Bill Stopera

Bill Stopera
Curler
Born August 13, 1968
New York
Team
Curling club Ardlsey CC, Irvington
Skip Dean Gemmell
Third Bill Stopera
Second Martin Sather
Lead Mark Lazar
Career
World Championship
appearances		 1 (2012)

Bill Stopera (born August 13, 1968) is an American curler from Briarcliff Manor, New York.

Career

Stopera began curling in 1977 as a junior in Schenectady, New York.

In 2009, Stopera teamed up with Matt Hames, Martin Sather, and Dean Gemmell, and finished 4th at the 2010 United States Men's Curling Championship. The next year, Heath McCormick joined the team, replacing Matt Hames, who retired as skip. That year Stopera and the team competed in the 2011 United States Men's Curling Championship, finishing fourth after a playoff loss to Todd Birr.[1]

Stopera returned with the team the next year to play in the 2012 nationals and went through the round robin undefeated, eventually securing their first national title[1] with a win over defending champion Pete Fenson.[2] The team finished the event at 12-0. After winning the National Championship, the team played in the 2012 World Men's Curling Championship in Basel, Switzerland.[3] The team finished 8th[1] with a record of 4-7.

In 2013, Stopera competed with team North America and won the Continental Cup of Curling.[1] He also competed in the 2013 US Men's National Championship and finished fourth[1] after a playoff loss to eventual winner Brady Clark. The following season at the 2013 Olympic Trials, the team finished in 3rd place with a 4-4 record. McCormick left team midway through the 2013-14 season, and Tyler George was brought on to skip. The George rink played in the 2014 United States Men's Curling Championship, finishing with a 4-5 record. After the season, George left the team and was replaced with Gemmell as skip, with Sather playing lead and new addition Calvin Weber at second. Midway through the season, Mark Lazar was brought on to play lead and replace Calvin Weber, moving Martin Sather to second. The team qualified for the 2015 United States Men's Curling Championship where they finished 5th after losing in a tie-breaker.

Personal life

Stopera grew up in Schenectady, New York, and studied at Northeastern University. He works as an insurance broker with Professional Group Marketing. He is married and has two children.

Teams

Season Skip Third Second Lead Events
2009–10 Matt Hames Bill Stopera Martin Sather Dean Gemmell 2010 USNCC
2010–11 Heath McCormick Bill Stopera Martin Sather Dean Gemmell 2011 USNCC
2011–12 Heath McCormick Bill Stopera Martin Sather Dean Gemmell 2012 USNCC, 2012 WCC
2012–13 Heath McCormick Bill Stopera Martin Sather Dean Gemmell 2013 USNCC
2013–14 Heath McCormick Bill Stopera Dean Gemmell Martin Sather 2013 USOCT
Tyler George Bill Stopera Dean Gemmell Martin Sather 2014 USNCC
2014–15 Dean Gemmell Bill Stopera Martin Sather Mark Lazar 2015 USNCC

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Stopera, Bill". United States Curling Association. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. ↑ USA Today. "Holcomb and Langton win two-man bobsled title, earn honors". February 20, 2012. Retrieved on June 1, 2013.
  3. ↑ Stallone, Gina. "Curling: World championships await duo from Briarclff, Hastings". The Journal News (Lower Hudson Valley, N.Y.), March 6, 2012. Retrieved on June 1, 2013.

External links