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sa国际传媒官网网页入口 not being the curling capital of the world, Derek Surka and Charrissa Lin have turned to other athletic pursuits since moving to the Duke City in 2013: marathons, Ironman triathlons, etc.

Yet, the married couple鈥檚 decades-long connection to curling, their expertise in the sport and their love for it, flow (or, if you prefer, slide) unabated.

For Surka, the ongoing Milano Cortina Olympics are the fifth Winter Games during which he鈥檚 worked as a statistician 鈥� helping NBC broadcast crews describe what鈥檚 happening on the ice during curling competitions. 

For Lin, it鈥檚 her fourth. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e curling statisticians,鈥� Surka said by phone from NBC sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, where he and Lin are based during the Games. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our official title. We basically help prep the announcers before the games by providing them with some information about the teams.

鈥淭hen 鈥� we provide interesting tidbits of information and answer any questions they have as the games go on.鈥�

Lin and Surka are neither seen nor heard during the telecasts, but their role is nevertheless essential in covering a sport that few viewers (and perhaps the announcers) truly understand as do Surka and Lin, longtime, successful former curlers.

As the competition begins, Lin said, 鈥淭he kind of information we provide is more like historical information about the teams, what鈥檚 interesting about them, like, this team has played together for how long. 鈥� As the round-robin goes on it鈥檚 more tournament-specific statistics.鈥� 

Surka has been handling those duties since the 2010 Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Lin since 2014 in Sochi, Russia. But they go much farther back with the sport than that, Surka especially. 

In Welland, Ontario, where he grew up, Surka played baseball and hockey while excelling at math. He took up curling in high school, but left the sport behind when he came to the United States to study aerospace engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

There he met Lin, who鈥檇 grown up outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with similar academic inclinations and brilliance.

鈥淲e worked with the same advisor (at MIT),鈥� she said. 

Lin knew nothing about curling when they met and in fact said she didn鈥檛 know Surka had ever played until they were engaged. 

Curling didn鈥檛 reenter the picture until the couple moved to the Washington, D.C., area and (of all places) found a curling community there. Lin started playing, and excelling, and soon she and Surka were competing throughout the Midwest and into Canada. 

In 2013, the same year they moved to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 鈥� Surka, now retired, to work at the Air Force Research Lab at Kirtland 鈥� they and two teammates won a mixed-team national title.

鈥淲e went to nationals seven times (between 2003-13),鈥� Surka said. 鈥淲e had a few bronze medals and finally got a gold.鈥�

Typically, Surka played the 鈥渟kip鈥� position, the team captain. Lin played third, or vice-skip.

Three years before that gold medal, before the Vancouver games, Surka had been helping the United States Curling Association establish a presence online. 

鈥淣BC was looking for a stats person to help their announcers,鈥� he said. 

Surka got the job. Lin accompanied him to Vancouver, though she wasn鈥檛 involved in NBC鈥檚 coverage. 

Four years later, Surka was headed for Sochi 鈥� but because it was Russia, it didn鈥檛 appear likely that Lin could go along in any non-professional capacity. 

Then, Lin said, 鈥�(The NBC person in charge) said, 鈥榃e actually have a position for you, if you鈥檇 like to come.鈥欌��

Neither Lin nor Surka traveled to Pyeongchang, South Korea (2018) or Beijing (2022), and it was understood from the start that they wouldn鈥檛 be going to Italy for the 2026 Games but would be working remotely from Connecticut. Most of, if not all, the announcers they鈥檙e assisting are also working from Stamford.

Because of the six-hour difference between Stamford and Cortina d鈥橝mpezzo, that can mean getting up in time for the 3 a.m. Eastern start of a match. Still, they said, the 2026 Games have been less demanding than those in the past.

鈥淭hey use curling to fill in the gaps a lot, like when there are weather delays in other events and they need a curling game to fill in,鈥� Lin said. Curling and hockey are the only sports in which there鈥檚 competition every single day during the Games. 

鈥淏ecause the weather has been pretty consistent, I guess, in Italy,鈥� she said, 鈥渨e haven鈥檛 had to do as much 鈥�. It鈥檚 work, but it鈥檚 been the most relaxed I鈥檝e been in an Olympiad, for sure.鈥�

Once the Games are over, Surka will be heading home 鈥� not home to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 but home to Welland for a curling holiday.

鈥淚 curl once a year,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter the Olympics, I鈥檓 going back to my hometown, curling with some friends from high school.鈥�

Lin, who鈥檚 also retired, most recently as a vice president of data and analytics at Presbyterian Hospital, will return to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and will skip the Welland trip. 鈥淯sually there鈥檚 a fair amount of carousing and drinking,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd I don鈥檛 need to be there for that.鈥� 

Still, there are marathons and triathlons to train for 鈥� not to mention research for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.