 Hackley School graduate, who later graduated from Northwestern University, followed his father and grandfather into curling.
Stopera, whose curling career is rooted in the Ardsley Curling Club, was a three-time U.S. junior champion and, in 2017, won silver at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
While his team can earn prize money and are given a yearly allowance by USA Curling, he and his teammates hold jobs that allow them to both pay their bills and pursue their passion. Stopera works in insurance. This contrasts with elite curlers in many other countries, who are either, in some instances, directly paid a full-time salary by their countries to curl and/or receive large government bonuses for strong finishes or are full-time curlers who are technically members of the military or police.
But while he'd like to see more support for American curlers, Stopera isn't complaining. Curling has taken him from the Ardsley club to multiple parts of the world. Stopera, who now lives in Minnesota, is a three-year member of Team Dropkin, which scored a historic semifinals win at nationals, beating legendary curler John Schuster and his team. Schuster is a five-time Olympian and 2018 Olympic gold medalist. "It was a little like conquering demons," Stopera says.
And, of course, one of the demon slayers was someone who learned to curl far removed from the Midwest, the hotbed of U.S. curling. The win over Schuster further amplified the Ardsley Curling Club's name, which got another lift in the championship as Team Dropkin won the national title with a finals victory over Team Casper, which is captained by Danny Casper, who also grew up on the ice at Ardsley.
The national title qualified Team Dropkin to represent the U.S. at the World Championships, which began earlier this week and conclude Sunday in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The U.S. Olympic Trials are scheduled for later this year and Stopera and his team should be among the favorites there.
Below is the Q&A done with Stopera after nationals.
Q: You followed your dad and granddad into the sport. Your dad has curled at a very high level. (Bill Stopera was a national champion in 2012 and competed at worlds.) How much did his love of the sport make you want to do it?
A: My dad played a lot while I was growing up. He pushed me to play a lot of sports. I saw what he put in and got out (of curling). After 2012 (when his team won nationals), I curled maybe twice a week and did some junior events. Now I’m at the club five days a week. When he was practicing for nationals and the Olympic Trials, I was trying to do well in juniors. I learned what was possible soon after I went to junior nationals and got third (place). It kickstarted (everything). But he's been a massive, massive part.
Q: How many U.S. Junior Championships did you compete in?
A: I played in seven. I would have been 15 (years old) in the first.
Q: You also competed (this year) in (two-player-per team) mixed doubles nationals (finishing second by just one point). How long have you played doubles and do you prefer traditional curling or doubles?
A: I've been doing doubles since the 2019-20 curling season. It’s an interesting question. I really enjoy both. Four-person is what I grew up on. We're playing 12-14 events in a season vs. four in mixed doubles. But it’s a nice balance between the two. I spend close to 100 days a year with four and with a coach. It's a different vibe. It's definitely nice to switch it up. It’s almost a nice break sometimes. It's an opportunity. Calling it a break is kind of underselling. It’s curling at the end of the day.
Q: How many countries have you been to curling?
A: For World Juniors, Korea, Scotland and all over Canada. For the World University Games in 2017, Kazakhstan. And (I've also curled in) Siberia and I've been to China two times to curl. Also, a season starter in Switzerland.
Q: Why is curling so popular in countries like Canada and Scotland and not here and do you think this will change anytime soon and, if so, how?
A: The sport was invented in Scotland and came over to Canada. There’s more of a base there. It’s more adopted to national culture. Essentially, Canada has 20 times the curlers we have — at least … The U.S. is probably far, far away (from Canada and Scotland in terms of popularity). (But,) ,obviously, we get the Olympic bump. … And there’s a lot of growth with clubs opening, even where winter sports would not be expected to be played. Charlotte has a couple clubs and the Bay area. Denver is becoming a pretty big place for curling. It’s an exciting time for the growth of the sport.
Q: You once played baseball and as a teenager said you continued pursuing curling and dropped baseball because you saw yourself having more of a future in curling. … Do you ever look at the salaries MLB players make and think, “Hmm, maybe I didn’t choose correctly?” or are you 100 percent satisfied?
A: By the time I was in high school, it was pretty obvious I was not getting to the MLB. I’m not curling for the money. It’s for the opportunity it gives me and the love of the sport. Everyone I curl with has a job on the side. Other countries have full-time pros. It makes it tougher to compete. We’re at a little disadvantage.
Q: How many curlers do you know who make their living solely from curling?
A: In the U.S., I don’t think anybody. A couple people I know in an Olympic push year, something like that, take a year off work. A large chunk of funding (for top American teams) comes from USA Curling. They support us with a budget. That helps a lot. This year, a tool company in Minneapolis entered partnership with U.S. men’s. There are (also) some winnings. If we go to televised grand slams and win, that’s $10,000 Canadian. All of our expenses are paid for with all that (money). We’re not taking home anything close to living expenses. In Scotland, there are full-time (curlers whose salaries) come through the lottery.. Some top curlers in Canada are way more celebrities and there are six-figure endorsement deals (for them). Top curlers in Canada are full-time and in (some) Asian countries, (curlers) get salaries from the government. ...
Q: Who are your teammates, where are they from and how often do you get to practice together?
A: Korey Dropkin is from Boston, now Duluth (Minnesota). Tom Howell is originally from New Jersey and lives in Milwaukee and Mark Fenner is from northern Minnesota and now lives in Minneapolis. We don't practice (as a team) very often. I practice with Mark all time since he lives here. We (the four of us) play a lot of events (together). It's more worthwhile on weekends to be flying to Canada for a four- or five-day event. ... It's about points to be won for world curling rankings.
Q: What's your goal for Worlds?
A: First and foremost, we need to qualify the U.S. for their Olympic spot. The safest way to do that is to make the top six. We still have to qualify for the Olympics. Each country gets one spot. There will be 13 or 14 teams at Worlds. Only 10 teams (each from a different country) make the Olympics, (including) the host country, Italy, which automatically gets in, although Italy would probably make it anyway. They take your finish at last year’s and this year’s World Championships and add the points together. Our men’s team last year was fifth or sixth. Top 6 from two worlds (get in) and then from events in December and January, the top three get the last three spots.
Q: When are the Olympic Trials?
A: November in Sioux Falls (South Dakota).
Q: Were you in the Olympic Trials last time and, if so, with what team, and how did you finish?
A: Yes, with Team Ruohonen. We came in third. The team I joined (Team Dropkin) came in second.
Q: When people don’t see people falling or being tackled or sliding or being checked, they sometimes think of athletic contests as more games than sport. Do you look at curling wholly as sport and, if so, why?
A: I think it’s a sport. There’s not hitting and stuff like that. But I’d challenge anyone to do what we do and see if you’re tired. I swept for 13 games and haven’t played since Sunday. It's Thursday and I'm beat up still. Baseball and golf involve strategy. I think (in curling) there's more athletics involved than in some sports. You have to be pretty athletic to curl.
Q: Who makes a good curler? What's the mental and physical makeup needed to excel?
A: I think it takes a more all-encompassing athlete. The mental part is so important. Curling you thow a stone and the other team goes. We work with a sports psychologist, probably like other elite sports. We have to maintain confidence and be a good teammate. We’re in gym five days a week. Leg drive and balance is important in throwing. My triceps and lats are pretty beat up now.. I don’t think sweeping looks as hard as it is. It’s a lot of build up of using the same muscles over and over. It takes a lot of power for rock sweeping. A lot of pain. You’re sweeping 20-240 a day and sometimes for a whole week.
Q: What would it mean to you to get to the Olympics and, not to jinx things, do you think this team’s chances are good?
A: I definitely think we have a good chance. Aside from fact it is cool to win Nationals, we kind of had to show everyone we were good enough to beat everyone in the country. ... To go (to the Olympics) would mean everything. ... It would be incredible.
Q: What's the one thing you wish everyone understood about curling?
A: I think people don't always understand what we put into it. … You always get people saying, 'That looks really easy. I should join the Olympics.' But, above all, I just want people to give it a chance. I don’t think people realize what they’re missing (by not curling or watching it). Hopefully, the Olympics and what we do helps that and helps grow the game.
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, baseball, skiing, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Q&A with Andrew Stopera, national curling champion from Briarcliff NY
Continue reading...
Stopera, whose curling career is rooted in the Ardsley Curling Club, was a three-time U.S. junior champion and, in 2017, won silver at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
While his team can earn prize money and are given a yearly allowance by USA Curling, he and his teammates hold jobs that allow them to both pay their bills and pursue their passion. Stopera works in insurance. This contrasts with elite curlers in many other countries, who are either, in some instances, directly paid a full-time salary by their countries to curl and/or receive large government bonuses for strong finishes or are full-time curlers who are technically members of the military or police.
But while he'd like to see more support for American curlers, Stopera isn't complaining. Curling has taken him from the Ardsley club to multiple parts of the world. Stopera, who now lives in Minnesota, is a three-year member of Team Dropkin, which scored a historic semifinals win at nationals, beating legendary curler John Schuster and his team. Schuster is a five-time Olympian and 2018 Olympic gold medalist. "It was a little like conquering demons," Stopera says.
And, of course, one of the demon slayers was someone who learned to curl far removed from the Midwest, the hotbed of U.S. curling. The win over Schuster further amplified the Ardsley Curling Club's name, which got another lift in the championship as Team Dropkin won the national title with a finals victory over Team Casper, which is captained by Danny Casper, who also grew up on the ice at Ardsley.
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The national title qualified Team Dropkin to represent the U.S. at the World Championships, which began earlier this week and conclude Sunday in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The U.S. Olympic Trials are scheduled for later this year and Stopera and his team should be among the favorites there.
Below is the Q&A done with Stopera after nationals.
Q: You followed your dad and granddad into the sport. Your dad has curled at a very high level. (Bill Stopera was a national champion in 2012 and competed at worlds.) How much did his love of the sport make you want to do it?
A: My dad played a lot while I was growing up. He pushed me to play a lot of sports. I saw what he put in and got out (of curling). After 2012 (when his team won nationals), I curled maybe twice a week and did some junior events. Now I’m at the club five days a week. When he was practicing for nationals and the Olympic Trials, I was trying to do well in juniors. I learned what was possible soon after I went to junior nationals and got third (place). It kickstarted (everything). But he's been a massive, massive part.
Q: How many U.S. Junior Championships did you compete in?
A: I played in seven. I would have been 15 (years old) in the first.
Q: You also competed (this year) in (two-player-per team) mixed doubles nationals (finishing second by just one point). How long have you played doubles and do you prefer traditional curling or doubles?
A: I've been doing doubles since the 2019-20 curling season. It’s an interesting question. I really enjoy both. Four-person is what I grew up on. We're playing 12-14 events in a season vs. four in mixed doubles. But it’s a nice balance between the two. I spend close to 100 days a year with four and with a coach. It's a different vibe. It's definitely nice to switch it up. It’s almost a nice break sometimes. It's an opportunity. Calling it a break is kind of underselling. It’s curling at the end of the day.
Q: How many countries have you been to curling?
A: For World Juniors, Korea, Scotland and all over Canada. For the World University Games in 2017, Kazakhstan. And (I've also curled in) Siberia and I've been to China two times to curl. Also, a season starter in Switzerland.
Q: Why is curling so popular in countries like Canada and Scotland and not here and do you think this will change anytime soon and, if so, how?
A: The sport was invented in Scotland and came over to Canada. There’s more of a base there. It’s more adopted to national culture. Essentially, Canada has 20 times the curlers we have — at least … The U.S. is probably far, far away (from Canada and Scotland in terms of popularity). (But,) ,obviously, we get the Olympic bump. … And there’s a lot of growth with clubs opening, even where winter sports would not be expected to be played. Charlotte has a couple clubs and the Bay area. Denver is becoming a pretty big place for curling. It’s an exciting time for the growth of the sport.
Q: You once played baseball and as a teenager said you continued pursuing curling and dropped baseball because you saw yourself having more of a future in curling. … Do you ever look at the salaries MLB players make and think, “Hmm, maybe I didn’t choose correctly?” or are you 100 percent satisfied?
A: By the time I was in high school, it was pretty obvious I was not getting to the MLB. I’m not curling for the money. It’s for the opportunity it gives me and the love of the sport. Everyone I curl with has a job on the side. Other countries have full-time pros. It makes it tougher to compete. We’re at a little disadvantage.
Q: How many curlers do you know who make their living solely from curling?
A: In the U.S., I don’t think anybody. A couple people I know in an Olympic push year, something like that, take a year off work. A large chunk of funding (for top American teams) comes from USA Curling. They support us with a budget. That helps a lot. This year, a tool company in Minneapolis entered partnership with U.S. men’s. There are (also) some winnings. If we go to televised grand slams and win, that’s $10,000 Canadian. All of our expenses are paid for with all that (money). We’re not taking home anything close to living expenses. In Scotland, there are full-time (curlers whose salaries) come through the lottery.. Some top curlers in Canada are way more celebrities and there are six-figure endorsement deals (for them). Top curlers in Canada are full-time and in (some) Asian countries, (curlers) get salaries from the government. ...
Q: Who are your teammates, where are they from and how often do you get to practice together?
A: Korey Dropkin is from Boston, now Duluth (Minnesota). Tom Howell is originally from New Jersey and lives in Milwaukee and Mark Fenner is from northern Minnesota and now lives in Minneapolis. We don't practice (as a team) very often. I practice with Mark all time since he lives here. We (the four of us) play a lot of events (together). It's more worthwhile on weekends to be flying to Canada for a four- or five-day event. ... It's about points to be won for world curling rankings.
Q: What's your goal for Worlds?
A: First and foremost, we need to qualify the U.S. for their Olympic spot. The safest way to do that is to make the top six. We still have to qualify for the Olympics. Each country gets one spot. There will be 13 or 14 teams at Worlds. Only 10 teams (each from a different country) make the Olympics, (including) the host country, Italy, which automatically gets in, although Italy would probably make it anyway. They take your finish at last year’s and this year’s World Championships and add the points together. Our men’s team last year was fifth or sixth. Top 6 from two worlds (get in) and then from events in December and January, the top three get the last three spots.
Q: When are the Olympic Trials?
A: November in Sioux Falls (South Dakota).
Q: Were you in the Olympic Trials last time and, if so, with what team, and how did you finish?
A: Yes, with Team Ruohonen. We came in third. The team I joined (Team Dropkin) came in second.
Q: When people don’t see people falling or being tackled or sliding or being checked, they sometimes think of athletic contests as more games than sport. Do you look at curling wholly as sport and, if so, why?
A: I think it’s a sport. There’s not hitting and stuff like that. But I’d challenge anyone to do what we do and see if you’re tired. I swept for 13 games and haven’t played since Sunday. It's Thursday and I'm beat up still. Baseball and golf involve strategy. I think (in curling) there's more athletics involved than in some sports. You have to be pretty athletic to curl.
Q: Who makes a good curler? What's the mental and physical makeup needed to excel?
A: I think it takes a more all-encompassing athlete. The mental part is so important. Curling you thow a stone and the other team goes. We work with a sports psychologist, probably like other elite sports. We have to maintain confidence and be a good teammate. We’re in gym five days a week. Leg drive and balance is important in throwing. My triceps and lats are pretty beat up now.. I don’t think sweeping looks as hard as it is. It’s a lot of build up of using the same muscles over and over. It takes a lot of power for rock sweeping. A lot of pain. You’re sweeping 20-240 a day and sometimes for a whole week.
You must be registered for see images attach
Q: What would it mean to you to get to the Olympics and, not to jinx things, do you think this team’s chances are good?
A: I definitely think we have a good chance. Aside from fact it is cool to win Nationals, we kind of had to show everyone we were good enough to beat everyone in the country. ... To go (to the Olympics) would mean everything. ... It would be incredible.
Q: What's the one thing you wish everyone understood about curling?
A: I think people don't always understand what we put into it. … You always get people saying, 'That looks really easy. I should join the Olympics.' But, above all, I just want people to give it a chance. I don’t think people realize what they’re missing (by not curling or watching it). Hopefully, the Olympics and what we do helps that and helps grow the game.
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, baseball, skiing, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Q&A with Andrew Stopera, national curling champion from Briarcliff NY
Continue reading...
