Phill Drobnick
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| Born | Phillip Drobnick October 8, 1980 Virginia, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Phillip Drobnick (born October 8, 1980, in Virginia, Minnesota[1]) is an American curler who has been involved with the sport of curling since 1986 and is currently serving as the Director of Coaching and National Team Director for USA Curling.[citation needed]
As head coach for the USA Curling program's Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles teams.[citation needed]
Curling career
[edit]Drobnick won the Minnesota State junior Championship in 2000 and 2003, allowing him to advance to the United States Junior National Championships. In 2000, Drobnick won the gold medal and advanced to the World Junior Championships in Geising, Germany, where he finished 6th.[2] He competed in the United States Olympic curling trials for the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics, receiving bronze in the trials in 2001.[1] At the 2011 United States Men's Curling Championship he played lead on Tyler George's team and finished second, losing in the final to Pete Fenson.[3]
Coaching career
[edit]Drobnick started coaching the Chris Plys junior rink in the fall of 2006, coaching the team through two Minnesota State junior Championships (2007 and 2008), two United States Junior Championships, and two World Junior Curling Championships. In 2008, the team won the World Junior Championships in Östersund, Sweden, marking the first win for the United States in 24 years. In 2009, Drobnick lead Team Plys to the World Junior Championship once again, where the team won the bronze medal.[4]
In 2016, Drobnick coached the Men's team to a bronze medal at the Men's World Championships in Switzerland and to a gold medal at the World Cup of Curling in Omaha Nebraska two years later, in 2018. That same year, Drobnick was promoted to Director of Coaching for USA Curling where, in addition to coaching the men's national team, he oversaw a staff of six team coaches.[5]
He served as the National Coach for Team USA at the World Mixed Doubles Championship in 2023, leading Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse to a Mixed Doubles World Championship title.[citation needed]
Olympics
[edit]Drobnick coached in four Winter Olympic Games (2010, 2018, 2022 and 2026).[citation needed]
Drobnick coached the U.S. Men's Team, led by Skip John Shuster, during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and is best known for coaching Team Shuster to the United States’ historic first ever gold medal in curling in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.[citation needed]
In 2022, he was named head Olympic Coach for all three disciplines – U.S. Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles.[citation needed]
At the 2026 Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Drobnick lead the U.S. Mixed Doubles team, Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse, to a silver medal, making history with Cory Thiesse becoming the first American female to ever medal in the sport of Curling.[6] Drobnick's Women's and Men's teams had notable performances as well – the women's team finished fourth, tying for their best finish in U.S. history.[citation needed]
Drobnick advocates for an athlete-centered, coach-driven approach, focusing on technical development and ice mapping. He prioritizes team closeness, crediting his“ONE TEAM USA” vision for the teams’ success in Milano-Cortina.[citation needed]
In 2025, Drobnick announced that the 2026 Winter Olympics would be his last.[7] He retired from head coaching in the Spring of 2026, transitioning to an administrative role for USA Curling.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]Drobnick grew up in Eveleth, Minnesota, and studied at the University of Minnesota Duluth.[1] He lives in Woodbury, Minnesota. Prior to coaching full time, he worked as a probation officer in St. Louis County.[8][9] He is married to Shannon Drobnick and has two sons[citation needed].
Advocacy and philanthropy
[edit]In 2019, Drobnick was appointed to the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection.[10]
He was named to the Governor-appointed Amateur Sports Commission in 2019.[11]
He was named to the Governor-appointed Juvenile Justice Advisory Commission in 2023.[12]
He currently serves as President of the Curl Mesabi Foundation and is Founder and Vice President of the Golden Bear Foundation.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Phill Drobnick". Team USA. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ↑ "World Junior Curling Championships 2000". worldcurling.org. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ↑ "USA Men's Nationals: Team George - Duluth, MN". curlingzone.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ↑ "Olympic coach reflects on gold". The Timberjay. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ↑ "Curling: Eveleth's Drobnick earns promotion". Duluth News Tribune. June 14, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ↑ "Winter Olympics 2026: Cory Thiesse, USA's first female Olympic curling medallist, hopes to inspire young girls to dream big". Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ↑ Romsass, Jim (August 22, 2025). "Drobnick announces retirement from coaching curling". Mesabi Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Minnesotans in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics". Minnesota Public Radio News. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ↑ "Commission on Judicial Selection / Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan". Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ↑ "Walz, Flanagan Announce Appointees to the Commission on Judicial Selection". Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ↑ "BOARD/COMMISSION: Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission". commissionsandappointments.sos.mn.gov. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ↑ "BOARD/COMMISSION: Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee". commissionsandappointments.sos.mn.gov. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
