US curling under fire from Olympic Committee

Via Curling Zone, here's a story of how the United States Curling Association is under fire from the United States Olympic Committee over the sad state of the American high performance teams.

The StarTribune has the details of how the riot act has been read to the USCA and how there are concerns over future funding.

In a letter sent last month, the USOC said it has “serious concerns” about USA Curling’s ability to meet its obligations as the national governing body for the sport, adding that it could cease funding or sever its ties with the group if it did not make specific changes.

The other side of the story is how any moves will affect the grass roots development of the game. 

The USOC wants USA Curling to adopt some methods that have made other countries successful. But some curlers worry that could eventually end one of its most cherished traditions: the ability for any self-formed team to win  the right to compete at the Olympics or world championships.

Of course, the American performance at the Olympics has been nothing short of awful with just one medal, a bronze, back in 2006. The teams from south of the border haven't been much better at the world championships. For the second largest curling country in the world, it's certainly underwhelming. 

The changes will be decided today at the USCA's spring meeting.