18 October 2025
Rooted in the North: How Duluth shaped some of America’s top curlers
“It was a fantastic place to grow up. We were safe,” says Chris Plys, moments before telling me he dove off cliffs for fun with his friends as a teenager.
A self-proclaimed “skate rat” in his youth, he goes on to talk about spending his childhood skateboarding down at Lester Park, shredding on his snowboard during the winter and going out on the bikes at Hawk Ridge, near where he and clubmate Cory Thiesse grew up.
“Actually, my house that I live in now is right at the foot of it, I’m looking out the window right up at the ridge now,” says Plys.
When speaking with such fervour, it makes sense why he never chose to leave Duluth. Both he and Thiesse speak of the beauty of the city sitting on one of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. He describes time by its beach like being by the ocean in the summer months.
He waxes lyrical about Northern Minnesota and its rugged, overlooked nature, and the excitement building around the United States Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships 2025, to be held in nearby Virginia and Eveleth.
“I think everybody that lives up here has a little bit of a chip on their shoulder,” he adds, “Minnesota, in general, is seen as flyover country.
“Whenever I talk to people, even now, I still love this little part of the state. I’m just super stoked to have people be able to see why we like it and that it isn’t just flyover country. There’s a lot that this place has to offer.”
The Iron Range Legacy
And it has done so for years. The host cities for the Pan Continentals are part of a region known as the Iron Range, a nod to the state’s mining past. Timber, shipping and steel were all major industries in Northern Minnesota, and in 1905 it was said, according to local historians, that Duluth was home to the most millionaires in the country per capita. Duluth and nearby Hibbing were even home to Bob Dylan during his formative years, before he had fully put that raspy voice to good use.
While becoming one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century may require leaving the North Star State – to become a name in curling, it’s the place to be.
A Curling Hotbed
Plys, who has played third on John Shuster’s team since 2018, is still quick to say “Hockey is God” in the state, as he sits in front of the Minnesota Wild jersey of NHL winger Kirill Kaprizov. Eveleth, host of the B-Division matches, is home to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and the country’s largest hockey stick. In fact, without the sport that many curlers loathe to share the ice with, he may not have found his way onto the sheet.
“I was going to a college hockey game in the arena that the curling club was attached to,” he adds.
“There’s a giant viewing window that looks down onto the curling club. My parents knew somebody they recognised down there and they waved us down to try it.
“My parents were like all in. I was kind of like, well, yeah, I’m good,” he says in a blasé tone, re-enacting a childish shrug. From there, he tried the junior programme, which would also produce future women’s national team skip Thiesse, who started at the club at the age of eight, coached by her mother.
Thiesse calls the Minnesota-Wisconsin area the “Mecca of curling” in the US, while Plys rhymes off curling greats from the region including the “Babe Ruth of curling”, Bud Somerville, and Pete Fenson, the men’s skip who took bronze at the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
“Talent seems to breed talent,” says Plys, “We’ve been fortunate up here in Northern Minnesota. For me, Pete was one of those guys that when I was coming up, that was the standard.
“At the Duluth Curling Club, when you walk in, all the banners are hanging up on the ceiling and you can really just see that history.
“For me as a kid, when you’re walking and you’re seeing some of these banners and it’s people that you recognise that might be your frickin high school gym teacher. So it just feels very attainable.”
Inspiration and Mentorship
For Thiesse, she considers herself fortunate to look up to the likes of Shuster, Plys and Tyler George. George and Shuster were part of the American team who took a historic Olympic gold medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
But it was 12 years earlier that was the key inspirational moment for her when John came back with that bronze medal as part of Team Fenson.
“I remember just growing up at the club, watching him, and him bringing his bronze medal from the 2006 Olympics down to our regular Tuesday night juniors, and I think that was a moment for me that just set in that somebody from Minnesota who curls out of my club went off and won an Olympic medal,” she says.
“It just became this dream that seemed more realistic. John’s been very gracious in helping me, practising with me and being there when I need advice.”
Building a Curling Culture
Both mention a key word: culture. There is talk of a pint after a midweek training session, there are clear development pathways and, most importantly, an acceptance of youth in the adult ranks. Plys started to make waves when he got to hang with the older kids.
Although certain he was “that super annoying kid just trying to eat mozzarella sticks,” being the oldest of his siblings, he had the chance to have a group of big brothers for a change, travelling around without his parents and making his international debut at the age of 15.
“It was kind of a cool moment, being that kid, having those older guys looking out for me and wanting to hang out,” he says, noting the age gap was approximately five years between them.
“When you play above your talent, your talent is going to grow at a faster rate. You’re forced to either kind of try and keep up or move out. They really pushed me and gave me all of their tips and tricks. I didn’t have to spend that extra five or six years to learn what they had learned.”
Homecoming and Community
Community clearly means a lot to both players too, with Plys mentioning the people in the Iron Range are “super tight,” adding that it’s “not all doom and gloom” there. For Thiesse, it is an opportunity to have a homecoming of sorts.
“We’re all over the world competing, and it’s very rare for us to have a tournament in the States, let alone like an hour from where I live,” she said.
“It’s really rare for us to be able to host such a big event like this. It’s within a couple of hours driving distance from major cities like Minneapolis, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
“There’s just a lot of people really excited about the sport in our state. Especially this year with the Olympics coming up, there’s an extra buzz around the sport. They’ve done a really good job marketing it. I’ve seen a lot on social media, trying to get people out to games.”
“Up there [the Iron Range], it’s very similar to Duluth,” adds Plys, “If you’re looking for something, people are going to be so happy to point you in the right direction.
“And I think that that’s one thing that will be remembered from these Pan Continental Champs, the hospitality.
“It truly feels like when you talk to people, they listen, they care, they want to know where you’re from, what it’s all about. But more than anything, they want you to enjoy your time while you’re visiting, which I’m very excited to have people experience that.”
The Local Flavour
The warmth of the locals is what they hope to take advantage of, with Thiesse playing third on Tabitha Peterson’s rink. Peterson missed some of the 2024–2025 season due to her pregnancy, leading to makeshift line-ups, and she says she’s “really excited” to have the gang back together. With the Olympic Trials two months away and a top-four spot in Virginia necessary to make the World Women’s Curling Championship, it is important for them to have that home support.
“Goal number one for us is to qualify the United States for the World Championship,” she stresses, “This is a really big season for our team with the Olympic Trials coming up in November. This is going to be a really great test event for us to be able to play against so many great teams and to be on arena ice, playing under a time clock, playing 10 ends.”
Most of the conversation with Plys barely touches on his team’s expectations, instead focusing on the local haunts. While discussion veered off in different directions, Thiesse and Plys are quick to chat about beer and the great variety in Duluth. Cory speaks about her love for sours and IPAs in particular, while Chris seems to have the local bar knowledge down.
“We probably have like 15 breweries up here in this area. Hoops Brewing in Duluth is the best beer in Minnesota, I love that place,” he says.
“The Pickwick here in Duluth, you can get a steak, you can get a burger and it has the best onion rings ever.
“I was lucky enough to be awarded the Collie Campbell in 2024 at the World Championship and the last guy to win it from the States was back in 1985.
“His name is Tim Wright and he’s the owner of the Pickwick. And so when I came home, there was a beer and some onion rings there for me. That was a cool moment for me.”
He goes on to list some of the great sights of his hometown, including the iconic Aerial Lift Bridge and the Lincoln Park neighbourhood; while noting that the parks in the city have a long legacy of being protected by their wealthy landowners, making them some of the best in the country.
Speaking about the Iron Range he is unable to explain why, but speaks highly of the pizza and bar scene, even shouting out Margie’s Roosevelt in Eveleth for “always supporting curling” there and treating him like family. But just keeps returning to his surroundings when he speaks passionately about the north of the state.
“You go up just outside of where the Pans are going to be held and it’s one of the largest protected wilderness areas in the United States,” says Plys.
“It’s one of those places that’s not going to be on the top of most people’s radar, but when people come here, it’s a place that people often find themselves wanting to come back and explore more because it’s just a little hidden gem.
“We like telling people why we love it up here and sharing this place with them.”
Looking Ahead
With over 20 Member Associations set to compete across the two divisions from five continents, it is a chance for those locals with that chip on their shoulder to show the region’s best qualities.
For the United States, it is an important season to ensure World Championship berths and those spots at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
You never know, Cory or Chris bringing a medal back to Duluth Curling Club might just be the first chapter in a future star’s career.
How to watch the US Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships.
All A-Division games will be broadcast on the Curling Channel, however, there may be restrictions due to broadcast partner agreements.
Follow the live scores and results here.
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