★ The Sports Examiner is delighted to present this important contribution from our patron, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, with a focus on American Paralympic stars. Opinions expressed are those of the USOPC. ★
Emt will be competing in his third Games,
while Dwyer is set for her Paralympic debut.
By Bob Reinert
Red Line Editorial
Any good partnership relies on effective communication. Just ask Laura Dwyer and Steve Emt.
Emt and Dwyer displayed an impressive ability to stay on the same wavelength when they won the mixed doubles event at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Curling on 15 November in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
With the win, the duo punched its ticket to the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, where mixed doubles will make its Paralympic debut.
“It’s exciting, obviously,” said Emt, 55, of DeForest, Wisconsin, who will become the first U.S. wheelchair curler to compete in three Paralympics. “It’s always an honor and a blessing to represent Team USA. It’ll never get old.”
The 48-year-old Dwyer, from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, will be making her first Paralympic appearance.
“I am really excited for this opportunity, this first time heading to the Paralympics, and with Steve,” Dwyer said. “That’s amazing to be (in the Paralympic mixed doubles debut) and to represent the United States.“
Emt and Dwyer defeated Penny Ricker and David Samsa, 9-1, 9-7, to sweep the best-of-three final at the trials. They dominated the opening game and went out to a 6-1 lead in the second before hanging on to win in the extra end after Ricker and Samsa had tied it at 7-7.
Samsa and then-doubles partner Pam Wilson had won a silver medal at the 2023 mixed doubles world championships, the first U.S. podium finish in the event.
“Dave and Penny, first of all, are very formidable opponents,” Emt said. “We know them very well. We knew they weren’t going to go easy. We knew they were going to make a run, and they did. We both made the crucial shots when they were necessary.”
The win at trails isn’t the only success the duo has had this year. Back in March, Dwyer and Emt won the national title in mixed doubles, earning them a spot at the world championships in Scotland. There, the Americans finished in ninth.
During the team trials, Dwyer and Emt’s communication skills were on full display.
As Emt pointed out, it was an area of focus for him and Dwyer, with whom he’s trained and competed in mixed doubles for the past two years.
“That’s the major thing we’ve worked on,” Emt said. “We both love to talk. We love to communicate. In the beginning, it was too much talk. Two years ago, (there was) too much.”
Emt added that they have condensed what they say to each other on the ice surface over the past year.
“What should I say, and what should I hear?” Emt said. “We’ve gotten very good at that. We still have more work to do. We’re going to continue to work on that.”
Because she has much less curling experience than Emt – the national team’s elder statesman – Dwyer has tried to learn as much as possible from her partner.
“I mean, that’s what’s making me continue to get better as a curler,” she said. “Come to find out, we’re not mind readers, and a lot fell through the cracks when we weren’t communicating. Communication, that’s what’s going to propel us moving forward to be tight together and be able to both do our best.”
They can get on each other’s nerves at times, but neither takes offense. U.S. national teammates have joked that the two might want to consider couples therapy.
“We’re cut from the same cloth,” Emt said. “We are very competitive people. We care about each other very much. Our communication’s not for everybody.
“It clicks with Laura and I because that’s the way we are. We’re going to argue, but we know, at the end of the day, we’re in it for the long run and we care about each other, so it’s not a big deal. When you’ve got that ultimate prize in your sights, you’ve got to do all the little things to get there.”
Their competitive nature can lead to some heated exchanges during games, but brutal honesty is often needed during world-class competition.
“If it’s not looking good, we’re going to share that,” Dwyer said. “Sometimes, it sounds harsh. It can sound abrasive, but it’s not. It’s just blunt.”
Dwyer noted that she grew up on a farm. If she didn’t do things right, she would hear it from her dad.
“I’m familiar with that, and I would prefer that,” Dwyer said. “I would rather a direct honesty about what’s going on. Don’t beat around the bush. And that’s where Steve is.”
After a pair of training camps, Dwyer and Emt will take a little time off before ramping up in January and February in preparation for the Paralympics, held 6-15 March in Italy.
They’ll be joined in Milan Cortina by Matthew Thums and Oyuna Uranchimeg – who each competed in the 2022 Games in Beijing – as well as Paralympic newcomers Sean O’Neill, Dan Rose and Katie Verderber.
In the meantime, Dwyer and Emt will keep the lines of communication open as they try to take advantage of the equal opportunities offered to them in recent years by USA Curling and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
“They’re doing it right,” Emt said. “It’s amazing how far that they have come to allow us to be on the same page (as able-bodied curlers). That’s all we asked for is to be on a level playing surface and given the same opportunities.
“With these opportunities come the expectations, also. We are expected to win a medal. We’re elite athletes. We understand that. And we’re going to do some good things in Italy, for sure.”
Bob Reinert spent 17 years writing sports for The Boston Globe. He also served as a sports information director at Saint Anselm College and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a contributor to the USOPC on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
For more, please visit the USOPC Paralympic Educational Hub.
¶
★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
You can receive our exclusive TSX Report by e-mail by clicking here. You can also refer a friend by clicking here, and can donate here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
