Johnson named to World Junior Curling Championships
All-Star Team

March 31, 2002

(KELOWNA, B.C., CANADA)—Cassie Johnson of Bemidji, Minn. was voted onto the 2002 World Junior Curling Championship All-Star Team as the top skip (captain). Johnson, 20, skipped Team USA to its first-ever gold medal in the 15-year history of the women's World Junior Curling Championships. USA defeated Matilda Mattsson's four-time medalists from Sweden in the gold medal game Saturday, 7-6.

The 2002 Junior Championships came to a close Sunday night, with Canada defeating Sweden, 3-2, in the men's gold medal game. The two teams were tied heading into the 10th end, with Canada retaining the hammer by blanking the ninth. Canadian skip David Hamblin scored one with the hammer in the final end to win the gold, 3-2, over the Eric Carlsen team from Sweden. In the men's bronze medal game earlier Sunday, theKenneth Edwards team from Scotland defeated Switzerland's Andy Hingher team, 10-3 in nine ends.

The All-Star players were selected not only for their skill on the ice, but also for their sportsmanship and conduct toward their teammates and opponents both on and off the ice. Also named to the All-Star Team were vice skip Kajsa Bergström, Sweden; second Lisa Löfskog, Sweden, and lead Lindsay Wood, Scotland. (IN PHOTO, left to right, Johnson,Bergström, Löfskog, and Wood.) The women's Sportsmanship Award went to Mari Motohashi, Japan. The All-Star and Sportmanship Award selections are made by a committee consisting of members of the media, umpires and officials.

The men's All-Star Team includes three Canadians: skip David Hamblin, vice skip Ross Derksen and lead Ross McCannell. Norway's Christoffer Svae was selected the All-Star second. Svae also received the men's Sportsmanship Award.

Johnson is a student at Bemidji State University, and is considering a career in mathematics or design technology. She was joined on Team USA by her sister, Jamie Johnson (Bemidji), Katie Beck (St. Paul, Minn.), Maureen Brunt (Portage, Wis.) and Courtney George (Duluth, Minn.). The team was coached by Jim Dexter (St. Paul, Minn.).

The U.S. women went 9-2 in their first appearance in the Junior Worlds, losing to Canada and Sweden in the round robin, but then beating those same two teams in the playoffs. USA took down defending champion Canada in the semifinals, 7-6.

In the championship game, Johnson led all shooters with an 84 percent average. That compares to a 71 percent average for Swedish skip Mattsson. USA had a team average of 75 percent, compared with 72 percent for Sweden.

Cassie Johnson was the top rated skip overall, based upon shooting percentages and other statistics compiled by event organizers and the Canadian Curling Association. Jamie Johnson ranked seventh among 13 players who played at third; Beck was ranked third among all seconds in the women's competition, and Brunt ranked seventh among 16 players who took the ice as leads. Alternate George, who played in the last round robin game, finished as the fifth highest rated lead.

The success of the Johnson sisters continues a strong tradition of the Bemidji Curling Club for producing championship curlers. The curlers on the women's 2002 U.S. Olympic Team featured another sister act from Bemidji—skip Kari (Liapis) Erickson and second Stacey Liapis. The U.S. women finished fourth in the 2002 Games.

This article was written by Rick Patzke of the United States Curling Association and reprinted with the permission of the United States Curling Association. Pictures are courtesy of the World Curling Federation.