John Shuster and the U.S. Curling Team Win First Gold Medal
Shuster and his four teammates — Tyler George, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner and Joe Polo, who served as the team’s alternate — defeated Sweden, the top-ranked team in the world, so soundly
that it conceded the match with several rocks to play in the 10th and final end.
GANGNEUNG, South Korea — John Shuster, the face of American curling for the past four Winter Olympics —
and all the good and bad those experiences have entailed — had a gold medal draped around his neck for the first time in his life on Saturday.
Tyler George, the American vice skip who wears really ratty sneakers, made two outstanding shots to set up Shuster, who
came through in a huge way: a double takeout on his last throw to score two for the Americans and tie the match.
The Swedes packed the second end with exquisite shotmaking,
and when John Shuster misfired on a double takeout with his last stone of the end, Nik Edin took advantage, scoring two for Sweden.
Anyway, amid cheers of “U-S-A” and “Shoooooo” for John Shuster, the American skip, the Swedish team took the hammer in the first end, owing to their top seed in the tournament,
and preserved it for the second end with a blank, meaning nobody scored.
I pity the fool who disappoints Mr. T.
Devin Heroux: It was more textbook American curling in the 5th end — cluttered, confusing and messy, which is exactly how this team wins games.
On Saturday, Shuster delivered the biggest shot in the history of American curling when
he cleared two Swedish stones with his final rock of the eighth end to score 5 points.
