Jefferson Pharmacy Student Laura Hallisey is a Curling Olympic Hopeful

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Laura Hallisey in Competition

PHILADELPHIA, PA (02/23/2011)(readMedia)-- Laura Hallisey, a resident of Conshohocken, PA, originally from Medfield, MA, is a first-year student in Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson School of Pharmacy and an Olympic hopeful in the sport of curling. As one of five members of the U.S. Women's National Curling Team, Hallisey competed in the Continental Cup of Curling, the top level international event held in Alberta, Canada, in January. "The amount of skill that was present there was incredible," she says. "It's the coolest feeling to represent your country. I'm more patriotic than I've ever been. Even a simple 4th of July event makes me so proud to represent the USA." Hallisey's ultimate goal is to make it to the 2014 Olympics and to accomplish this, her team must win the 2013 National Event, where the winners double as the Olympic team.

Curling is a game of strategy and teamwork played on ice, where two teams of four alternate sliding heavy stones toward a circular, ice-marked target. After the stone is thrown, its direction can be altered by two team members sweeping brooms on the ice in front of its path. Curling had high viewership rates at the 2010 Olympics, and Hallisey is optimistic that it will be televised at a higher rate during the next winter games and, in turn, gain a larger audience.

Hallisey understands that most people don't consider curling their #1 sport of choice, but for her it was a given, since her parents were curlers and she grew up accompanying them to the local curling club. "Most curlers would say they've been curling since the womb," she says, but she started around the age of nine. She admits her luck of finding a competitive team in Massachusetts, when the sport is most popular in midwestern states like Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. "They breed better curlers there," she jokes, saying that on the East coast, people tend to curl recreationally rather than to compete. Although for her curling is competitive, she also finds it fun and relaxing. She loves the opportunities the sport gives her to meet people and see different places. She adds, "there's always more to learn and there's so much strategy involved in the game. I can't get enough!"

Hallisey is training for her next big tournament: the World Women's Curling Championship in Denmark in March. She trains locally at a curling club in Paoli. "Curling is a sport you can practice primarily on your own because most of the game is muscle memory," she explains. "If you get out there and keep your balance and strength you're fine. As you get to a competitive level, you know how everyone on your team works. It's not like a soccer team where you have to practice together four times a week." She keeps in touch with her teammates via Skype and sees them at tournaments on alternate weekends.

During her first semester at Jefferson School of Pharmacy, Hallisey played in seven tournaments, primarily in Canada. Tournaments are usually held on weekends, so she has been able to juggle the demanding Doctor of Pharmacy program's course load and curling training and competitions with the assistance of podcasts, online lectures, understanding faculty and accommodating classmates. She plans to graduate in 2014, but she may need to delay graduation until 2015 if she qualifies for the Olympics. She says, "any stress of juggling coursework with curling is worth it if I can represent the USA in the Olympics someday."