New pairing takes on world in South Korea
Cory Thiesse (formerly Christensen) and Korey Dropkin scored an 8-3 win over Sarah Anderson and Andrew Stopera to win the 2023 U.S. Mixed Doubles National Championship.
The victory qualifies the pair to represent USA at the World Mixed Doubles championship in Gangneung, South Korea in April.
It's the third mixed doubles National Championship for Dropkin and the second for Thiesse. The pairing only came together as a duo last May.
Indeed, Thiesse is now on an 18-0 winning streak at national championships, including her Tabitha Peterson four-player team’s title last month.
“What a week to remember, I am so stoked to be a national champion again,” Dropkin told The Curling News. “I’m so grateful to have Cory by my side. She is such a phenomenal teammate, and she made so many clutch shots all week.”
Dropkin and Thiesse posted a 7-0 mark in round-robin play at the championship hosted for the first time by the Kalamazoo Curling Club at the Wings Event Center. They knocked off tiebreaker winners Taylor Anderson and Ben Richardson 7-4 in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Anderson/Stopera took out top-ranked Vicky Persinger and Chris Plys 8-7 in the other semifinal. A four-ender in the sixth frame gave the youngsters a 7-4 lead and they withstood a Persinger/Plys comeback to score the winning single in the final end.
Opening with hammer in the gold medal final, Thiesse and Dropkin were forced in the opening end but stole two big points in the second end. They traded singles with Anderson/Stopera in the third and fourth ends before stealing a deuce in the fifth to lead 6-1. That steal sealed the win for the two, who both curl out of the Duluth Curling Club.
“Korey and I are so excited,” Thiesse told The Curling News. “We’re so happy with our performance all week at nationals. We felt really comfortable with the ice and were putting rocks in great spots.”
Considered two of the most easygoing and friendly players in the sport, Dropkin and Thiesse said having fun was a key to their success all week in Kalamazoo. And coach Cathy Overton-Clapham is known for always keeping things light no matter how stressful things get.
“We have such a healthy dynamic between the two of us and Cathy,” Dropkin said. “This week was all about having fun competing in the sport we love. We were always smiling and laughing on the ice, and it made for an easier environment to be relaxed and at our best.”
It will be Thiesse’s first time competing as Team USA since teaming with John Shuster to capture bronze at the 2019 world mixed doubles in Stavanger, Norway.
Dropkin hasn’t competed at the world mixed doubles since 2018. He and then-partner Sarah Anderson posted a 6-1 mark in round-robin play to finish tied atop Group A but were shocked by Hungary 7-4 in the opening round of the playoffs.
“With this being our first nationals together, we couldn’t be happier with how it went,” Thiesse said. “We’re excited to continue that play into worlds and hope to bring home a medal.”
For Dropkin, it’s a bit of a reprieve after a somewhat disappointing season. His men’s team dubbed the “YoungBucks” entered the U.S. four-player nationals as arguably the favorite, being the highest-ranked U.S. team on tour. But they finished fourth in the round robin and didn’t make the final in Denver last month.
The YoungBucks’ skip is poised to finish the season on a high note with Thiesse in South Korea, where the worlds will be played at the Gangneung Curling Centre, the same facility that hosted the 2018 Winter Olympic curling competition.
“It’s always a blessing to be in a position to represent your country at any event,” Dropkin said. “Worlds in South Korea will be an incredible experience, and we’ll be prepared to do our best and hopefully find a way onto that podium.”