Carla Casper (November 10, 1945 – February 20, 2023) was an American curler and Olympian. At the time of the 1988 Olympics, she was living in Green Bay, Wisconsin.[1][2]
| Carla Casper | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | November 10, 1945 Wild Rose, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | February 20, 2023 (aged 77) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Olympic appearances | 1 (1988) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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In 1987 Lisa Schoeneberg invited Casper to join her team just two weeks before the tournament to determine Wisconsin's representative to the United States' first Olympic Curling Trials, replacing a teammate with a burst appendix. Casper joined as the team's second, with Lori Mountford at lead, Erika Brown at third, and Schoeneberg as skip.[3] Brown's father, World bronze medalist Steve Brown, was the team's coach[4][5] and her mother, Diane, was the team's alternate player.[6] The team won the tournament, earning a spot at the Olympic Trials in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They upset the top two teams from that year's national championship to win the Trials and earn their spot as the American women's team at the 1988 Olympics.[7] At the Olympic Games, where curling was a demonstration event, they finished fifth out of eight teams, with a 4–4 record.
As skip of her own team Casper won the Wisconsin State Championship four years in a row, 1987–1990.[8]
Casper was named President of the United States Women's Curling Association, an organization with the purpose of promoting the sport of curling among women and youth, for 2000–2001.[9]
Personal life
editCasper was married to Tom Casper, a fellow curler and curling coach,[9] and they had four children.[10] She died on February 20, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11]
References
edit- ^ "A team of 'competitors'". The Capital Times. January 23, 1988. p. 18. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ "Curlers get moment in spotlight". Wisconsin State Journal. February 14, 1988. p. 8. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ "XV. Olympic Winter Games 1988: Tournament details". World Curling Federation. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Hersh, Phil (November 16, 1987). "CURLING TEAM HAS CHEESE FLAVOR". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2020-05-11. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Downey, Mike (February 13, 1988). "WINTER OLYMPICS : Curling, New Olympic Game, Enough to Curl Your Curiosity". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2020-05-09. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Zaccardi, Nick (November 8, 2013). "Curling's Erika Brown eyes return to Olympics, 26 years after her debut". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 2015-09-09. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Vader, J. E. (January 27, 1988). "No Stone Unturned". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2020-05-09. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "State Champions – Women's". Wisconsin State Curling Association. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Casper named president of curling group". Green Bay Press-Gazette. October 20, 2000. p. D-2. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Levitan, Elizabeth (February 8, 1988). "Ancient sport of curling may gain popularity via Olympic showcase". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Carla Casper's obituary
