Eau Claire Curler Wins National Title

Tom Giffey |

A top Eau Claire curler has put another national championship on ice – literally. Geoff Goodland, a member of the Eau Claire Curling Club, and three teammates from Minnesota defeated the defending national and world champions recently at the Senior Men’s National Championships. Goodland was skip (for those of you not hip to curling lingo, that means “captain”) of a team that cruised to an undefeated 7-0 record in the tournament, which was held in Medford. They beat a team skipped by Lyle Sieg of Blaine, Wash., which one gold at the U.S. and world levels last year. This is the third senior title for Goodland, who also skipped a rink (i.e., a four-member team) to the championship in 2007 and 2011 (the latter time he came home from the world championships with a silver medal). Goodland’s rink will travel to Sweden in April to represent the United States in the World Senior Championships. Let the “U.S.A.!” chants commence.