Mark Lazar (born July 19, 1977) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

curler and curling

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He competed in the 2005 United States Olympic Curling Trials. He curls out of the Detroit Curling Club. He coached Team Stopera to three United States Junior Championships and a silver medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships.

Playing career

While attending

Bowling Green University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

in his freshman year, Lazar took a 1 credit gym class in curling. He joined the Bowling Green Curling Club a year after and joined a club league and the university curling league. Lazar participated in the 2001, 2002, and 2003 United States Men's Curling Championships. In 2005 Lazar was lead for the Don Barcome Jr. rink at the United States Olympic Curling Trials, where his team finished 10th. He also participated in the 2006 Men's Nationals, finishing 9th. Under skip Bryan Wight, he participated in the

2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers The 2011 United States Men's Curling Championship qualifiers took place during January at various locations throughout the nation. Prior to the national finals, the number of entrants was pared down to ten teams through regional qualifiers and the ...

, where he made it to the

challenge round Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Places Geography * Challenge, ...

(one level under the finals). His team finished tied for last in the challenge round.

Coaching career

After almost two decades competing on the ice, Lazar moved to a coaching role to begin the 2016-2017 curling season. Lazar joined Team Stopera, a newly formed group within the US Junior High Performance Program. The team consisted of

Andrew Stopera Andrew Stopera (born September 30, 1997) is an American curler from Briarcliff Manor, New York. He currently throws third rocks and skips Team Korey Dropkin. He is a three-time United States Junior Champion and won the silver medal at the 201 ...

at skip,

Luc Violette Luc Violette (born March 8, 1999) is an American curler from Edmonds, Washington. He is a five-time United States Junior Champion and was a silver medalist at both the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics and the 2017 World Junior Championships. Curli ...

at third, Ben Richardson at second, and Graem Fenson at lead. The team had instant success under Lazar's tutelage, winning the 2017 Junior Nationals and earning the silver medal at the 2017 Worlds. Lazar remained with the team in its subsequent two seasons, repeating as a national champion coach in both 2018 and 2019. The team never experienced the same success at the worlds as it did in its first season, finishing 4th in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

and 5th in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. Lazar also coached the team to an 8th-place finish at the 2019 Winter World University Games. After Stopera aged out and the team saw its first major change in three years following the 2019 season, Lazar left Team Stopera to join Team Farrell as coach. A women's team in the Junior High Performance Program, Team Farrell consisted of

Cora Farrell Cora Farrell (born May 23, 1999) is an American curler from Fairbanks, Alaska. She was a silver medalist at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Career Farrell has competed in eight consecutive Junior National Championships. ...

at skip, Caiti Flannery at fourth, Leah Yavarow at third, Allison Howell at lead, and Rebecca Miles at fifth. The team competed at the 2019 World Junior-B Championships in

Lohja, Finland Lohja (; sv, Lojo) is a city and municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland. The city has a population of 47,518 (2017), and it covers an area of of which , or 8.3 percent, is water. The population density of Lohja is . The municipality is b ...

, the qualifying tournament for the

World Junior Curling Championships The World Junior Curling Championships are an annual curling bonspiel featuring the world's best curlers who are 21 years old or younger. The competitions for both men and women occur at the same venue. The men's tournament has occurred since 19 ...

. Lazar and the team were unable to qualify the US for the worlds, finishing in 5th place. At the 2020 Junior Nationals, the team lost the final to Team Strouse. In the summer of 2020, it was announced that Lazar would be joining Team Sinclair as coach. The team consists of

Jamie Sinclair Jamie Ann Sinclair (born February 21, 1992) is an American-Canadian curler from Osgoode, Ontario and is a three-time U.S. National Champion. Her United States Curling Association membership is through the Charlotte Curling Association in Charlot ...

at skip,

Monica Walker Monica Walker (born February 20, 1987) is an American curler originally from Brighton, Massachusetts. She is a three-time national champion. Curling career Walker began curling in 1997. In adult competitions, she placed 4th at the U.S. Natio ...

at third,

at second, and Elizabeth Cousins at lead.

Teams

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lazar, Mark 1977 births Living people American male curlers Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio American curling coaches