Mark

Lazar

Position	Lead
Teammates	Heath McCormick, Bill Stopera, Dean Gemmell
Delivers	Right-handed
Age	38
Hometown	Toledo, Ohio
Occupation	Event planner with BlackBx and also works for the family business
Family	Single
Year started curling	1996
Education	Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Toledo

CURLING HIGHLIGHTS

• U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- Curling: 2005 (10th)
• U.S. National Championships: 2015 (5th), 2013 (5th), 2012 (9th), 2010 (10th), 2006 (9th), 2005 (10th), 2003, 2002, 2001
• U.S. Junior National Championships: 1999, 1998

About Mark Lazar:

Curls out of: Detroit Curling Club

Curling start: "I attended Bowling Green State University and needed a 'gym' credit my freshman year. I was going through the course catalog and I noticed curling. I convinced several of my friends to take the class with me. The following year we joined the Bowling Green Curling Club. I believe that we only won one league game, but were the intramural champions at the university."

What he enjoys most about curling: "I really enjoy competing. I see myself as a very competitive person who can get very intense. The social aspect of the game is very entertaining. There are always new people to meet and old friends to catch up with."

Family: "I was able to get my dad to start curling a few years ago. My father seemed to really take to the social aspect of the sport. He currently is not curling because he is busy with off-season training for the 50 and over baseball, in which he has made it to the World Series the last two years."

Other sports: Baseball, fishing. "I used to snowboard and skateboard but had to give them up for fear of injury."

Curling goal: "My only goal in curling is to make my next shot. Focusing on my next shot is all I can worry about. If I continually make my next shot, things will take care of themselves."

Training: "I try to be on the ice at least five times a week." Mark also curls in three different leagues and attends numerous bonspiels.

Curling strengths: "I believe my greatest strength in my attitude. I can have fun anywhere."

Hobbies: A hobby of mine would be electronic dance music. Over the years I have worked for several record techno labels that are based in Detroit. I have thrown and helped throw numerous parties as well as events at night clubs. I was fortunate enough to work on the Detroit Electronic Music Festival in its first two years of its existence. (Both years we had over a million people.) Mark also belongs to a collective known as www.dorkwave.com."

Curling highlight: "My curling highlight would have been in '98 at the BG Summer 'Spiel. In the middle of one of my games I noticed that my parents had arrived. This was special because my father had brought my mother, who was extremely sick. They didn't stay very long due to my mom being ill, but it was a great surprise. This meant a lot because my mother used to drive the half-hour down to watch me curl in leagues while I was away at school. She was very supportive of my curling. This was the last time she was able to see my curl before she passed away."