24 teams in 24 days — Day 6: Team Peterson
We’re profiling all 24 teams, one per day, to get ready for the return of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling leading up to the start of the Humpty’s Champions Cup.
Day 6: Team Peterson
Lineup: Tabitha Peterson (skip), Nina Roth (third), Becca Hamilton (second), Tara Peterson (lead), Aileen Geving (alternate)
Home club: Chaska Curling Center; Chaska, Minn.
Team Peterson are the reigning U.S. women’s champions and will represent the nation in the worlds right after the two Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events.
Tabitha Peterson moved up from third to skip last season as Roth took time off for maternity leave. Peterson had a remarkable run as interim skip, particularly in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling. Her team went 4-0 through pool play in the KIOTI Tractor Tour Challenge (Tier 1), edged Team Jones in the quarterfinals but lost to eventual champions Team Hasselborg in the semifinals. The team was perfect again in preliminary play at the Meridian Canadian Open going 3-0 through the triple knockout including a victory over Hasselborg in the A-qualifiers to advance. Peterson’s run ended in the quarterfinals though with a loss to Team Fujisawa.
Team Peterson lost just one game during last year’s USA curling nationals in Spokane, Wash., to Team Sinclair in round-robin play but avenged the defeat in the Page playoff and took the rubber match in the final.
Roth, who has returned to the team at third, skipped the squad at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and finished in a four-way tie for fifth place with a 4-5 round-robin record. It was a double Olympics for Hamilton as she also competed in the mixed doubles event with her brother, Matt Hamilton.
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling returns with the Humpty’s Champions Cup, April 14-18, followed by the Princess Auto Players’ Championship, April 20-25. Both events will be played at Calgary’s WinSport Arena and closed to the general public. Watch live coverage on Sportsnet, stay tuned for the broadcast schedule.