2009 USA-Brazil Challenge
Encyclopedia
The first ever USA-Brazil
curling
Challenge was held from January 30 to February 1, 2009 at the Bismarck Capital Curling Club in Bismarck, North Dakota
.
The challenge featured the Brazilian national men's curling team against an American team in a best-of-five series. The winner gets to represent the second team from the Americas at the 2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
. Canada automatically qualifies as both hosts and defending champions.
Until 2009, the United States (and Canada) have always automatically qualified on account of no other country in the Americas fielding curling teams. However, in 2008 the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation
felt that their men's curling team had a high enough calibre that they were ready to face off with the Americans.
The American team was represented by Todd Birr
, whose team was highest on the U.S. Order of Merit as of December 31, 2008 and who qualified for the 2009 United States Olympic Curling Trials
.
The Brazilians were represented by their national team, which trained at the Lennoxville Curling Club in Lennoxville, Quebec
. They are all students at the University of Sherbrooke.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
Challenge was held from January 30 to February 1, 2009 at the Bismarck Capital Curling Club in Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
.
The challenge featured the Brazilian national men's curling team against an American team in a best-of-five series. The winner gets to represent the second team from the Americas at the 2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
The 2009 Ford Men's World Curling Championship was held in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada from the 4th to the 12th of April, 2009 at the Moncton Coliseum...
. Canada automatically qualifies as both hosts and defending champions.
Until 2009, the United States (and Canada) have always automatically qualified on account of no other country in the Americas fielding curling teams. However, in 2008 the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation
Brazilian Ice Sports Federation
The Brazilian Ice Sports Federation was founded by Eric Maleson, Brazil's first Bobsled athlete. CBDG was established in 1996 and affiliated to the Brazilian Olympic Committee in 1999...
felt that their men's curling team had a high enough calibre that they were ready to face off with the Americans.
The American team was represented by Todd Birr
Todd Birr
Todd Birr is an American curler.Birr relatively came out of nowhere when he skipped his team to a victory at the 2007 United States Curling Men's Championships beating out such teams as Olympic bronze medalist Pete Fenson and former national champion Jason Larway in the process...
, whose team was highest on the U.S. Order of Merit as of December 31, 2008 and who qualified for the 2009 United States Olympic Curling Trials
United States Olympic Curling Trials
The United States Olympic Curling Trials take place to decide the curling team to represent the United States at each Winter Olympics.-Men:-Women:...
.
The Brazilians were represented by their national team, which trained at the Lennoxville Curling Club in Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville is an arrondissement, or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometers south of downtown Sherbrooke....
. They are all students at the University of Sherbrooke.
Teams
| Nation | Skip | Third | Second | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celso Kossaka | Marcelo Mello | Cesar Santos | Luis Augusto Silva | |
| Todd Birr Todd Birr Todd Birr is an American curler.Birr relatively came out of nowhere when he skipped his team to a victory at the 2007 United States Curling Men's Championships beating out such teams as Olympic bronze medalist Pete Fenson and former national champion Jason Larway in the process... |
Paul Pustovar Paul Pustovar Paul Pustovar is an American curler from Hibbing, Minnesota. He is one of the most prolific curlers from the United States, with over thirty years of experience under his belt... |
Greg Wilson | Kevin Birr |