A lone figure stares intently toward the target ring more than 120 feet down the ice sheet at Chaska Curling Center.

She takes a deep breath, exhales and smoothly pushes forward from the hack line. Eventually she releases the rock with a slight twist of the wrist. The 42-pound curling rock begins its steady, rumbling journey and eventually stops square in the bull’s-eye.

During a one-hour practice session on Jan. 16, Taylor Anderson-Heide is displaying amazing accuracy with each throw. It’s not a surprise to those watching from behind the glass inside Crooked Pint restaurant.

Anderson-Heide is a fixture at the Chaska facility and a member of Team USA’s women’s curling team that will compete in February during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Today, fresh from her appointment with a sports psychologist, Anderson-Heide says she’s “super excited” about the upcoming international competition.

“My sports psychologist said ‘We don’t need to do this anymore. You’re ready.’ She’s like, go and have fun,’” Anderson-Heide reports. “We did all the work, and we feel prepared. We’re just excited to get on the ice.”

Curling Journey

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Anderson-Heide’s parents were originally from Canada and were passionate curlers. Her father eventually launched a junior curling program at the Philadelphia Curling Club, with her three older sisters starting out in the sport first.

“I just looked up to them and wanted to be like them,” Anderson-Heide recalls. “So, I got on the ice at a very young age and followed in their footsteps.”
Anderson-Heide’s twin sister, Sarah, joined her in an incredible curling journey. They eventually won the U.S. Women’s National Championship together in 2019.

“Sarah was my skip,” Anderson-Heide says. “Now she’s my biggest supporter and ready to cheer us on in Italy.”

Anderson-Heide says her passion for the sport grew over the years, setting a goal at the age of 12 to eventually make the U.S. Olympic team.

“I just love the game,” she says. “I love the strategy of it — the technical and preciseness of the game.”

In addition, Anderson-Heide says she came to appreciate the global curling community that supports and cheers each other on. Local clubs, like the Chaska Curling Center where Anderson-Heide is a member and a part-time icemaker, also add to the enjoyment of the sport.

“Curling clubs become like a family,” she says with a smile. “You get to know everyone so well.”

She glances over at a group of novice curlers nearby who are trying the sport for the first time. Rarely do the first-time curlers land the rock within the target, and they struggle to balance themselves as they guide the rock forward. But the constant laughter indicates they’re all having fun.

“We have learn-to-curl times every day,” she says of the Chaska facility. “People love to try it, and then they get hooked.”

Dream Comes True

Anderson-Heide joined Team Peterson for the 2024-25 curling season, winning the 2025 World Women’s Curling Championship. They would go on this season to win the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials and the Olympic Qualifying Event to punch their ticket to Italy.

“It’s been a crazy year,” she says. “But when we won our spot in the Olympics, it was a huge joy and happy tears. My parents were there, and my husband was there. I don’t know … it was like a dream came true. I’ve been working so long for this.”

Her teammates include skip Tabitha Peterson, second Tara Peterson, third Cory Thiesse and alternate Aileen Geving. Anderson-Heide, who is the team’s lead, is the only Olympic rookie among the team members. Tabitha Peterson and Geving are three-time Olympians. Tara Peterson and Thiesse are headed to their second Winter Olympics. The team’s coach, Cathy Overton-Clapham, is an accomplished international curler as well.

The team heads overseas on Jan. 30, spending a few days in Switzerland for a pre-Olympic training camp. Actual competition in the women’s division begins Feb. 12 and concludes Feb. 22. Anderson-Heide will then return to the U.S. on Feb. 26.

“It’s a fairly long competition with lots of games,” she explains. “But like my sports psychologist said today, we’re there to play well and give it our best. But we need to remember to have fun, because that’s why we’re doing it. And you always play better when you’re having fun.”

Adding to the excitement of the trip will be all the family members in attendance for the Olympic competition. Anderson-Heide’s husband, her dad, her in-laws, all of her sisters and their husbands and one cousin are making the trip to Italy.

“So we’re going to have a big cheering squad,” she says.

As for the team’s prospects for an Olympic medal, Anderson-Heide is very optimistic.

“The team is really gelling and vibing,” she reports. “And we’ve done all the training we could … so we feel ready. I think we’re going to play great.”