All-Wausau team heads to curling junior nationals

WAUSAU — One of the teams competing in the men's junior national curling championships in North Dakota later this month has a decidedly Wausau flavor.

All five team members and both coaches live in the city, so it's no surprise that they call themselves the Wausau Hometown Curlers.

The Hometown rink is one of two Wisconsin teams that qualified for the prestigious event featuring the country's top 21-and-younger curlers Jan. 17 to 24 in Devils Lake, North Dakota.

The team's 20-year-old skip, Matt Sandquist, who helped Wausau West High School win a state title his freshman year, said it's a "huge honor" to be able to represent Wausau on the national stage.

It's something Sandquist has been trying to do since he started curling, said coach Steve Sirianni, 65. And he's finally broken through on his seventh try.

"I took a team from here two years ago and we beat his team to go to Boston," Sirianni said. "Just broke his heart. It was just one of those things. We curled well all week and beat them in the finals and we went on and they didn't. The opportunity's there again this year and he finally made it."

The Hometown Curlers' vice-skip, 19-year-old Caleb DeMille, was on that team that played in Boston in 2013, although he joined as an alternate after the squad had already qualified for nationals.

"They picked me up after the playdown, so I never got the full effect to actually play and actually to be involved in the stress that comes along with all those games," DeMille said. "It felt very, very good to be in the spot (this year) where I had earned that position, I had earned my place and helped our team get to that ability to qualify."

This year's state playdown, officially titled the Wisconsin Junior Championships, wrapped up Monday in Kettle Moraine. The Wausau Hometown Curlers qualified, as did another state team, which happens to have Wausau's Ben Miller as a member.

DeMille said they're excited to be able to both co-represent Wisconsin and the Wausau community.

"We really want to make sure we represent ourselves, our families, the curling club and everyone that's here in a very professional and really friendly way," DeMille said. "We talk about the spirit of curling, and it's going and meeting other people and being part of this competitive nature; it is definitely one of the things where we really want to stand out among our competitors."

So what's the secret of their success?

"Honestly, team chemistry," said 19-year-old lead Adam Yarish. "The biggest thing is we all hang out off the ice. I think that's a pretty unique aspect about our team is that we genuinely care about each other. These guys are like my best friends."

Sirianni agreed.

"It's like a good baseball team or football team where they play together and they know each other very well," Sirianni said. "It's not like you're taking four of the best curlers from four towns and throwing them together, which you could do. They just have good chemistry together."

Rounding out the squad are assistant coach Tom Wood, 65, alternate Alex "Bridge" Hansen, 18, and Matt Sweeney, 19, who credits standout coaching at Wausau West with helping the guys get where they are today.

"Jim Wendling, who was our coach, did a fantastic job with all of us," Sweeney said. "He was not only a great coach who gave great advice and kept our spirits high at timeouts and on and off the ice, but he was a really cool guy to hang out with."

Sandquist said the team needs to raise $5,000 to cover transportation, hotel expenses and required matching team apparel. The members are doing that by seeking corporate co-sponsorships for their team jackets and with a fundraiser at the Wausau Curling Center.

Sweeney said the guys are itching to hit the ice in North Dakota.

"I'm really excited for it; everyone else on the team's really excited for it; all our families are really excited for us," he said. "It's just an amazing opportunity."

Bob Dohr can be reached at 715-845-0660. Find him on Twitter as @BobDohr1.