Team Shuster to return for run at 2026 Winter Olympics

DULUTH, MN. (KBJR) - The Duluth-based Team Shuster will return for another four years of training together for a run at the 2026 Winter Olympic games in Italy.

In an interview with KBJR 6, Chris Plys confirmed that the four curling stars will be staying together for another curling quad cycle.

Lead by Chisholm native and Superior resident John Shuster, they won an Olympic gold medal at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, and game up just short of a bronze medal in 2022 in Beijing.

Plys, a Duluth native, also announced that this will be his last quad cycle chasing his Olympic dreams. He cited numerous reasons behind his personal decision, including the interruptions they dealt with due to COVID-19 over the past couple of years.

“Just didn’t really want to end a career with that. I mean obviously, the Olympics and stuff were a great end to the quad, but it’s just the little things with curling that I really enjoy.”

He added that he wouldn’t speak for his other teammates in John Landsteiner, Matt Hamilton, and Shuster in regards to their decision after the upcoming quad cycle.

“There’s definitely a couple other good teams, you know one with Korey Dropkin here in Duluth that are really pushing hard. We’re all getting older, so we’re going to have to just keep the foot on the gas, and yeah we have our work cut out for us but it’ll be fun,” said Plys.

Team Shuster will also be sticking with Collin Huffman as their fifth, a native of Alaska, currently residing in the Seattle area. Huffman was recently with Team Shuster at the World Championships.

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