John Shuster: Get to know the Team USA skip from Minnesota
February 13, 2018 at 6:04AM
![John Shuster was greeted by his family after his team won the Gold Medal at the U.S. Olympic curling team trials. Team Shuster beat Team McCormick to represent the USA in the 2018 Winter Olympics. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ • cgonzalez@startribune.com - November 18, 2017, Omaha, NE, Baxter Arena, US Olympic curling trials, Team McCormick vs. Team Shuster](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/H62NQOBUZI2OJUAHEHAZ2FETHU.jpg?&w=712)
Position: Skip
Birthplace: Chisholm, Minn.
Hometown: Superior, Wis.
College: Minnesota Duluth, marketing
Team/Club: Team Shuster
Olympic experience: Shuster is making his fourth Olympic appearance. In his debut at the 2006 Torino Games, Shuster and his teammates won a history-making bronze medal — the first-ever Olympic medal for U.S. curlers. Shuster was the skip of the 2010 and 2014 U.S. Olympic curling teams, which both finished at or near the bottom in the Olympic tournament.
Ousted: Following the Sochi Games, USA Curling began a high- performance program and Shuster was not invited to participate.
Redemption: He formed Team Shuster and had top-five finishes in the past three World Championships and then won the Olympic trials in November to quality for Pyeongchang.
Did you know? Shuster dedicated himself to a fitness program following the Sochi Games and lost 30 pounds.
Quotable: "When someone tells you you're not part of the plan, it's always nice to show them you'd better be part of the plan. To prove somebody wrong on that scale is very satisfying.'' — John Shuster.
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The fifth set required extra points to settle the clash of top-20 teams.
