Team USA curling coach reflects on final Olympic games, Minnesota hometown pride
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After weeks in Italy, Minnesota's Olympic athletes and coaches are returning home, including silver medalist curlers Cory Thiesse, Korey Dropkin, and Team USA Curling’s head coach Phill Drobnick; all three arrived Monday night.
The games in Italy were Drobnick’s fourth and final, as he’s decided it’s time to retire after two decades of coaching curling. Drobnick joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Tuesday to reflect on his team’s Olympic run and a storied career.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the conversation by clicking the player button above.
The Coreys, who curl out of the Duluth Curling Club, were the darlings of the Olympics. The women just missed medaling. Some members of Team USA curling made or nearly made history.
It was a historic month there for USA curling. Cory and Korey just seized the moment; they were able to bring the country together to cheer for them, which was amazing. They loved all the support they were getting. They're so dynamic in the way they play the game. We call it “fire and ice.” Korey Dropkin brings the fire. He's always cheering out on the ice. He brings a lot of energy. And Cory Thiesse has just got ice in her veins. She just makes everything. So they're a great combination. She's cool, calm and collected under pressure.
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And then on the ladies’ side, they have jumped through a lot of hurdles in these last four years. Tabitha Peterson and Tara Peterson both became mothers within the last 18 months, so they weren't there — they were being moms and being new moms with their babies. So last year was a tough year for the team. We had like, a 10th or 11th place finish at the World Championships. Over the last eight months, they all pushed to do what they needed to do to qualify for the Olympics, and while they weren't able to come home with a medal, they were a top-four finish, made the playoffs, and had one of the best finishes ever for a U.S. ladies’ team. So it was a really awesome month, and great to see the teams be so successful.
You have said it takes a whole village to get to where we're at. What's it like to feel that?
It's so surreal. Each one of the athletes had family members in the stands who were there helping to take care of babies, supporting them. We had such a great support staff, from our sports psychologist Carly Anderson and our strength and conditioning trainer from the Training HAUS Mike Gulenchyn. We traveled with team leaders. I was fortunate this time to have my wife join me.
It's just, when you're gone for so long, we're gone for 30 days, and to be able to see those familiar faces in the stands, to be able to hear those chants of “USA” … I thought I felt like our teams had the most support of anyone, and the fans were fantastic. So it does take a village to support everyone, and we were so fortunate in Italy to have so many people with us that helped these athletes with their journey.
Sad to hear that you decided that 2026 would be your last Olympics as a coach. I mean, Phill, you're only 45 years old.
Yeah, it's been 20 years of grinding, though. I started coaching younger than most people have in curling. My first Olympic games was 2010 in Vancouver. We've got a 12-year-old and a nine-year-old here at home. I just want to be able to spend some time with them and not miss so many sporting events, and just be home with my wife. The travel is really a grind. And so while I'll step away from the head coach role and the actual coaching side of the game, I look to continue on developing coaches on the organizational side and still have an impact and continue the legacy through USA Curling.
It was your goal to grow the sport of curling. Do you think you achieved your goal?
Yeah, looking back to where it was when I started playing — and even just 20 years ago when I started coaching — to this year, to be able to see how the country got behind our sport, our athletes, to see it's on TVs when people are walking into bars or to restaurants, people are talking about curling. I think our sport’s in a great spot, and it's in great hands to be able to turn over to someone else, and I'll continue to try to grow it and push it, but I feel really good about where we where we got it right now.
