Team USA - World University Games
We are a team of experienced curlers looking to win a medal for USA at the 2015 World University Games in Granada, Spain.
Our team is made up of skip Stephen Dropkin, third Blake Morton, second Kyle Kakela, lead Evan Jensen, and alternate Calvin Weber. Bio's are listed below.
Season schedule:
Oct. 10-12 - St. Paul Cashspiel (St. Paul, MN)
Nov. 28-30 - Duluth Cashspiel (Duluth, MN)
Dec. 19-21 - Eveleth Cashspiel (Eveleth, MN)Jan. 2-4 - US Open Cashspiel (Blaine, MN)
Feb 1-15 - World University Games (Granada, Spain)
Expenses:
Some of the expenses we will incure throughout the season and the World University Games event include event entry fees, travel costs, lodging, and team uniforms. During budget planning, the United States Curling Association did not allot any funds for this event so all expenses for the athletes will be paid out of pocket.
Thank you!
We appreciate your support and we look forward to having a fun and successful year. Stay tuned as we plan to keep everyone up-to-date on our progress throughout the season.
Player Info:
Stephen Dropkin, age 24 of Southborough MA, represented the United States as skip at the 2012 Junior World Curling Championships in Ostersund, Sweden. He competed in eight US Junior National Championships, winning gold (2012), silver and bronze medals and at the 2013 Winter World University Games in Trentino, Italy. Stephen was voted All-Star skip by his peers 2012 Junior Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a 2013 graduate of Merrimack College with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration, Concentration: Marketing. He recently relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota and is seeking a career opportunity in Sales & Marketing. Stephen’s other interests include soccer, volleyball, boating, traveling, and playing guitar.
Blake Morton, age 23 of Madison WI, represented the United States as skip at the 2011 Winter World University Games in Erzurum, Turkey. He was a silver and bronze medalist at the Junior National Championships in 2012 and 2009 and competed in two US Men’s National Championships. He graduated in the top 5% of his high school class, was a member of the National Honor Society, and earned three Presidential Service Awards. He is a 2013 graduate of the University Of Wisconsin School Of Business with degrees in Management and Marketing. He is currently a project manager in the Healthcare IT industry at Epic Systems. Blake’s other interests include working with start-ups, golfing and playing Ultimate Frisbee.
Kyle Kakela, age 21 of Rolla ND, was selected for the 2013 US High Performance Program. He won bronze medal as skip at the 2012 US Junior National Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. Kyle was voted All-Star Vice Skip in 2013 & 2014 at US Junior Nationals. He graduated from Northland Technical & Community College with a degree in farm management. Kyle is currently a farmer on his family’s farm harvesting small grains. Kyle’s other interests include snowmobiling and participating in many other sports.
Evan Jensen, age 22 of Medford WI, is a gold medalist of the 2013 US College Nationals in Duluth, MN. He led his team to compete in the 2012 US Junior National Championships. He also was the lead of the Minnesota State Club Championship team that competed in the US Club Nationals in 2014. During Evan's senior year of high school, he was awarded the prestigious John Philip Sousa Award for outstanding dedication toward band over his four years of high school band at Medford Area Senior High School. Evan is currently a part-time student at the University of Minnesota and is working full-time for the university in the Information Systems Department of the University Bookstore. Evan's other interests include playing guitar, skiing, computer building, and PC Gaming.
Calvin Weber, age 24 of McFarland WI, represented the United States at the 2011 Winter World University Games in Erzurum, Turkey. He was a silver and bronze medalist at the 2012 & 2009 US Junior National Championships and competed in two US Men’s National Championships. He is a 2012 graduate of the University Of Wisconsin with a degree in Geography. Calvin currently lives in Washington, D.C. and works as an analyst for Nielson, a leading global information and measurement company. Outside of work, Calvin finds enjoyment volunteering with the Washington D.C. public schools with his spare time.
