Daniel Casper

{{Infobox curler

| name = Daniel Casper

| image =

| image_size =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|6|18}}

| birth_place = Briarcliff Manor, New York

| Curling club = Ardsley CC,
Ardsley, NY{{Cite web|url=https://www.usacurling.org/national-team|title=USA Curling National Team Athletes|website=USA Curling|access-date=August 23, 2024}}

| Skip = Daniel Casper

| Third = Luc Violette

| Second = Ben Richardson

| Lead = Aidan Oldenburg

| Alternate = Rich Ruohonen

| Mixed doubles partner = Vicky Persinger

| Member Association = {{USA}}

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}

}}

Daniel "Danny" Casper (born June 18, 2001, in Briarcliff Manor, New York) is an American curler from Minneapolis, Minnesota.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/sports/2024/01/30/ardsley-curling-club-ny-andrew-stopera-danny-casper-compete-at-us-curling-nationals/72369816007/|title=Two Ardsley club-raised curlers competing this week at U.S. National Championships|publisher=Lohud|author=Nancy Haggerty|date=January 30, 2024|access-date=August 23, 2024}} He currently skips his own team out of Chaska. He is a former U.S. junior champion, going on to win the silver medal at the 2023 Winter World University Games.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mesabitribune.com/casper-is-working-his-way-to-the-top-of-curling-world/article_dc926770-db02-11ed-9d80-835fc2bae134.html|title=Casper is working his way to the top of curling world|publisher=Mesabi Tribune|author=Gary Giombetti|date=April 14, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}}

Career

Casper's first national success came in 2017 with a bronze medal performance at the United States U18 Curling Championships. There, his team, skipped by Chase Sinnett, went undefeated until the semifinals where they lost to Wisconsin's Michael Elwing. They then defeated Minnesota's Riley Fenson to claim third place.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=4714&teamid=107984#1|title=2017 USA U18 Men's National Championship|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} The following season, his team, now led by Eli Clawson, again reached the playoffs with an undefeated record before consecutive losses in the semifinals and bronze medal games, finishing fourth.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=5221&teamid=119985&profileid=|title=2018 USA U18 Men's Championship|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} In his final year of U18 eligibility, Casper skipped his own team to a bronze medal performance with a combined 5–2 record through the round robin and playoff rounds.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=5811&teamid=133244&profileid=|title=2019 USA Curling U18 Championships|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}}

For the 2019–20 season, Casper continued skipping his own squad with teammates Marius Kleinas, Sam Willertz and Benjamin Grady. At the 2020 United States Junior Curling Championships, the team won three of their first four games before three consecutive losses, ultimately missing the playoffs with a 3–4 record.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=6381&teamid=143958&profileid=|title=2020 USA Junior Men's National Championship|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Then, for the 2020–21 season, Casper and Kleinas remained intact and added Ethan Sampson and Coleman Thurston as front-end players. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team only played in one event before the cancellation of the rest of their scheduled events.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/team.php?teamid=148370&profileid=28292|title=Team Daniel Casper: 2020–21|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} At the end of the season, Casper teamed up with Rebecca Rodgers to compete in the 2021 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship which was held in a bio-secure bubble at the Wausau Curling Club in Wausau, Wisconsin in May 2021.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usacurling.org/press-releases/wausau-anounced-as-host-for-2021-national-championships|title=2021 Men's, Women's, and Mixed doubles national championships|publisher=USA Curling|date=March 29, 2021|access-date=August 23, 2024}} There, the pair finished with a 1–4 record.

The following season, the Casper rink added Samuel Strouse to the lineup at second, shifting Sampson to third, Thurston to lead and Kleinas to alternate. This proved to be the right move for the team as they won the U.S. junior title at the start of the season, winning all ten of their games.{{Cite news|url=https://watermelon-seahorse-hzzt.squarespace.com/press-releases/2021-us-junior-national-champions|title=Teams Strouse and Casper win 2021 U.S. Junior Curling National Championships|publisher=USA Curling|date=August 14, 2021|access-date=August 23, 2024}} After an 8–0 round robin record, they beat Wesley Wendling in the semifinals before defeating Aidan Oldenburg in the gold medal game. With the win, the team qualified to represent the United States at the 2022 World Junior Curling Championships. On tour that season, they played in the qualifiers for the 2021 United States Olympic curling trials, however, were unsuccessful in qualifying. At the US Open of Curling contender round, they advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated by Scott Dunnam.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=6869&teamid=152633#1|title=2021 CURVE US Open of Curling Contender|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} They also made the quarterfinals of the DeKalb Superspiel and the Curl Mesabi Classic. In May 2022, they competed in the World Junior Championships. After an opening game win against Canada, the Casper rink suffered four consecutive losses to sit at the bottom of the standings. However, they turned things around with four straight wins to end the week with a 5–4 record, just missing a playoff berth.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usacurling.org/press-releases/us-men-conclude-wjcc2022-at-5-4|title=U.S. men achieve 5–4 record at World Junior Curling Championships 2022|publisher=USA Curling|date=May 20, 2022|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Also during the season, Casper teamed up with Delaney Strouse at the 2022 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship where the pair made it all the way to the 3 vs. 4 game before being defeated by Jamie Sinclair and Rich Ruohonen.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usacurling.org/press-releases/2022-hamiltons-advance-to-final|title=Hamilton/Hamilton advance to 2022 U.S. mixed doubles national championship final|publisher=USA Curling|date=March 12, 2022|access-date=August 23, 2024}}

With no years of junior eligibility left, Casper moved into the men's ranks and began skipping a new team of Luc Violette, Ben Richardson and Chase Sinnett. In the team's first event together, they went undefeated to win the Gord Carroll Curling Classic, marking Casper's first tour event victory.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=7508&teamid=161919&profileid=31363#|title=2022 Gord Carroll Curling Classic|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} They also reached the final of their next event, the US Open of Curling, where they lost in an extra end to Korey Dropkin. The team next played in the playdowns for the 2023 Winter World University Games where they won all six of their games to win the event.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?eventid=7624&eventtypeid=85&view=Main#1|title=2023 United States World University Games Playdown|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Back on tour, they had three more playoff appearances, reaching the quarterfinals of the Nufloors Penticton Curling Classic and the finals of both the Curling Stadium Contender Series and the Curl Mesabi Classic. In the new year, the team represented the U.S. on home soil at the 2023 Winter World University Games in Saranac Lake, New York. Through the round robin, Casper led his rink to a 6–3 record, taking the third seed in the playoff bracket. In the semifinals, his rink upset Switzerland's Jan Iseli 6–3 to qualify for the championship game. There, they dropped a 5–1 decision to Great Britain's James Craik, earning the silver medal from the event.{{Cite news|url=https://worldcurling.org/2023/01/wug-2023/|title=Great Britain men and China women win FISU World University Games|publisher=World Curling Federation|date=January 22, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Continuing their momentum from the season, Team Casper finished 6–1 through the round robin at the 2023 United States Men's Curling Championship, taking the number one seed in the playoffs.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usacurling.org/press-releases/nationalsplayoffs|title=Playoffs set at 2023 USA Curling men's and women's national championships|publisher=USA Curling|date=February 10, 2022|access-date=August 23, 2024}} In the 1 vs. 2 game, they faced the Olympic champion John Shuster rink where they lost 8–5.{{Cite news|url=https://www.startribune.com/team-casper-from-chaska-tops-round-robin-advances-in-u-s-curling-nationals/600250527|title=Team Casper from Chaska tops round-robin, advances in U.S. Curling nationals|publisher=The Minnesota Star Tribune|date=February 10, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}} This put them in the semifinal where they upset Team Dropkin to advance to the national final. They could not take revenge on Shuster in the final, however, dropping the game 8–3 and settling for the silver medal.{{Cite news|url=https://watermelon-seahorse-hzzt.squarespace.com/press-releases/mensnationalsfinal|title=2023 USA Curling men's national champions crowned|publisher=USA Curling|date=February 11, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Casper and Strouse finished the season at the 2023 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship where they lost in a tiebreaker to Taylor Anderson and Ben Richardson.

Having had their most successful season to date, Team Casper continued their momentum into the 2023–24 season, finishing runner-up at their first event. A month later, at the US Open of Curling, they defeated Team Dropkin to claim their first tour title of the season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=8048&teamid=171805&profileid=32618#|title=2023 CURVE US Open of Curling – Championships|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}} They also won the St. Paul Cash Spiel in October, defeating Rich Ruohonen in the event final. The following week, Team Casper competed in their first Grand Slam of Curling event, which they qualified for with the points they accumulated throughout the past season.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/64-teams-set-for-hearinglife-tour-challenge-in-niagara-falls/|title=64 teams set for HearingLife Tour Challenge in Niagara Falls|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|date=September 27, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Playing in the Tier 2 event of the 2023 Tour Challenge, the team finished 2–2 through the round robin, however, earned a playoff berth with a strong last stone draw total. Qualifying as the eighth seeds, Team Casper upset both Jeong Byeong-jin and Mike McEwen in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to advance to the final against Yusuke Morozumi.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/lawes-jones-to-meet-in-hearinglife-tour-challenge-womens-final/|title=Lawes, Jones to meet in HearingLife Tour Challenge women's final|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=October 21, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}} There, the team shot a high 88%, securing a 6–2 victory over the Japanese and a spot in the 2024 Canadian Open in January.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/retornaz-beats-bottcher-in-extra-end-to-win-hearinglife-tour-challenge-mens-title/|title=Retornaz beats Bottcher in extra end to win HearingLife Tour Challenge men's title|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=October 22, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Back on tour, the Casper rink went undefeated at the Curl Mesabi Classic until the final where they were stopped by Tanner Horgan.{{Cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/curling/canada-s-laurie-st-georges-tanner-horgan-earn-bonspiel-victories-in-minnesota-1.2038272|title=Homan, Koe capture Red Deer Classic with dominating performances|publisher=TSN|date=November 20, 2023|access-date=August 23, 2024}} In the new year, they competed in their first Tier 1 Slam, the 2024 Canadian Open where they finished with a 1–3 record. In their lone win, they beat Kevin Koe's Alberta rink in a 9–8 game.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/dunstone-gets-back-on-track-at-co-op-canadian-with-win-over-retornaz/|title=Dunstone gets back on track at Co-op Canadian Open with win over Retornaz|publisher=Grand Slam of Curling|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=January 18, 2024|access-date=August 23, 2024}} The team ended the season at the 2024 United States Men's Curling Championship where they qualified for the playoffs with a 4–3 record. After defeating Wesley Wendling in the 3 vs. 4 game, they lost to the John Shuster rink 7–5 in the semifinal.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usacurling.org/press-releases/2024nationalswinners|title=Peterson, Shuster defend national titles|publisher=USA Curling|date=February 5, 2024|access-date=August 23, 2024}} Also during the season, Casper teamed up with Vicky Persinger to reach the quarterfinals of the 2024 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship where they were eliminated by Shuster and Aileen Geving.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=8409&teamid=180461&profileid=32441#1|title=2024 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}}

Personal life

Casper began curling at the age of eleven at the Ardsley Curling Club.{{Cite news|url=https://www.greatcurling.com/post/team-casper-from-ardsley-to-the-usa-curling-nationals|title=Team Casper: From Ardsley to the USA Curling Nationals|publisher=Great Curling|date=January 28, 2024|access-date=August 23, 2024}} He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2024 with a strategic communications degree.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hackleyschool.org/news-detail?pk=1522123|title=Spotlight: Danny Casper '19|publisher=Hackley School|access-date=August 23, 2024}} He previously attended Hackley School, graduating in 2019.

Grand Slam record

class="wikitable" border="1"
Event ! 2023–24
Tour Challenge \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| T2
Canadian Open \|style="background:#afeeee;"\| Q

class="wikitable" border="1"

Event

! 2023–24

Tour Challenge

|style="background:#afeeee;"| T2

Canadian Open

|style="background:#afeeee;"| Q

Teams

class="wikitable"
scope="col"\| Season ! scope="col"\| Skip ! scope="col"\| Third ! scope="col"\| Second ! scope="col"\| Lead ! scope="col"\| Alternate
scope="row"\| 2013–14{{Cite web\|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/player.php?playerid=27889&view=Teams#1\|title=Daniel Casper Past Teams\|website=CurlingZone\|access-date=August 23, 2024}} \| Eli Clawson \|\| Caleb Clawson \|\| Daniel Casper \|\| Zachary Blough \|\|
scope="row"\| 2015–16 \| Eli Clawson \|\| Daniel Casper \|\| Andrew Gittis \|\| Christopher Pingitore \|\|
scope="row"\| 2016–17 \| Chase Sinnett \|\| Eli Clawson \|\| Andrew Gittis \|\| Daniel Casper \|\| Evan Mullaney
scope="row"\| 2017–18 \| Eli Clawson \|\| Daniel Casper \|\| Marius Kleinas \|\| Christopher Pingitore \|\|
scope="row" rowspan=2\| 2018–19 \| Tyler Hipke \|\| Daniel Casper \|\| Connor Hipke \|\| Matthew Rosenbloom \|\|
Daniel Casper	Marius Kleinas	Brice Sinnett	Benjamin Grady
scope="row"\| 2019–20 \| Daniel Casper \|\| Marius Kleinas \|\| Sam Willertz \|\| Benjamin Grady \|\| Jacob Zeman
scope="row"\| 2020–21 \| Daniel Casper \|\| Marius Kleinas \|\| Ethan Sampson \|\| Coleman Thurston \|\|
scope="row"\| 2021–22 \| Daniel Casper \|\| Ethan Sampson \|\| Samuel Strouse \|\| Coleman Thurston \|\| Marius Kleinas
scope="row"\| 2022–23 \| Daniel Casper \|\| Luc Violette \|\| Ben Richardson \|\| Chase Sinnett \|\|
scope="row"\| 2023–24 \| Daniel Casper \|\| Luc Violette \|\| Ben Richardson \|\| Chase Sinnett \|\|
scope="row"\| 2024–25 \| Daniel Casper \|\| Luc Violette \|\| Ben Richardson \|\| Aidan Oldenburg \|\|

class="wikitable"

scope="col"| Season

! scope="col"| Skip

! scope="col"| Third

! scope="col"| Second

! scope="col"| Lead

! scope="col"| Alternate

scope="row"| 2013–14{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/player.php?playerid=27889&view=Teams#1|title=Daniel Casper Past Teams|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 23, 2024}}

| Eli Clawson || Caleb Clawson || Daniel Casper || Zachary Blough ||

scope="row"| 2015–16

| Eli Clawson || Daniel Casper || Andrew Gittis || Christopher Pingitore ||

scope="row"| 2016–17

| Chase Sinnett || Eli Clawson || Andrew Gittis || Daniel Casper || Evan Mullaney

scope="row"| 2017–18

| Eli Clawson || Daniel Casper || Marius Kleinas || Christopher Pingitore ||

scope="row" rowspan=2| 2018–19

| Tyler Hipke || Daniel Casper || Connor Hipke || Matthew Rosenbloom ||

Daniel Casper

Marius Kleinas

Brice Sinnett