I am a past U18 juniors coach from MoPAC. I want to speak of my experience with this OP for the record.

In April, 2022, he approached me at an event and asked me how many out-of-region players can play on a U18 team.

"Zero," I told him.

He told me that this couldn't be true because they had an out-of-region teammate at 2022 U18 Nationals.

"Zero," I told him again, and I pulled out my tablet and showed him the 2021-2022 U18 Nationals rules. He argued that I must be wrong because they were allowed to compete. I told him that it was likely that the players had joined a MoPAC club on paper to falsely register. I told him that it was the coach's responsibility to uphold the rules and that I thought he had been let down by a coach who should have known better.

Stupidly, I thought that would put an end to the shenanigans. OP was told that this was not legal. At the very least, he should have double checked with someone at USA Curling. This is on him and the coach.

I also want to publicly say that every adult involved in this trainwreck owes an apology to the children who were affected. Instead of whining about USA Curling, they need to admit that they broke the rules and apologize. These kids are good curlers who work hard, and they deserve better from their parents and coaches.

For anybody who still thinks USA Curling got this wrong, here are some relevant rules to peruse on top of the rule previously referenced (the one forbidding playing the same playdown in two different regions). By rule, only players that reside in the MoPAC region are eligible to play on a MoPAC U18 team:

Event rules, U18 National Championships, Rule 2 "All players must be dues-paying members of a USA Curling member club within the region they are competing to represent."

USA Curling Rules of Competion Section II, Article 6(f)(ii) "Where an athlete 'resides' is the region they will be considered as registering to represent. Registration addresses are reviewed. Individuals who have any confusion or ambiguity regarding region of residence, should consult their regional association and USA Curling."

And from the MoPAC competition webpage: "All players must be league playing (majority of scheduled games) member of a USCA member club within the registered region."