Ann Swisshelm

Ann Swisshelm
Curler
Other names	Ann Swisshelm Silver
Born	(1968-03-09) March 9, 1968 Middletown, Ohio
Team
Curling club	Exmoor CC, Highland Park, Illinois
Skip	Erika Brown
Third	Debbie McCormick
Second	Jessica Schultz
Lead	Ann Swisshelm
Alternate	Sarah Anderson
Career
World Championship appearances	5 (1998, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2013)
Medal record Women's Curling World Curling Championships 2003 Winnipeg United States National Championships 1998 Bismarck 2001 Madison 2003 Utica 2010 Kalamazoo 2013 Green Bay 1997 Seattle 2002 Eveleth 2004 Grand Forks 2005 Madison 2006 Bemidji 2008 Hibbing 1996 Bemidji 1999 Duluth 2000 Ogden 2007 Utica United States Olympic Curling Trials 2013 Fargo Team 2005 Madison Team 2009 Broomfield Team

Ann Swisshelm (born March 9, 1968 in Middletown, Ohio) is a curler on the US Olympics Woman's Curling team. She is from Chicago. Ann is representing the United States in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. She has also been known as Ann Swisshelm Silver.^[1]

Career

Swisshelm began curling at age ten and was in the curling program and the Exmoor Country Club.

She made her United States Nationals debut in 1995 where her team placed fifth. Her team won the National title in 1998, 2001, and 2003. To date she has competed in 15 US Nationals and will compete in her sixteen championship in March 2010.

At her first World Championships in 1998, Swisshelm and team finished in a three way tie for eighth. In 2001 her team improved to a fifth-place finish and a 5 – 4 record. Her best performance at the World Championships came with her third appearance in 2003. Team USA finished third in the Round Robin competition. In the Semifinals they defeated Team Sweden (skipped by future Olympic Gold Medalist Anette Norberg and advanced to take on Colleen Jones's Canadian team in the final. Playing in Winnipeg, Manitoba they defeated the Canadians and Swisshelm earned her first World Championship medal.

Olympics

In 2002 Ann Swisshelm competed at her first Olympic Games. Team United States placed third after the Round Robin competition with a 6 – 3 record. In the semifinals the United States lost to the eventual Silver medalists from Switzerland. In the Bronze Medal match they took on Kelley Law's team from Canada. The match ended with a 9 – 5 score with the Canadians taking the Bronze medal. Ann Swisshelm has returned to the United States Olympic Trials twice since the 2002 Olympics finishing second both times. Swisshelm and her team qualified to participate at the 2014 United States Olympic Curling Trials,^[2] finishing first in the round robin standings and defeating Allison Pottinger in a best-of-three series final to clinch the berth to the Olympics.^[3]

Awards

• 2001 United States Olympic Committee Female Curler of the Year
• 2003 United States Olympic Committee Curling Team of the Year
• 2001 Frances Brodie Award Winner – World Curling Federation Sportsmanship Award
• 2008 Ann Brown Sportsmanship Award – U.S. Nationals

Personal life

Ann Swisshelm was born in Middletown, Ohio and currently resides in Downtown Chicago with her husband Sean Silver.^[4]

Education

Ann graduated from Drake University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Teammates

2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games

• Kari Erickson, Skip
• Debbie McCormick, Third
• Stacey Liapis, Second
• Joni Cotten, Alternate

2003 Winnipeg World Championships

• Debbie McCormick, Skip
• Allison Pottinger, Third
• Tracy Sachtjen, Lead
• Joni Cotten, Alternate

2010 Swift Current World Championships

• Erika Brown, Skip
• Nina Spatola, Third
• Laura Hallisey, Lead
• Jessica Schultz, Alternate

References