Origins & Purpose
United States Women’s Curling Association 5 and Under National Championship
Founding Years: 2019 & 2020
USWCA is partnering with the United States Curling Association, the Duluth Curling Club, and Olympic gold medal skip John Shuster to host a national bonspiel for the country’s best 5 and Under teams.
The 32 team spiel be held at:
The Duluth Curling Club From February 22 through 24th, 2019. USA Curling
The Wausau Curling Club from February 21 through 23rd, 2020. MCA Minutes
This year’s event will feature pool play, utilizing the 5 rock rule. Teams will apply using the form below, and will be admitted based on the following tier structure. (Note, very Complex)
Note that participation in last year’s 5 & Under National Championship doesn’t qualify for this event. However, if you’re still 5 & Under eligible you can apply under Tier 5.
USA Curling 5 and Under National Championship
2021-Present
The concept of a “5-and-Under” curling championship emerged in the United States via USA Curling. The “5-and-Under” refers to curlers with five years of experience or fewer. USA CURLING
It aims to provide newer curlers (including stick-curling, wheelchair-curling, etc) a competitive national event rather than being always in open fields dominated by highly experienced teams. USA CURLING
Teams were not region bound like many other National qualifiers. This encouraged teams to travel around the country and meet other Curlers of their same age and skill levels.
Year-by-Year Chronology
| Year | Event | Host / Date | Notes / Champion(s) if known |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | U.S. Nationals | Southern California Curling Center, Vernon, CA | First USA Curling-sanctioned 5-and-Under Nationals. Champion: Team Ramm |
| 2023 | U.S. Nationals | Hibbing Curling Club, Hibbing, MN | Champion: Team Bliven |
| 2024 | U.S. Nationals | Chaska Curling Center, Chaska, MN | Champion: Team Mellin |
| 2025 | U.S. Nationals | St. Paul Curling Club, St. Paul, MN | Champion: Team Cambell |
5-and-Under Worlds Was Born:
Spring 2024:
J. Robertson and Matt A. were talking on the phone and the questions asked were: “How do we bring the success of USAC’s Nationals to a World Stage? How do we bring together a divided world around the sport of Curling? Why is there No World event for Newer Curlers?”
Over time the ideas evolved: The organizers sought to create a world-level edition to include participants from multiple countries and give newer curlers an international pathway. The world edition is organized by a group co-founded by individuals including J. Robertson and Matt A., announced in late 2024. The Curling News
Pittsburgh Curling Club was selected for the host site for the inaugural 5-and-Under Worlds. January 10-12 2025: The inaugural “Five-and-Under World Championships” (5UWC) held at the Pittsburgh Curling Club (McKees Rocks / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) with international entrants.
Participating Teams for the Pittsburgh 2025 World Edition
The 2025 world event featured 16 teams from inside and outside the U.S. 90.5 WESA
Below are known teams/participants from the round-robin list:
- Pool A: Jonathan Pinoul (Montreal, CAN), Zach Anderson (North Dakota, USA), Bradley Johnson (Schenectady, USA), Trevor Mathey (Pittsburgh, USA)
- Pool B: Daniel Bliven (Wisconsin, USA), Queena Mewers (Pan-Asia team), Jason Lee (Durham, USA), Alan Penkar (Israel)
- Pool C: Austin Binish (Milwaukee, USA), John Shaw (Lakefield, CAN), Will Meyer (Oakland, USA), James-Grant Robertson (USA, USA)
- Pool D: Patrick Doyon (Aurele-Racine, CAN), Christian Rose (Denver, USA), Benjo Delarmente (Manila, Philippines), Trevor Wysocki (Stevens Point, USA) CurlingZone+1
Troubles with The Second Year
Wauwatosa Curling Club was selected to host the Second 5UWC. Dates Originally were December 4 through 7th, 2025. Everything was going well…. until Wauwatosa Flooded.
At that time, the 5UWC went into over drive reaching out to clubs and people in the Milwaukee region to see who could be the replacement Host Site.
Kettle Moraine Stepped up and Hosted the 2025 5-and-Under World Championships on December 11 through 14th, 2025. The field was even more diverse than the previous year.