Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

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Deuce Canada
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Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#1

Post by Deuce »

Well, ladies and gentlemen, here it is - the topic you’ve all been so impatiently waiting for!

To my fellow Canucks: remember... you’re not a real Canadian if you don’t like curling.

So... what are your thoughts on the Brier, currently being played?
What were your thoughts on the ‘Scotties’, played 2 weeks ago?
What are your thoughts on the upcoming world championships?

These guys and gals never cease to impress me with their shotmaking. Even in a season when they basically didn’t play any games - and in many cases didn’t even practice - due to the virus restrictions, they've come to the 'Scotties' and the Brier and, after adjusting to the ice, are making shots that mere mortals can only dream of.

I haven't been able to play at all this winter because of the virus restrictions - but I am certainly enjoying watching it (other than the fact that watching it really makes me want to go out and play)...
The Brier gets down to serious business today, with the start of the championship round (otherwise known as the playoffs).

So, hello, curling people!

Hello?...
Hello?

Curling people...?
R.I.P. Amal...

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice - it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”- Jim Hightower
ptmcmahon Canada
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#2

Post by ptmcmahon »

The Scotties I found the play very uneven... but that’s probably no big surprise given the lack of practice time and for some teams new players to teams. Nice to see Einarson going to get to go to a world championship after all. Only just found out the other day that it was back on.

Haven’t seen much of the Brier yet... but man had Wayne Middaugh turned back the clock. He has been making everything when I’ve gotten to watch him. I’m personally pulling for Bottcher though... he deserves a win in the final after the last three years.

I don’t play, but son does (at Mayflower, famous for Colleen Jones.) They couldn’t do a real season but were able to put together a mini 3 kid team round robin tournament that wraps up tomorrow.
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#3

Post by Deuce »

Yes - the 'Scotties' started off rather slowly, and not at the level we usually see. But the quality improved significantly as the week went on. And the wacky Quebec team was fun to watch - brought back nice memories of Guy Hemmings.

For sure, Wayne Middaugh has been the story of the Brier. A partly 'bionic' leg (the result of a skiing accident), and hadn't curled competitively for 5 years - and wasn't expecting to be anywhere near the Brier... But the call came, and the team he's skipping went 7-1 in the preliminary round. No-one would have predicted that.

As for Bottcher - they are my favourite team. I think they have the best team dynamic of all the teams. Three of the four are rather quirky characters - in different ways - and they all just work really well and very naturally together.

It's good that the Women's Worlds will be played - because it looked like they were going to lose out for the second year in a row, while the Men's Worlds was played both years - which would not be fair. I know one of the teams who'll be playing in the Women's Worlds (not Einarson), and it's always fun to communicate with them as its being played.

I'm glad your kid got to play some this winter.
Have you ever gone out with him to throw a few rocks? If not, you should try it. It looks so easy on TV - but it's not nearly as easy as it looks.
R.I.P. Amal...

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice - it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”- Jim Hightower
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#4

Post by skatingfan »

Men's worlds was also cancelled last year - was originally supposed to be in Scotland.
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#5

Post by ptmcmahon »

No, haven’t played with son. I did play once and loved it, especially sweeping... just one of those things no time for now. Maybe later when kids older or work slows down and I have more free time.

Funny I thought the same thing about Bottcher team when I first saw them in Alberta playoffs years ago...’that they seem like a very different personality team, esspcially Moulding and Bottcher...but it works.
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#6

Post by Deuce »

skatingfan wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 3:23 am Men's worlds was also cancelled last year - was originally supposed to be in Scotland.
^ Right.
It's been hard to keep proper track of things over the past year...
What day is it today, again - Monday or Tuesday?

Middaugh is running out of gas now...
R.I.P. Amal...

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice - it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”- Jim Hightower
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#7

Post by ptmcmahon »

Nothing against Koe, but will be pulling for whoever wins the semifinal to win the final. Dunstone sure seems like he is going to win at least a couple of Briers at the pace he’s been at, but would be great to see Bottcher finally win one.

Middaugh almost pulled out the three in the tenth there too... tomorrow almost looked a lot different.
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#8

Post by Deuce »

ptmcmahon wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:54 am Nothing against Koe, but will be pulling for whoever wins the semifinal to win the final. Dunstone sure seems like he is going to win at least a couple of Briers at the pace he’s been at, but would be great to see Bottcher finally win one.

Middaugh almost pulled out the three in the tenth there too... tomorrow almost looked a lot different.
Yes, but even if Middaugh would have scored the 3 in the 10th, that would have only tied it. Playing the last end tied without hammer at this level doesn't often end in success. But they'd have had a chance, at least... and it sure would have been nice to see them at least in a tiebreaker today.

Koe apparently pulled a rock that was barely touched (burnt) when playing against one of the Territories at the beginning of the week. I didn't see it, and so cannot comment directly... but some people who saw it were comparing it to Homan's removal of the barely touched rock in the Olympics a few years ago (which I did see, and which was classless - I was a Homan fan before that, but since seeing that, I can't stand her).
The rule is that the non-offending skip can - not must - remove the burnt rock. It is at the discretion of the non-offending skip. Underlying the rule is the gentleman's understanding that if the rock's path was not affected in any measurable manner, the rock will remain.
In the Homan case, the rock was in no way affected - so her pulling the rock was a cheap shot. From the accounts I've heard, the situation was similar with Koe. If that's the case, it was also very cheap.

So... yeah - anyone but Koe would be fine with me, as well.
R.I.P. Amal...

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice - it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”- Jim Hightower
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#9

Post by ptmcmahon »

Finally won it :D Very happy for them.

Saving final for son... I’m going to predict he’s going to be mad that Koe didn’t try something with his final rock... he’s the Never give up type ... imagine it will drive him nuts.
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#10

Post by Deuce »

Yeah - it was great to see the Misfits finally win. It's just too bad that there were no people in the seats for that maiden win - they would have gone nuts, it being their home province and all.

I agree - Koe should have at least thrown his final rock and tried something - he had nothing to lose. Time was obviously a factor - they had only about 40 seconds to decide what to throw, get to the hack, and throw (because Koe's teams always use up way too much time during games - Bottcher had 6 or 7 minutes remaining at the end in comparison). But, hell, give it a shot, at least. Because he didn't, the ending was quite the anti-climax.
And any celebration of a win (in any sport) is rather awkward and incomplete without fans being there, and the noise and atmosphere they create.

It's going to be enjoyable watching them in the World Championships.
R.I.P. Amal...

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice - it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”- Jim Hightower
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#11

Post by Deuce »

Korea beat Canada in the Men's World Championships yesterday - for the first time ever.
It was a crazy game - Korea jumped way out ahead - 6-1 after 4 ends. Canada had a chance to score 3 or 4 in the 7th to tie it or go ahead, but Korea ended up stealing 1 in that end to make it 8-3.
Then Canada scored 4 in the 8th, and stole 2 in the 9th to go ahead 9-8.
But Korea scored 2 in the 10th to win.
Wild game; surprising result.
R.I.P. Amal...

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice - it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”- Jim Hightower
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#12

Post by ptmcmahon »

Haven't watched yet but from the standings don't recognize the Norway skip who is leading the standings (or the Russian one tied for second.)
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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#13

Post by Deuce »

ptmcmahon wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:11 am Haven't watched yet but from the standings don't recognize the Norway skip who is leading the standings (or the Russian one tied for second.)
I don't recognize the Russian players, either. The Russian women's teams have done better than the Russian men over the past 10 years or so.

Walstad (Norway skip) has been around for a while. Not as long as Ulsrud was, though.
R.I.P. Amal...

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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#14

Post by Deuce »

It's interesting to hear the sweeping instructions in the different languages... but when the situation is urgent, pretty much all the teams resort to "HARD!"
R.I.P. Amal...

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Re: Curling! (the sport, not your hair)

#15

Post by Deuce »

Sweden stole the win from Canada last night. Canada was in control, and was the better team, throughout the game. But Sweden capitalized on a couple of slight misses by Canada in the last couple of ends.
Before that, Canada lost to Russia.
All of this means that Canada is fighting for a playoff spot, which is quite surprising.
R.I.P. Amal...

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice - it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”- Jim Hightower
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