55 Days Until The Winter Olympics: Team Peterson Secures Curling Spot in Milan Cortina

The United States Women’s Curling Team is going to the Olympics! 

The USA Women’s 2026 Olympic Curling Team:  

• Skip: Tabitha Peterson (Burnsville, MN)
• Lead: Taylor Anderson-Heide (Minneapolis, MN)
• Second: Tara Peterson (Burnsville, MN)
• Third: Cory Thiesse (Duluth, MN)
• Alternate: Aileen Geving (Duluth, MN)

This past weekend, with a ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina on the line, the US women’s curling team faced a daunting early deficit against a formidable Norwegian squad. 

The pressure was compounded by history; failing to qualify would have snapped a streak of six consecutive Games appearances for the American women. However, resilience has long been the calling card for skip Tabitha Peterson and her rink. Shaking off a shaky start,  the Americans ensured and will be represented on the world’s biggest stage yet again.

A Gritty Curling Comeback Define the Final Qualifier in Kelowna

The curling match against Norway, skipped by Marianne Roervik, started in disastrous fashion for the Americans. In what amounted to a “Game 7” atmosphere at the Olympic Qualification Event (OQE), the U.S. fell into a 3-0 hole by the third end. 

In elite curling, a three-point deficit early in a high-stakes match can be a death knell. However, Team Peterson, fresh off a grueling path through the U.S. trials where they bested Team Cousins, refused to fold. They responded with a haymaker of their own in the third end, scoring three points to level the match. It was a game of inches, as a biter that barely clipped the house allowed them to even the score rather than settling for two. From that moment on, the momentum shifted entirely to the American side. 

The match concluded with a moment of brilliance from vice-skip Cory Thiesse, in the 10th end. With Norway threatening to mount a final push and sitting with three stones well-positioned in the house, Thiesse delivered perhaps the shot of the day. She knocked a red American guard into a yellow Norwegian guard, which ricocheted into the house to clear the crowded sheet. The shot effectively put the game away, securing the victory and the final qualifying spot.

Experience and “Unfinished Business” Drive Team USA Forward

For Tabitha Peterson, this victory is about more than just maintaining a streak; it represents a chance at redemption and a new chapter in her personal life. 

“We knew that if there was anything early like that, ​there was lots of time to battle back, and that’s just what we did,” Peterson said. “It’s very special (to qualify ‍for the Olympics), especially with ​this group of girls. I can’t wait to ​get there and perform and show the world what we ‍can do.”

The win ensures that Tabitha and her sister, Tara Peterson, will compete in their third Olympic Games together. After an eighth-place finish in 2018 and a heartbreaking fourth-place finish in 2022 where they narrowly missed a medal, the sisters have made it clear they have unfinished business.

The team dynamic features a blend of veteran savvy and new energy. Thiesse, who was stellar throughout the OQE, is now set to be the only American curler competing in multiple events in Milan Cortina, as she will also contest the mixed doubles with partner Korey Dropkin. 

Meanwhile, lead Taylor Anderson-Heide, who joined the rink before the 2024-25 season, will make her Olympic debut. Her twin sister, Sarah, had previously curled for Team Strouse, making this a significant family milestone.