FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 14, 2018

Gold-medal winning coach Phill Drobnick promoted to Director of Coaching

(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) – Longtime USA Curling national coach Phill Drobnick (Eveleth, Minn.) has been promoted to Director of Coaching.

Drobnick, 37, will oversee and mentor six team coaches as well as the Men’s National Team Program. He has a long history of national and international success, including coaching the U.S. men at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

“In the last eight years I have had the opportunity to work with some great athletes at USA Curling,” Drobnick said. “Prior to the 2018 Olympic Games I decided I was going to step away from being a team coach. Then after we won the gold I figured the timing was right. Derek Brown then approached me and offered me a new role they were creating – and I couldn’t turn it down. It allows me to be involved with coaching and work with all of our athletes. It’s the best of both worlds for me! I look forward to carrying on the successes we have had into the next four years and into the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.”

In addition, Derek Brown, USA Curling’s Director of High Performance since 2011, has committed to four more years in his role.

Brown and Drobnick are rebuilding the men’s and women’s coaching staff as Al Hackner, Scott Baird and Jake Higgs all will step away from their coaching positions. Carly Anderson, sports psychologist for the High Performance Program since 2014, will continue in her role. Longtime athletic trainer Brian McWilliams (DePere, Wis.) also retired from his position with the organization.

“I am delighted to have a coach of Phill’s caliber taking on the new Director of Coaching role,” Brown said. “He has been instrumental in many of our recent successes, most notably the Olympic gold. I am also delighted to have Dave and Carly continuing in their respective roles, who have both contributed to our success over the last quad. I am sorry to be losing some of our current HP staff but understand their decisions to step back from the program. I would especially like to thank long time athletic trainer Brian, and long-time national coach Scott, who have both made huge contributions to USA Curling over many years.”

The Junior High Performance Program remains under the direction of Dave Jensen (Bismarck, N.D.) with four coaches in place for the season: Wayne Anderson (Broomall, Pa.), Keith Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.), Mark Lazar (Toledo, Ohio), and Bill Rhyme (Green Bay, Wis.).

USA Curling’s High Performance Program (HPP) has seen steady improvement at international competitions in the last few years marked with a historic Olympic gold medal and Grand Slam win plus two bronze medals at world championships in 2016. In addition, the Junior HPP has secured three medals at the World Junior Championships since 2016.

USA Curling is sponsored by AtomOS, Nike, Brooms Up Curling Supplies, Carhartt, Cheetos, CryoMAX 8-Hour Cold Pack, Sitrin, The RAM Restaurant & Brewery, Thorne, BalancePlus, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), and Brakebush, and is partnered with Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, United Airlines, 12th End Sports Network, IHG, and CurlingZone.

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For more information: Terry Davis, Director of Communications, terry.davis@usacurl.org, 608-338-9900 (mobile).