BEIJING — At one point on Thursday, Team USA skip John Shuster had a casual chat with Swedish counterpart Niklas Edin, reflective of how the international curling community gets along.
At another point, following the fifth end, Shuster slammed his broom to the ice in frustration. That was reflective of the points Team USA was leaving on the ice.
Catching up with Edin was much easier than catching up to the Swedish curlers, as Team USA lost 7-4 in a preliminary-round match at the National Aquatics Center, where Michael Phelps won eight gold medals during the 2008 summer games.
