The Shuster file

Sport: curling • Age: 31

Hometown: Chisholm

Current residence: Duluth

Family: wife, Sara; son Luke, 8 months

Olympic history: Will compete in his third consecutive Olympics in Sochi, his second as a skip. Shuster was the lead for Pete Fenson's team that earned the bronze medal at the Turin Olympics in 2006. In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, he skipped the U.S. to a 2-7 record (10th place).

Other career highlights: Shuster was a state and national champion in the junior ranks before winning three U.S. men's championships with Team Fenson. He skipped the U.S. to gold at the 2007 World University Games, has competed in four world championships and is a four-time U.S. champion.

Career outside of curling: Shuster has a degree in marketing from Minnesota Duluth and has been a bartender and restaurant manager, most recently at Duluth's well-known Pickwick. He currently is a stay-at-home dad and hopes to continue curling for several years, then move into coaching or athlete development.

Twist of fate: As a junior curler, Shuster already had been approached about joining another team when he heard Fenson was looking for a prospect. After two weeks passed without a call from the other team, he asked to be considered for the Fenson crew. Fenson called him the next day, and he committed — just before the other suitors contacted him. "If they had called me a week earlier, where does my life in curling go?'' he said.

Favorite Olympic memory: "At the 2006 Opening Ceremonies, at the end of the first loop [around the stadium], our families had made their way down to the rail,'' he said. "To be able to share that with them, I remember going from feeling like I was floating to crying, just that fast. I get teary right now talking about it.''

Dropping the ball: Shuster played basketball through junior high, but he wasn't sure he could play for the powerhouse team at Chisholm High School coached by Bob McDonald, who recorded his 1,000th victory last month.

RACHEL BLOUNT