CURLING: Fenson rink wins Youth Olympic trials opener

STEVENS POINT, Wis. - The nerves of the first draw of a major competition have been put to rest as six teams of Youth Olympic hopefuls took to the ice this afternoon at the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minn., as the 2016 U.S. Youth Olympic Team Trials for Curling got underway.
And the team skipped by Riley Fenson of Bemidji won its opening-round draw.
The Fenson rink also started fast on offense in a 10-1 win over Wisconsin’s Michael Elwing rink. Fenson and teammates Christine McMakin of St. Paul, Graem Fenson of Bemidji and Allison Howell of Brick, N.J., scored four points in the first end and stole a point in the second to build a lead that Elwing’s team of Suzanna Viau of Plover, Wis., Ryan Elwing of Brookfield, Wis., and Elizabeth Vorpahl of Portage, Wis., could not overcome.
Also winning on the opening day were teams skipped by Chase Sinnett of Medfield, Mass., and Luc Violette of Issaquah, Wash.
The six U.S. teams, composed of two girls and two boys ranging in ages from 14 to 17, are vying for the coveted spots on Team USA at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games this February in Norway. The teams are playing a single round robin with a championship round to follow on Sunday.
The teams return to the ice at 10 a.m. today for the second round of competition.
The Fenson team is set to take on the Violette rink in the morning draw and the Jonathon Harstad rink of Duluth in the afternoon session.
A live webstream as well as live scores are available throughout the championship at www.usacurl.org .