“Oh! We’re going to worlds.” That’s what Amelia Hintz, a first-year student at UMD, heard one of her teammates whisper ten minutes after their winning championship game in April 2022. Competing at the World Junior Curling Championships in Fuessen, Germany in February 2023 is a big deal. “We didn't really expect to win,” says Hintz, “It hit us all weird. It didn't feel real…and it still doesn't honestly.”
Hintz is a member of the USA Women’s Junior U.S. National Curling team. Hintz has been curling since high school. “This has been a huge change for us,” Hintz says, “It’s been non-stop ever since then. We play every weekend.” And that means traveling nearly every weekend.
“We've never had so many hours on the ice competing.” Hintz often drives long distances with her team for games, including a November trip all the way to the Winnipeg area in Canada. “I left late the last day and drove all the way in the dark,” says Hintz “I got in at 4 a.m.”
Olympic gold medalist and UMD alumnus John Shuster has followed Hintz’s journey. He has similar memories. “Once I was curling up in the Winnipeg area,” says Shuster. “I drove back at 1 a.m. and there was a foot of snow on the roads. I was trying to make it to my 8 a.m. class.” Shuster had support from the faculty at UMD. “Professors were amazingly open to working with my schedule,” says Shuster. “They knew I had Olympic aspirations.”
Shuster’s favorite part of curling is sliding. “It feels like a cross between flying and going on a slip-and-slide. It's like being on a motorcycle or in a convertible and the wind is in your face and your hair. You push off and all of a sudden you're gliding.”
Hintz gets encouragement from Shuster and other curlers. “Curling is a super social sport,” says Hintz. “Everyone is so welcoming. One of my favorite things is learning more about curling and life in general from people in the community.”
“Curling is not that hard to learn,” advises Hintz. There are two curling clubs near UMD, one in Duluth and one in Superior. Hintz suggests “putting yourself out there.” She says, “One way to get involved is to join a league. If you don't have a team, one of the best ways to meet people is to sign up alone, and someone will grab you for their team. That's how I met some of my favorite people. It's not a huge sport, so everyone loves getting new players.”
The support for Hintz on campus is strong. The February games in Germany are sure to gather UMD viewers, young and old, to cheer on the U.S. team and one of our own glide across the ice.