Paul Pustovar
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Paul Pustovar (born December 17, 1951 in
Chisholm, Minnesota Chisholm is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,976 at the 2010 census. The city has been called "The Heart of the Iron Range" due to its location in the middle of the Mesabi Iron Range. History The city ...
) is an American curler from
Hibbing, Minnesota Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...
. He is one of the most prolific curlers from the United States, with over thirty years of experience. He has earned two bronze medals at the
World Curling Championships The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and mixed doubles championships, as well as men's an ...
and has earned five gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze medal in the twenty-five national championships that he has participated in. He is also a former world senior champion.


Early life

Pustovar studied at the
University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a two-year progr ...
and earned his bachelor's degree in education. He earned his master's degree from
Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...
then called Mankato State University in curriculum and instruction. After college, he taught a biology course at the
Hibbing Community College Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...
and created and taught a curling course at the community college.


Career


1970s–1980s

Pustovar began curling in 1969. As third under Bruce Roberts he became the Minnesota state men's champion in 1977, and went on to win the nationals and earn a spot in the 1977 Air Canada Silver Broom, where the Americans placed fourth. Pustovar was named the All-Star Vice Skip at the 1977 Air Canada Silver Broom. He continued to be a major force in Minnesota, winning the state championships in 1980, 1982, and 1987. He became the national champion in 1980 and finished fourth in the
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
World Championship. He made appearances at the 1985 United States Mixed Nationals and the 1982 and 1987 United States National Championships.


1990s–2005

Pustovar continued his success in curling through the end of the century. He participated in various national and international events and won many of those events. He was the Wisconsin state men's champion in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2001. He earned various trophies, including the Remo Trophy in 1991, the Wettinger Nokia Trophy in 1994 and 1996, and the Movado Trophy in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003. In the 2000–01 curling season, he won eight events, which was a major achievement for him. He participated in the
World Curling Tour The World Curling Tour (WCT) is a group of curling bonspiels featuring the best male, female, and mixed doubles curlers in the world. History The World Curling Tour was founded by former World Champion Ed Lukowich, with later assistance from Jo ...
and won, among others, the
St. Paul Cash Spiel The St. Paul Let's Cure Lupus Cash Spiel is an annual bonspiel, or curling tournament, that takes place at the St. Paul Curling Club in Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota. It is part of the World Curling Tour. The bonspiel takes place durin ...
in 2003 and 2005 and the Duluth Cash Spiel in 2005. He continued to participate in the United States National Championships, finishing in the semifinals in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2001 and finishing as runner-up in 1992, 1995, and 2000. He won the championship in 1991 and 2002, and placed third and fourth, respectively. He and his team participated in the
inaugural In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...
Continental Cup of Curling The Continental Cup is a curling tournament held annually between teams from North America (sometimes just Canada) against teams from the rest of the World (sometimes just Europe). Each side is represented by six teams (three women's teams and thr ...
and helped North America defeat Europe by a small margin. He and his team also participated in the 2001 United States Olympic Curling Trials, but failed to win the trials. He also represented the United States at the
Karuizawa International Curling Championship The Karuizawa International Curling Championships is a curling bonspiel held annually since the Olympic Games in Nagano at the SCAP Karuizawa Arena in Kariuzawa, Japan. The bonspiel is held to commemorate the curling event at the 1998 Nagano ...
, where he won the bonspiel title.


2006–present

In 2006, Pustovar turned 50 and was allowed to participate in senior curling events. He has participated in every senior national championships since 2005, winning in 2009 and 2010 and earning a spot in the
World Senior Curling Championships The World Senior Curling Championships is an annual curling tournament featuring curlers from around the world who are at least 50 years old. Matches at the World Senior Championships are played in 8 ends played instead of the 10 played in most in ...
. He medalled in both years, earning a silver medal after a loss to Canada in 2009 and earning a gold medal after a win over Canada in 2010. Pustovar continued to participate in national events as well. He participated in the 2006 and 2007 national championships, but was not as successful as in previous years, placing 7th and 6th, respectively. He participated in the 2010 Olympic Trials with
Todd Birr Todd Birr (born April 20, 1968) is an American curler. He was a bronze medalist at the 2007 World Men's Curling Championship. Career Birr skipped his team to victory at the 2007 United States Curling Men's Championships, beating out teams suc ...
, but did not get a chance to represent the United States, finishing third. He also participated in the 2010 national championships. In 2011, he teamed up with Matt Hamilton in an attempt to win the nationals. He and his team participated in the Medford Qualifier and finished sixth, earning a spot in 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, C ...
. There, he and his team finished third, earning them a berth in the nationals. However, Pustovar was not able to participate in the nationals, so he sat out as the alternate while Hamilton took over skipping duties. They finished seventh with a 3–6 win–loss record. In 2012, Pustovar and a new team played in the Green Bay Qualifier, but placed fourth and missed the cutoff. However, he earned a spot in 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, C ...
through his Order of Merit ranking, and finished sixth, failing to qualify for the nationals. In 2014 (Nationals in Aston, PA) and 2015 (Nationals in Kalamazoo, MI), with new teams for each event, he also qualified for the nationals via the challenge round.


Coaching career

Pustovar is a certified Level II curling instructor and coach. He has coached many curling teams throughout his career, including the 1979 Minnesota Junior Men's Champions at the Junior National Championships. He was the coach of the Todd Birr rink at the
2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship The 2007 World Men's Curling Championship (branded as 2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship for sponsorship reasons) was held at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada from March 31 to April 8. Team Canada skipped by Glenn Howard won the go ...
, where the United States won a bronze medal.


Personal life

Pustovar is a self-employed insurance agent with the C.R. Pustovar Insurance Agency in Hibbing, MN. He is married to Carole and has two sons, Scott and Ryan, and three grandchildren, Alex, Taylor, and Tanner. Pustovar is an avid bicycler and has led bicycle tours in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He also enjoys fishing and traveling.


Teammates


Awards and honors

*
United States Curling Association The United States Curling Association (USCA or USA Curling) is the national governing body of the sport of curling in the United States. The goal of the USCA is to grow the sport of curling in the United States and win medals in competitions both ...
and
United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
Male Curling Athlete of the Year: 2002, 1998 *United States Olympic Committee's Team of the Month: April 2010 *Inducted into the United States Curling Hall of Fame in 2009


References


External links

* * Video: {{DEFAULTSORT:Pustovar, Paul American male curlers Living people People from Chisholm, Minnesota 1951 births American curling coaches American curling champions Continental Cup of Curling participants Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni