Sarah Fenson, newly married into Bemidji's curling royalty, has led her team to a perfect record at the 2026 Mixed Doubles National Championship in Bemidji, Minnesota. Partnered with Andrew Stopera, the No. 1 seed advanced to the semifinals after going 6-0 in Pool A. The event highlights her integration into the storied Fenson family legacy.
BEMIDJI, Minnesota — Sarah Fenson, who married into the prominent Fenson curling family in July 2025, is making her mark at the 2026 Mixed Doubles National Championship hosted at the Bemidji Curling Club. Her father-in-law, Pete Fenson, captained the U.S. men's team to a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, under the coaching of her grandfather-in-law, Bob Fenson. Both attended Friday's events to support her efforts.
Fenson, partnered with Andrew Stopera, entered as the top seed and dominated Pool A with a 6-0 record through Friday, securing a semifinal spot starting Sunday morning. "It doesn’t even feel like my last name yet," Fenson said, reflecting on the Fenson banners adorning the club. "But I’m getting used to it."
Raised in a curling family in Philadelphia with Canadian parents and four sisters—including her identical twin, Taylor Anderson-Heide, who is Olympic-bound—Fenson moved to Minneapolis for year-round training facilities. There, she met her husband, Graem Fenson, son of Pete, whom she knew from prior coaching. "It’s nice to have married into a family that gets it and understands curling," she said. "We have a lot of fun just talking curling, watching curling. So my family and their family, it's great that we all love the sport so much."
The Fenson family business, Dave’s Pizza, sponsored her team with apparel. Stopera, from a curling family in New York City, joined her in 2022 after she persisted in contacting him. "So Sarah reached out to me, and then I ghosted her for like a week," he recalled. "Then she reached out again, and I said yes, and we’ve been teammates ever since."
Stopera seeks to break his streak of silvers from the 2021-2023 nationals and 2025 Olympic trials. His father, Bill Stopera, recently won the 2026 Senior Men’s National Championship, heading to the world event in Switzerland from April 25 to May 2. "He’s already booked his ticket, and hopefully we can book our ticket and then it’ll be a whole family affair," Andrew said.
Other contenders include the 5-1 Kawleski/Kauffman duo in qualification and 5-1 Moores/Wheeler as No. 2 seed for semifinals. Fenson praised Bemidji's support: "It's awesome to be in a community that loves the sport... This town loves curling, so we really love being in a place that supports the sport and supports us."
Pete Fenson added, "It’s always special... She’s fantastic. She’s a great addition to our family."
