Local team heads to Sweden for curling world tourney, shot at Olympics

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

	JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES Jason Larway, left, and Joel Larway sweep the ice after Doug Kauffman throws the stone. The three are members of the Granite Curling Club which is located in North Seattle.
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"I think we have a good chance," said Jason Larway, whose rink upset the defending U.S. champions from Minnesota last month. "We're definitely excited, but this is one of the most competitive years in a long time."

This will be the fourth world-championship competition for Larway, 33, of Lynnwood, who has been curling for 20 years. The best the team did was in 1992, when it finished third in the world championships.

"We played progressively better and better (this year in the U.S. championships)," Larway said. "It was the perfect time to peak for the world championships. This is as good a team as I have ever been on."

Joining Larway are his brother, Joel Larway of Mukilteo; Doug Kauffman of Lynnwood; Bill Todhunter of Wisconsin; and Doug Pottinger of Minnesota.

The world championships begin Saturday in Gävle, Sweden.

Team USA's first game will be against Norway, which won the gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Games at Salt Lake City. Tough competition also is expected from Canada, Sweden and Scotland, which won the European championship, said Jason Larway, who learned curling from his parents and said he and his brother grew up as "rink rats."

While curling has gained little notice in the state, its popularity surged after the 2002 Olympics.

"There was the fear that the popularity would die out after the Olympics, but it not only stayed but got stronger," said Jason Larway. So strong, say Seattle club members, it's getting hard to reserve time on the ice, and curling leagues are full.

	JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES Jason Larway, his brother Joel Larway, and Doug Kauffman are part of the team that just won the national curling championship and will represent the U.S. at the international competition in Sweden.

"What draws me are the people," said Joel Larway. "There's no clear-cut discrimination between competitive curlers and beginning curlers, between men and women."

What Larway said he likes about the sport is the camaraderie. A curler might share a pizza with a competitor the night before a match. "This type of friendship is rare to find in sports," he said.

Curling, which started in 16th-century Scotland, has been compared with bowling and shuffleboard. It is played by teams of four and involves sliding 42-pound "stones" that look like large tea kettles toward a target 93 feet away. The object is to get the stone closest to the bull's-eye, and the score is determined at the end of 16 stones. The most anyone can score is eight points.

There are four members on a team. Each shoots two stones and sweeps for their teammates' shots. Sweeping melts the ice and helps direct the shot.

There are about 15,000 curlers in the United States, with the largest concentration in the Midwest. Many are in states that border Canada, which has about 1.2 million curlers.

Jason Larway said his goal is not only to win the world championship but also to defend the U.S. title next year and qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. Despite winning the U.S. title three times, Larway has never been to the Olympics.

The Granite Curling Club is the only dedicated curling facility on the West Coast and has been operating in its current facility at 1440 N. 128th St. in Seattle since 1961. With 26 titles, the Granite Curling Club has been the home to more national-championship teams than any other U.S. curling club.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com

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