talked to each player individually. “My conversation with
Nina was, ‘Do you think that you’ll be able to be a third
and not think about what your responsibilities were as
a skip?’ ” recalls Peterson. “And she was like, ‘Yep, a
hundred percent.’ ”
Still, things were markedly different. Peterson was
now throwing the final stones, while Roth’s role as third
meant she had to sweep regularly, a more strenuous role
after having Nolan (who turns 2 in February). On the f lip
side, Peterson’s new gig meant more standing around. “I
have a heated vest that I use, because otherwise I literally
stay there shivering and can’t feel my hands and then I
can’t throw the rock, which is not good,” Tabitha says.
“So as long as I stay warm, I’m happy.”
Just as significant was the new power dynamic, which
took some getting used to. “Coming back in, I was prob-
ably a little bit more quiet, just wanting to let Tabitha
know it’s her team, let her call her shots,” says Roth.
“She’s throwing those last, high-pressure shots, so it’s
important that she feels confident in them. But now,
as we’ve played in more games in these positions, I’ve
learned when I can say something and when to back off.
It’s kind of a dance.”
Of course, the process would have
been easier had the team trained face-
to-face the entire time, but between
COVID-19 and real life—no one is ex-
actly getting rich off sliding rocks, so
the team members have day jobs—that
hasn’t been possible. Roth and Hamilton
live in Madison, Wis., while the Peter-
sons are in the Twin Cities and Geving is
in Duluth, Minn. Their routines involve
training individually, playing locally
and getting together when possible,
usually every other weekend. In the
pandemic, ice time became increasingly
difficult to come by and competitions
were scrapped, so Team Peterson made
do with scrimmages, including against
U.S. curler John Shuster’s gold-medal-
winning men’s team.
One other consequence of not being
able to curl as often was that the women
had more time to spend on their jobs.
(Though not at first for Tara, a den-
tist, whose profession was deemed
nonessential, allowing her to get her
golf handicap down to around 7.) Gev-
ing works remotely for an insurance
company; her LinkedIn bio reads,
“Commercial Lines Account Execu-
tive and 2018 Olympian.” Hamilton
just finished a real estate course. Tabitha is a pharmacist
who has delivered thousands of COVID-19 vaccines. “It’s
nonstop,” she says. “It’s insanely busy, but it’s nice when
people come up to the pharmacy counter and say, ‘Thank
you for being here.’ It makes it rewarding.”
Roth has seen the impact of COVID-19 even more
starkly. A nurse, she’s putting in three 12-hour shifts a
week at a long-term acute care hospital, where many of the
patients are dealing with prolonged effects of the disease.
“It’s arduous,” she says. “Right now it’s getting a little bit
overwhelming, to tell you the truth. But I have a really
great support system. My mom watches my son during
the day. My dad watches him, too. And my husband’s an
amazing dad. So I’m able to practice when I need to.”
Early returns have been positive. Team Peterson finished
third at the world championships last May, with Roth
the team’s second-most efficient player (behind Tara). In
November it won the Olympic trials, looking very much
like a squad where everyone is on the same page. Now the
curlers hope the communication skills that have helped
them weather everything thrown their way the past two
years will translate to a successful run in Beijing. Who
knows—maybe even a gibold mibedibal.76STACY REVERE/GETTY IMAGESMEDS AND MEDALS
Peterson skipped her squad to bronze at the
worlds while working full-time as a pharmacist.MEET TEAM USA