Curling trials begin this weekend in Broomfield

Don't expect to recognize the first eight American qualifiers for the 2010 Olympics.

They won't have the grace of figure skater Evan Lysacek, the swagger of snowboarder Shaun White or the charm of Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn. They won't even look like athletes, as they'll be holding brooms and carrying stones.

Twenty teams short on fame but long on determination will try to sweep into Vancouver at the U.S. Olympic curling trials, which begin Saturday and run through Feb. 28 at the Broomfield Event Center.

The round-robin trials, awarded to Broomfield over Bismarck, N.D., and Rochester, N.Y., will feature 10 men's teams and 10 women's teams of four people apiece. The event doubles as the national championships and world championships qualifier.

"Curling is a funny game," said John Shuster, a 2006 Olympic bronze medalist and three-time national champion. "It's pretty mesmerizing to somebody who has never seen it before. It combines athletic skill and strategy, like board games and chess."

A 26-year-old Minnesota bartender, Shuster joined Pete Fenson, Shawn Rojeski and Joe Polo in Turin, Italy, where the U.S. won its first Olympic medal in curling, originally contested at the Winter Games in 1924 and revived in 1998.

Fenson's rink didn't make the trials, so Shuster's new squad should challenge teams captained by Todd Birr, the 2007 world bronze medalist; Craig Brown, a two-time trials runner-up; and Chris Plys, the 2008 world junior champion.

On the women's side, Debbie McCormick, a 35-year-old Home Depot employee in Wisconsin, enters as the most accomplished skip, having appeared in two Olympics and won three world medals, including a gold in 2003, and six national titles.

Her team will receive a test from rinks led by Erika Brown, a two-time Olympian; Cassie Potter, the 2005 world silver medalist; Amy Wright, the 1992 world silver medalist; and Patti Lank, a four-time national champion.

"The more teams, the better," McCormick said. "That means we have more time on the ice, more opportunity to learn the ice. If we end up losing one or two games, it's OK. We prefer to play as many games as possible. It keeps us at the top of our game."