After failing to qualify for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Korey Dropkin, who grew up competing in tournaments, or bonspiels, near Boston and now resides in the curling hub of Duluth, Minn., realized a change was necessary. He aimed to find a new mixed doubles partner and focused on Cory Thiesse, a friend and former University of Minnesota Duluth classmate. Thiesse’s mother had been encouraging him to team up with her daughter for years. The moment had arrived to make his move. “I have always believed,” stated Dropkin, 30, “that she is the top shotmaker in the United States.”
Consequently, in April 2022, Dropkin invited Thiesse to join him for a drink at the Pickwick, a Duluth pub on the shores of Lake Superior owned by curlers. Although they were friends, a request for a solo meeting seemed out of the ordinary. “I found it a bit odd,” Thiesse recalled. “I was curious about his intentions.” Dropkin ordered an old-fashioned cocktail, while Thiesse chose a Moscow mule. Following some introductory conversation, Dropkin got straight to the point.
He asked if Thiesse would be his partner for the upcoming Olympic cycle.
“My answer was an immediate yes,” said Thiesse, 31.
Thiesse was also prepared for a new direction. Her previous partnership with five-time Olympian John Shuster, who won gold in PyeongChang, had not succeeded in qualifying for the Beijing Games in mixed doubles. They had competed together for roughly three seasons. “I was attempting to recruit her away from an American curling legend,” explained Dropkin, who is set to make his first Olympic appearance. Thiesse, who was an alternate for the women’s team that placed eighth in PyeongChang in 2018, phoned Shuster the following day. He was understanding and supportive of her choice, but added, according to Thiesse, “but I’m going to find a partner, and I’m going to beat you.”
Team Korey/Cory—sometimes referred to as Team Corey—secured victory at the 2025 U.S. mixed doubles team trials and finished fifth at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships, which qualified them for the Milano Cortina Olympics. (John Shuster did not qualify for his sixth Games; a team led by Danny Casper will represent the U.S. in the men’s tournament.) In fact, Dropkin and Thiesse will be the first American athletes to compete in Italy. Team Corey is scheduled to play Norway in a round-robin match the day before the opening ceremonies at 10:05 a.m. local time in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The pair credits their achievements to a combination of skills that work well together. “Korey supplies the energy for our team,” Thiesse mentioned during a joint interview with Dropkin in late October from Edmonton, Canada, where they later won the Saville Mixed Doubles Classic. “He is Mr. Fist Bump. He’s incredibly energetic. That’s fantastic for me, as it’s a quality I’ve often missed on the ice. I tend to be the more calm and collected one. So I believe I sometimes help to ground him.”
“And that’s a good thing,” Dropkin added. “That’s a good thing.”
However, Thiesse can also be vocal when needed. A common understanding is that the louder Thiesse yells on the ice, the more vigorously Dropkin sweeps to polish the surface, reduce friction, and help the stone travel further and in a straighter line.
When traveling, they frequently share an Airbnb. Dropkin, who works as a realtor when not representing the U.S., takes charge of most cooking, while Thiesse, employed at a mercury-testing lab, does the majority of the cleaning. Dropkin’s tendency to leave dirty dishes in the sink irritates Thiesse, although he is improving. They spent Halloween night carving pumpkins together.
Both are in committed relationships with other people; Thiesse is married, and Dropkin is engaged. Married teams are not unusual in mixed curling. “We enjoy seeing them become frustrated when they compete against us,” Dropkin said. (Married pairs like Switzerland’s Briar Schwaller-Huerlimann and Yannick Schwaller, Canada’s Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, and Norway’s Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten are also competing in Cortina.)
Team Corey anticipates a strong contingent of supporters from Duluth and elsewhere at the Games. “We attempt not to become overly focused on the fact that this is the Olympics and the pressure is immense,” Dropkin noted. “As our coach frequently reminds us, it’s just another bonspiel.”