Local Olympic Hopefuls Break an 18 Year Drought
Local Olympic hopefuls break an 18 year drought as two teenagers from the Black Swamp Curling Center compete at the US Junior Nationals curling event held August 9-14th, 2021 in Chaska, MN.
Bowling Green resident and student at Ohio Virtual Academy, Natalie Hollands, qualified as a 14 year old to compete at the highest level in the country for athletes 21 years of age and younger. The last time someone from Northwest Ohio competed in the US Junior Nationals was in 2003 where kids from the Bowling Green Curling Club were skipped by future gold medalist, Tyler George, to a bronze medal finish.
Now 15 years old, Natalie skips a team made up of girls from all over the country. Vice skip, Sophia Ryhorchuk (16) curls out of the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, MN; Second, Ella Fleming (16) curls out of the Capital Curling Club in Bismarck, ND; Lead, Morgan Zacher (15) curls out of the Chaska Curling Center in Chaska, MN; and alternate Jersey Hollands (13) curls out of the Bowling Green Curling Club as well.
These girls met several years ago at the US Junior Curling Camps and maintained their friendships as they each grew into captains of their own local teams. Having qualified for the U18 National Championships, the girls received a bid to US Junior Nationals for a chance to represent the United States in the World Championships.
As the youngest team at Junior Nationals, the girls wanted to focus on fun, team communication, and team chemistry. “At this level, teams do not miss a lot of shots. Strategy and shot execution will be the biggest keys to winning.,” said Natalie Hollands.
After starting the Junior Curling program at the Black Swamp Curling Center several years ago, Coach Addison Hollands created a dream that was much bigger than anyone anticipated. With a goal to create a systematic approach to developing kids and young curlers, Addison applied ideas from Little League™ baseball, the belt system in Karate, and many other sports and education programs to set up Northwest Ohio as a top contender in the entire country for curling.
"We start by working on balance, teamwork, communication skills and having fun with kids as young as 1st grade. Once the kids are able to deliver a rock the entire sheet, they are introduced to more and more skills that build on each other. If any kid has a desire to compete or travel, we have national trainers and coaches to facilitate that.”
“The growth of the junior curling program and high school programs has caught the attention of curlers around the country and in Canada. If our community wants to host world championships, professional televised curling, or high level junior curling events, the connections have been made and Northwest Ohio can become the curling Mecca of the Midwest if folks really want it.” -Addison Hollands
Press Release Contact Name: Addison Hollands
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Press Release Contact Phone: 419.777.1525
Organization Name: US Junior Curling Association / Black Swamp Curling Center
Website or Link: usjuniorcurlingassociation.org bgcurlingclub.com
Organization Address / City / State:19901 N. Dixie Highway
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402