Chris Plys

Christopher Plys (/ˈplz/; born August 13, 1987) is an American curler from Duluth, Minnesota. He currently plays third on Team John Shuster. He is a World Junior Champion and four-time National Men's Champion. He was the alternate for the United States men's team at the 2010 Winter Olympics and a member of both the men's team and the mixed doubles team at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Christopher Plys
Plys delivering a stone at the 2009 World Junior Curling Championships
Born (1987-08-13) August 13, 1987 (age 36)
Team
Curling clubDuluth CC,
Duluth, MN[1]
SkipJohn Shuster
ThirdChris Plys
SecondColin Hufman
LeadJohn Landsteiner
AlternateMatt Hamilton
Curling career
Member Association United States
World Championship
appearances
6 (2009, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024)
Olympic
appearances
2 (2010, 2022)

Career

Plys started curling in 1998 at the age of eleven.[2] He competed at seven Junior National Championships in a row, winning five of them, including four in a row as skip to finish his junior career. This gives him more junior national titles as skip than any other junior male. As US Champion, he competed at four World Junior Championships. In his first, 2006, Plys took ninth place in Jeonju, South Korea. The next year, in 2007, he took fifth place in Eveleth, Minnesota. And finally in 2008, Plys won the gold medal in Ostersund, Sweden.[3] At his final Junior Worlds in 2009 he again medaled, taking the bronze. Plys also competed at the World University Games in 2007, in Pinerolo, Italy, playing second on John Shuster's gold medal team.

Early in his men's career, Plys was twice invited to be alternate on Shuster's team at international events, at the World Championship in 2009 and the 2010 Winter Olympics. At the Olympics, he was called in to skip the team (in place of Shuster) during draw 6 after the US team suffered four losses in a row, and led the team to a 4–3 victory over France after a 10th end steal. Following the Olympics, Plys was drafted onto Tyler George's team, where he threw third rocks (and sometimes fourth). The George team finished as runners-up in the 2011 and 2013 national championships. In 2014, Plys moved to third on Heath McCormick's team, which placed third in the 2014 and 2015 national championships, and second in both the 2017 Olympic Trials (to Shuster) and 2018 national championships.

After winning gold at the 2018 Olympics, Tyler George, who had moved to Shuster's team, took a hiatus from curling, and Plys replaced him at third. Team Shuster then won the 2019 national championships and represented the US at the 2019 World Men's Curling Championship, where they finished in fifth place. They defended their United States title at the 2020 United States Men's Championship, defeating Rich Ruohonen in the final to finish the tournament undefeated.[4] The national title would have earned Team Shuster a spot at the final Grand Slam of the season, the Champions Cup,[5] as well as the chance to represent the United States at the 2020 World Men's Curling Championship, but both events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Team Shuster represented the United States at the 2021 World Men's Curling Championship, which was played in a fan-less bubble in Calgary due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There, the team led the U.S. to a 10–3 round robin record, in third place.[7] They played Switzerland in the playoffs, in a game which was delayed a day due to some curlers initially testing positive (including Plys himself)[8] for the virus, but later testing negative (it was later revealed that they were all false positives). In the game, Switzerland, skipped by Peter de Cruz, beat the Americans to advance to the semifinals.[9]

Personal life

Plys is self-employed. As of 2021, he is engaged.[10]

Teams

Men's

SeasonSkipThirdSecondLeadAlternateCoachEvents
2002–03Jesse GatesJeff ThuneKevin JohnsonShane McKinlayChris PlysLarry Barott2003 USJCC
2003–04Chris PlysAanders BrorsonKyle ColdagelliCarl BallMatt ZbylutSeppo Sormunen2004 USJCC (5th)
2004–05Aanders BrorsonChris PlysMark MooreGrant RahnRyan BrownKent Brorson2005 USJCC (5th)
2005–06Chris PlysMatt MielkeKevin JohnsonTommy KentAaron Wald2006 USJCC
2006 WJCC (9th)
2006–07Chris PlysAanders BrorsonMatt PerushekJoel Cooper2007 USJCC
2007 WJCC (5th)
2007–08Chris PlysAanders BrorsonMatt PerushekMatt Hamilton2008 USJCC
2008 WJCC
John ShusterJeff IsaacsonChris PlysShane McKinlayJason Smith2008 USMCC (6th)
2008–09Chris PlysAanders BrorsonMatt PerushekMatt Hamilton2009 USJCC
2009 USOCT (8th)
2009 WJCC
John ShusterJason SmithJeff IsaacsonJohn BentonChris PlysBrian Simonson2009 WMCC (5th)
2009–10John ShusterJason SmithJeff IsaacsonJohn BentonChris Plys2010 OG (10th)
2010–11Tyler GeorgeChris PlysRich RuohonenPhill Drobnick2011 USMCC
2011–12Tyler GeorgeChris PlysRich RuohonenColin Hufman2012 USMCC (8th)
2012–13Chris Plys (Fourth)Tyler George (Skip)Rich RuohonenColin Hufman2013 USMCC
2013–14Chris Plys (Fourth)Tyler George (Skip)Rich RuohonenColin HufmanCraig Brown2013 USOCT (4th)
Heath McCormickChris PlysRich RuohonenColin Hufman2014 USMCC
2014–15Heath McCormickChris PlysJoe PoloColin HufmanRyan Brunt2015 USMCC
2015–16Chris Plys (Fourth)Pete Fenson (Skip)Joe PoloJason Smith2016 USMCC (7th)
2016–17Heath McCormickChris PlysKorey DropkinTom Howell2017 USMCC (6th)
2017–18Heath McCormickChris PlysKorey DropkinTom HowellRich Ruohonen
(USOCT)
2017 USOCT
2018 USMCC
Greg Persinger (Fourth)Rich Ruohonen (Skip)Colin HufmanPhilip TilkerChris PlysPhill Drobnick2018 WMCC (6th)
2018–19John ShusterChris PlysMatt HamiltonJohn Landsteiner2019 USMCC
2019 WMCC (5th)
2019–20John ShusterChris PlysMatt HamiltonJohn LandsteinerSean Beighton2020 USMCC
2020–21[11]John ShusterChris PlysMatt HamiltonJohn LandsteinerColin HufmanSean Beighton2021 WMCC (5th)
2021–22John ShusterChris PlysMatt HamiltonJohn LandsteinerColin Hufman2021 USOCT
2022 OG (4th)
2022–23John ShusterChris PlysMatt HamiltonJohn LandsteinerColin HufmanPhil Drobnick2023 USMCC
2023 WMCC (8th)
2023–24John ShusterChris PlysColin HufmanMatt HamiltonJohn LandsteinerTheran Michaelis2024 USMCC
2024 WMCC (6th)
2024–25John ShusterChris PlysColin HufmanJohn LandsteinerMatt Hamilton

Mixed doubles

SeasonFemaleMaleEvents
2016–17Aileen GevingChris Plys2017 USMDCC (12th)
2017–18[12]Aileen GevingChris Plys
2018–19Vicky PersingerChris Plys2019 USMDCC
2019–20Vicky PersingerChris Plys2020 USMDCC (5th)
2020–21[13]Vicky PersingerChris Plys2021 USMDCC
2021–22Vicky PersingerChris Plys2021 USMDOT
2022 OG (8th)
2022–23Vicky PersingerChris Plys2023 USMDCC

References