Next stop is worlds for Mielke

"I know those two guys. I've played against them before."

Junior Matt Mielke points out two members of the U.S. Olympic curling team as they appear on the Colonial Club television. A small crowd has assembled as Mielke describes the basic elements of curling — from the different positions each team member plays to the concept of sweeping the ice to change the rock's path on its way toward its target.

"It looks kind of like shuffleboard," another club member comments in the background.

"It's nothing like shuffleboard," Mielke says with a smirk.

Mielke is accustomed to explaining curling to bystanders, though he says that the "fringe sport" has gained popularity since its inauguration into the Olympic Games in 1998.

Curling ever since he had the strength to throw the 42-pound rock down the ice, Mielke recently hit the high point of his young curling career, winning the junior national championship earlier this month in Duluth, Minnesota. Playing on Team Minnesota with two other students from the University of Minnesota Duluth and one high school student from Minnesota, Mielke earned a berth to compete in the world junior championships to be held the week of March 11 in Korea. Mielke was also named a national All-Star at his "third" position.

Mielke described the championship match as the "dream matchup." Team Minnesota was paired up against Team North Dakota. Mielke, from Bismark, North Dakota, had grown up playing against members of the North Dakota team.

"It was bittersweet to win. You hate to have some of your best friends lose, but you also really don't want to lose."

Pressure mounted

The championship came down to the final shot. Mielke was acting as a "skip," or the team member who directs strategy and the other positions, when a team member hit the winning shot. Mielke felt an "oh, wow" sensation for the 15 seconds the rock took to travel down the ice toward its target.

"I remember sitting there, knowing it was a good shot and that we were going to win a national championship," he said.

The team's victory came in Mielke's fifth US junior national appearance. It followed a disappointing fifth place finish at last year's championships, where Mielke performed at the top of his game, but was not backed up by the rest of his teammates. That fifth place finish prompted him to pair up with his Minnesota teammates in an attempt to form what he described to be a "power house" team.

Having three teammates who live in Minnesota has been less than ideal for Mielke. He spends his breaks training with the team, but says he won't be practicing with his teammates at all from now until the world championships in Korea.

East Coast challenges

Finding enough practice time and quality players to play with on the East Coast has also proved difficult. Mielke describes curling as "weak" on the East Coast, with the sport's best players living in the Midwest.

He travels to Plainfield, NJ at least twice each week to practice, taking about four to five hours at a time, working on the technical aspects of his game.

For Mielke, curling has been worth the sacrifice.

"I wouldn't define myself as a curler, but it's a very important part of who I am," he says. "The sport has taught me a lot about teamwork. Now that curling is gaining public recognition, it's nice to be an ambassador for the sport."

Mielke looks forward to representing the United States in his first international competition. He knows Team USA has a chance of making the semifinals, the top four teams out of ten, and then "whoever gets hot will end up with a gold."

"I'm excited to see how our game and my game stacks up on the world level," Mielke said.

Next year, Mielke will place out of the "junior" age group and will have to compete against older, more experienced players. He looks forward to the challenge and improving his game because he believes "to be the best, you have to play the best."

After all, that might be him on television in the 2010 Olympics.