Tyler George

George competed at the United States Junior National Championships several times but never made it past the semifinals. However, in 2001 he was invited to be the alternate on Andy Roza's team at the 2001 World Junior Curling Championships, where they defeated Scotland's David Edwards in the bronze medal match.

In 2002 George teamed up with Shellan Reed and Patti Luke, two of the previous year's Minnesota Women's Club State Champions,{{Cite web|title=Minnesota Club State Champions – Women's|url=http://mncurling.org/mca4a-womens-state-champions/|website=Minnesota Curling Association|access-date=May 15, 2020}} and Gary Luke, to play as a mixed team. They won the Minnesota Mixed State Championship and made it to the finals of the National Mixed Championship, ultimately earning silver medals after losing to Brady Clark's team.{{Cite web|title=Mixed State Championship – Past Champions|url=http://mncurling.org/mca4a-mixed-state-champions/|website=Minnesota Curling Association|access-date=May 15, 2020}}

George's first trip to the Men's National Championship was in 2008. He skipped his team of Kris Perkovich, Phill Drobnick, and Kevin Johnson to a fifth place finish, missing the playoffs when they lost a tiebreaker to four-time national champion Jason Larway.{{Cite web|title=United States Curling Championships – Draw 17|url=http://www.curlingzone.com/forums/scores/2008USANationals/draw_17.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430173518/http://www.curlingzone.com/forums/scores/2008USANationals/draw_17.php|archive-date=April 30, 2008|website=CurlingZone|url-status=live|access-date=May 15, 2020}} The next year Mark Haluptzok replaced Drobnick on Team George and they returned to the National Championship, which doubled as the Olympic Trials for the 2010 Winter Olympics. They finished the round-robin with only one loss, securing the number one seed in the page playoffs. They lost the final to John Shuster by one point, with a final score of 9–10, settling for silver medals and giving the Olympic berth to Shuster.{{Cite web|title=McCormick, Shuster win Olympic Trials|url=http://www.curlingrocks.net/news.php?news=54|date=February 28, 2009|website=USA Curling|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303030243/http://www.curlingrocks.net/news.php?news=54|archive-date=March 3, 2009|access-date=May 15, 2020}}

For a single season, 2009–10, George joined Pete Fenson's team at lead. They won the 2010 United States Men's Championship, earning George his first chance to represent the United States at Men's Worlds. The 2010 World Men's Championship was held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and Team Fenson finished in fourth when they lost to Scotland's Warwick Smith in the 3 vs. 4 page playoff game.{{Cite web|title=Capital One World Men's Curling Championship 2010|url=http://results.worldcurling.org/Championship/Details/355|website=World Curling Federation|access-date=May 15, 2020}}

After leaving the Fenson team George again formed his own team, consisting of Chris Plys, Rich Ruohonen and Phill Drobnick. They played in the 2011 US Nationals, where they went through the round robin with a 7–2 win–loss record. They were defeated by George's former skip Fenson in the 1 vs. 2 page playoffs and again in the final, earning George his second US silver medal. Colin Hufman replaced Drobnick the following season and they finished the 2012 US Nationals in eighth place.{{Cite web|title=2012 USA Curling Nationals – Standings|url=http://events.curlingzone.com/index.php?task=Event&eventid=2683&view=Round-Robin|website=CurlingZone|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403223058/http://events.curlingzone.com/index.php?task=Event&eventid=2683&view=Round-Robin|archive-date=April 3, 2012|access-date=May 15, 2020}} The 2013 National Championship yielded better results, again earning the silver medal, this time losing to Brady Clark in the final.{{Cite web|title=CURLING: Seattle's Clark rink wins men's national title & Olympic Trials berth|url=https://www.teamusa.org/Media/News/Curling/CURLING-Seattles-Clark-rink-wins-mens-national-title-amp-Olympic-Trials-berth|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515230450/https://www.teamusa.org/Media/News/Curling/CURLING-Seattles-Clark-rink-wins-mens-national-title-amp-Olympic-Trials-berth|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 15, 2020|date=February 16, 2013|website=Team USA|access-date=May 15, 2020}} Their runner-up finish qualified the team to participate at the 2013 United States Olympic Curling Trials, where they finished tied for third place.{{cite web|url=http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2013/May/09/Field-set-for-2014-US-Olympic-Team-Trials|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112105556/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2013/May/09/Field-set-for-2014-US-Olympic-Team-Trials|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 12, 2013|title=Field set for 2014 US Olympic Team Trials|date=9 May 2013|publisher=USA Curling|access-date=15 August 2013}}

After the 2014 Winter Olympics, the United States Curling Association held an athlete combine to determine which curlers to include in their High Performance Program (HPP), aimed at having better success at the next Olympics. George did not attend due to his work. After the combine John Shuster, three-time Olympian at that point, was dropped from the HPP and in response created a new team nicknamed "The Rejects", bringing on fellow combine rejects John Landsteiner and Matt Hamilton at lead and second, respectively, and George at third.{{cite magazine|last=Peters|first=Justin|date=February 22, 2018|title=Somebody Needs to Make a Movie About John Shuster and His Ragtag Team of Curling Rejects|url=https://slate.com/culture/2018/02/john-shuster-and-the-underdog-us-mens-curling-team-will-play-for-gold-in-pyeongchang.html|magazine=Slate Magazine|access-date=February 22, 2018}} They maintained this line-up for four seasons and found great success. At the National Championships in {{USMCC|2015|2015}} they defeated both HPP teams to win the gold medal.{{Cite web|title=2015 USA Men's National Championship – Playoffs|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?eventid=3754&eventtypeid=81&view=Playoffs#1|website=CurlingZone|access-date=May 14, 2020}} Representing the United States at the {{WMCC|2015|2015 World Championship}} in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Team Shuster missed out on the playoffs when they lost a tiebreaker to Finland's Aku Kauste.{{Cite web|title=FINLAND EKES OUT TIEBREAKER WIN AT FORD WORLDS|url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2015/04/03/finland-ekes-out-tiebreaker-win-at-ford-worlds/|date=April 3, 2015|website=Curling Canada|access-date=May 14, 2020}} As a result of its success, Team Shuster was added to the High Performance Program for 2016.

George and his team came up just short of defending their national title in {{USMCC|2016|2016}}, losing to Brady Clark in the final. Despite finishing in second, Team Shuster earned enough points throughout the season to secure their return trip to the {{WMCC|2016|World Championship}}.{{Cite web|title=Team Clark sweeps up national title|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2016/February/13/Team-Clark-sweeps-up-national-title|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217064418/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2016/February/13/Team-Clark-sweeps-up-national-title|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 17, 2016|last=Davis|first=Terry|date=February 13, 2016|website=USA Curling|access-date=May 14, 2020}} In Basel, Switzerland they defeated Japan's Yusuke Morozumi in the bronze medal match, earning the first World Men's medal for the United States since 2007.{{Cite web|title=World Men's Curling Championship 2016: Tournament details|url=http://results.worldcurling.org/Championship/Details/555|website=results.worldcurling.org|access-date=2019-05-15}}{{Cite web|title=U.S. Men's Curling Team Wins First World Medal In 9 Years|url=https://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/April/10/US-Mens-Curling-Team-Wins-First-World-Medal-In-9-Years|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413103556/http://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/April/10/US-Mens-Curling-Team-Wins-First-World-Medal-In-9-Years|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 13, 2016|last=Bohnert|first=Shane|date=April 10, 2016|website=Team USA|access-date=May 14, 2020}} For the 2016–17 season they added Joe Polo, a former teammate of George and Shuster, as alternate and won the {{USMCC|2017|2017 National Championship}}. At the {{WMCC|2017|2017 World Championship}}, their third Worlds in a row, they lost in the bronze medal game against Team Switzerland, skipped by Peter de Cruz.{{Cite web|title=Ford World Men's Curling Championship 2017|url=http://results.worldcurling.org/Championship/Details/580|website=World Curling Federation|access-date=May 14, 2020}}

At the 2017 United States Olympic Curling Trials George and his team beat Heath McCormick's team in a best-of-three final series to earn his first trip to the Olympics.{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-curling/2018-us-olympic-curling-team|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129013126/https://www.teamusa.org/usa-curling/2018-us-olympic-curling-team|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2018|title=2018 U.S. Olympic Curling Team|author=|date=2018|website=Team USA|publisher=USA Curling|access-date=2018-12-06}} At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, the US team lost four of its first six matches and needed to win all of its three remaining matches to qualify for the playoffs, but all of its remaining opponents (Canada, Switzerland, and Great Britain) were currently among the top four teams. Nevertheless, the US team won all three matches to finish the round-robin in third place with a record of 5–4. In the semifinals they defeated Canada's Kevin Koe, a two-time world champion, to reach the gold-medal match versus Niklas Edin's team representing Sweden. The gold-medal game was close through seven ends, with the score tied 5–5, but the United States scored five in the eighth end to set up a 10–7 victory.{{cite news|last=Estes|first=Gentry|date=February 23, 2018|title=Morning Coffee: To John Shuster of USA Curling: I'm sorry for doubting you|newspaper=Louisville Courier-Journal|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/2018/02/23/john-shuster-usa-curling-im-sorry-doubting-you/363123002/|access-date=February 23, 2018}}{{cite news|last=Hendricks|first=Maggie|date=February 28, 2018|title=Olympic curler John Shuster on the mantra that brought his team back from brink of elimination|newspaper=USA Today|url=http://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/02/olympic-curler-john-shuster-on-the-mantra-that-brought-his-team-back-from-brink-of-elimination|access-date=March 3, 2018}} This was the first Olympic gold medal in curling for the United States.

After winning gold, George elected to temporarily step away from curling, citing his desires to take time off to "...recharge the battery, let my body heal."{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/olympics/curling/story/_/id/23445125/tyler-george-us-men-curling-team-step-away-replaced-chris-plys|title=Tyler George to 'step away' from curling team, replaced by Chris Plys|author=|date=2018-05-08|website=ESPN|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=2018-12-06|quote=... recharge the battery, let my body heal.}}{{Cite news|last=Zaccardi|first=Nick|date=May 8, 2018|title=Tyler George steps away from curling after Olympic gold medal|work=NBC Sports|url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2018/05/08/tyler-george-curling/|access-date=May 15, 2020}} He has become a sports ambassador for the United States Curling Association, making appearances and doing outreach to the curling community in the United States.{{Cite web|title=Catching up with Tyler George|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2019/April/10/Catching-up-with-Tyler-George|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603133058/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2019/April/10/Catching-up-with-Tyler-George|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 3, 2019|last=Viau|first=Suzanna|date=April 10, 2019|website=USA Curling|access-date=May 15, 2020}}{{Cite news|last=Etchells|first=Daniel|date=December 24, 2019|title=USA Curling Ambassador Programme formally launched|work=Inside the Games|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1088533/usa-curling-ambassador-programme|access-date=May 15, 2020}}

George coached Luc Violette's Team United States at the 2020 World Junior Curling Championships.{{Cite web|title=Entry list by country|url=https://world-curling-federation.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/pdf-documents/competition-CUR_1920_WJCC/2020-02-14-150856793Men's%20Entry%20List%20by%20Country.pdf|website=World Junior Curling Championships 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216141540/https://world-curling-federation.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/pdf-documents/competition-CUR_1920_WJCC/2020-02-14-150856793Men's%20Entry%20List%20by%20Country.pdf|archive-date=February 16, 2020|access-date=May 15, 2020}} They finished in seventh place.{{Cite web|title=World Junior Curling Championships 2020|url=http://results.worldcurling.org/Championship/Details/663|website=World Curling Federation|access-date=May 15, 2020}}

George works as a general manager for George's Liquor.{{Cite web |url=http://cloudfront10.curling.ca/2015worldmen-en/files/2015/03/EYE-OPENER-MONDAY-ALL.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-04-02 |archive-date=2015-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403195837/http://cloudfront10.curling.ca/2015worldmen-en/files/2015/03/EYE-OPENER-MONDAY-ALL.pdf |url-status=dead }}

{{reflist}}

• {{Sports links}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Curling Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Tyler}}

Category:Sportspeople from Duluth, Minnesota

Category:1982 births

Category:American male curlers

Category:Living people

Category:American curling champions

Category:Continental Cup of Curling participants

Category:Curlers at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Category:Olympic curlers for the United States

Category:Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in curling

Category:American curling coaches

Category:21st-century American sportsmen