Curling - Hog line violation by Steak?! - The Something Awful Forums

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Inept: Jul 8, 2003

Schedule https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/game-time/results/OWG2018/en/curling/daily-schedule.htm

Curling is fun to watch when you're bored. I have no idea why they yell at each other though, seems like a slightly raised voice would get the message across.

Chicken gives you a better Olympic backstory than NBC:

Chicken posted:

Women's Curling

Schedule - Click here!

Format
Ten teams play a round robin with the top four teams making the playoffs. 1 plays 4 and 2 plays 3 with the winners going to the gold medal game and the losers going to the bronze medal game.

Why should I watch women's curling?
Women's curling has improved by leaps and bounds in the past 20 years and the top women's teams are probably good enough to curl in the men's tournament. This is due to most curling federations moving to equalize curling funding between men and women. In Canada, the big tournaments have an equal amount of prize money for men and women and women's events get just as much TV time as men. Unlike a lot of team sports, most of the women's teams here could play toe to toe against most of the men's teams.

All that being said, while there are no rule differences between the two events, women's curling does tend to play out slightly differently. Women tend to play more of a finesse game with fewer big take out shots and more rocks in play. I slightly prefer watching women's curling because it's more the style I like to play when I'm skipping.

Teams

Canada - Skip: Rachel Homan Third: Emma Miskew Second: Joanne Courtney Lead: Lisa Weagle Alternate: Cheryl Bernard

This is the best women's team in the world. They went undefeated at last year's world championships and look unstoppable most of the time. They play more takeouts and big weight shots than most of the women's teams but are not at all afraid to play a low weight finesse game. Generally they'll play the first end as open as possible, mix it up for a few ends to get the lead, and then hit everything until they win the game. It's not always the most exciting game to watch but their brutal efficiency is a masterclass in strategy. If they have a weakness it's that their play on the curling tour this year has been a bit spotty, but they've been very clear that their priority has been the Olympics and I expect them to be in top form.

Official Chicken Prediction: Gold
Hero or Villain? Hero if you're Canadian, so very villainous if you're not.

China - Skip: Wang Bingyu Third: Zhou Yan Second: Liu Jinli Lead: Ma Jingyi Alternate: Jiang Xindi

There have been a few line up changes, but the bones of this team surprised a lot of the world by winning the women's world championship in 2009. They followed that up with a bronze in Vancouver but it's been slim pickings since then, finishing middle of the pack at most events. They tend to play a low risk game; they'd rather make a simple draw for one than a triple take out for three. Their strategy is generally good if a bit risk-averse, but they do sometimes have problems with ice reading (how much the rock will curl at different weights). Expect some low scoring games especially for the first 2 or 3 games although they may have to move to a more aggressive game if they start falling in the rankings. I've seen a few places thinking they're medal favourites, but I would be pretty surprised.

Official Chicken Prediction: Sixth
Hero or Villain? On one hand, they could be a good comeback story, on the other hand they're kind of boring to watch. Mild villain I guess?

Denmark - Skip: Madeleine Dupont Third: Denise Dupont Second: Julie H�gh Lead: Mathilde Halse Alternate: Lina Knudsen

Denmark just squeaked into the Olympics over Italy and I expect they'll have a tough go of it here. They have a bit of experience at the world championships but looked outmatched against most of the top teams. Their fundamentals are sound so don't expect them to get blown out in every game, but their shot calling is occasionally suspect and they don't have quite enough talent at the top end to bail them out. I've only seen a few games from them but they tend to play with a lot of rocks in play eschewing the hitting game almost completely. They'll sometimes be completely overwhelmed with two or three opponents rocks well guarded and only a hail mary left for their final shot. Expect them to lose a lot but also put up a ton of points and have some exciting ends.

Official Chicken Prediction: Tenth
Hero or Villain? South Korea gets the underdog hero spot, but it will still be hard to cheer against Denmark.

Great Britain - Skip: Eve Muirhead Third: Anna Sloan Second: Vicki Adams Lead: Lauren Gray Alternate: Kelly Schafer

The good news: Eve Muirhead and Anna Sloan are two of the best curlers in the world. The bad news: the rest of the team, not so much. The team is still a medal favourite and have loads of experience in international play, but I just can't see them competing for a gold medal. There are times where Anna will be facing a pile of opponent rocks on her first throw. To their credit, they can get themselves out of almost every situation, but expect a rough game when they play Canada or Sweden. In terms of strategy, they're a well-rounded team: equally comfortable with big weight shots and the soft finesse shots.

Official Chicken Prediction: Bronze
Hero or Villain? If this makes you think of Braveheart and gets your Scottish juices flowing then hero.

Japan - Skip: Satsuki Fujisawa Third: Chinami Yoshida Second: Mari Motohashi Lead: Yurika Yoshida Alternate: Yumi Suzuki

Most of the European and North American teams are semi professional. They'll play a whole bunch of events on the World Curling Tour and the (kind of) big money Canadian tournaments and then work the rest of the year at an accounting firm or something. The Asian teams, due to the travel costs, won't play many events outside Asia, but are generally funded by the Olympic committees in the country to be full time curlers. Japan sort of does both: the team actually works for a company but spends most of their time curling on the company's dime as a promotional thing. So this team has the time and the money for coaching and are extremely solid curlers. What they lack is a lot of experience against top teams. I'm sure they've played China and South Korea a lot but may find themselves playing blind against some of the other teams. Of course that goes both ways; Canada and Sweden might not know what to expect when they play Japan. They tend to play a bit more offensively than the Chinese with more rocks in play and might be able to surprise a few teams.

Official Chicken Prediction: Seventh
Hero or Villain? As a man terrified of corporations taking over everything, I'd have to say they're villains.

That Country Between Finland and North Korea That We Can't Name - Skip: Victoria Moiseeva Third: Uliana Vasilyeva Second: Galina Arsenkina Lead: Julia Guzieva Alternate: Yulia Portunova

For years, Anna Sidorova has been the face of Russian women's curling but her team lost to these women at the national playdowns. I don't know anything about this team, but Anna Sidorova would have been a medal favourite so this team must be pretty good. For most teams, the alternate is only there in case of illness or injury but in the past Russia have used substituted their alternate if one player wasn't playing great or to play against some the opposing teams weaknesses and you might see that here.

Official Chicken Prediction: Uhhhhhhh fifth I guess?
Hero or Villain? You just can't cheer for Russian people at these Olympics. Villain.

South Korea - Skip: Kim Eun-jung Third: Kim Kyeong-ae Second: Kim Seon-yeong Lead: Kim Yeong-mi Alternate: Kim Cho-hi

Another team I don't know much about. I expect they'll play a bit like the Chinese and Japanese teams but they've pulled in some top Canadian talent to coach so you might see some more North American style strategy. I don't think they'll do well due to their lack of experience but never underestimate how far a home town crowd can get you.

Official Chicken Prediction: Ninth
Hero or Villain? Underdog Heroes! And as has been mentioned in this thread, the South Korean fans are loud and boisterous and a lot of fun.

Sweden - Skip: Anna Hasselborg Third: Sara McManus Second: Agnes Knochenhauer Lead: Sofia Mabergs Alternate: Jennie W�hlin

Eternal second place finishers, this team has never won a major international competition but they're almost always a medal favourite. They're a well balanced team with no flaws and they're young but have a pile of international experience. In terms of strategy they play more up weight shots than most of the teams but not quite as much as Canada. They're fun to watch and will put up a pile of rocks in play if they feel they can exploit a weakness in the other team. The only question is if they have can finally win a gold medal.

Official Chicken Prediction: Silver
Hero or Villain? As the only team with a shot at toppling the Canadians, they've got to be heroes. Unless you're Canadian.

Switzerland - Skip: Silvana Tirinzoni Third: Manuela Siegrist Second: Esther Neuenschwander Lead: Marlene Albrecht Alternate: Jenny Perret

This is another team that's come out of nowhere. It's no surprise to see Switzerland here, but for years this has been the third best team in the country. But this team went undefeated at the Swiss qualifiers and could certainly surprise a few teams here. I haven't seen more than a few games from them but they appear to be a poor man's Sweden: well rounded, excellent strategically, just a bit less skill.

Official Chicken Prediction: fourth
Hero or Villain? Good black horse team. You can cheer for them and when they finish well you can astound all your friends by saying that you were cheering for Switzerland at the beginning of the round robin.

United States - Skip: Nina Roth Third: Tabitha Peterson Second: Aileen Geving Lead: Rebecca Hamilton Alternate: Cory Christensen

There's some impressive junior curling credentials on this team but not a lot at the senior level. Lead Rebecca Hamilton is also playing in the mixed doubles which could give them a spark of momentum or just tire her out. From what little I've seen, they're a middle of the road team with no glaring weaknesses but nothing that puts them above the rest of the pack.

Official Chicken Prediction: eighth
Hero or Villain? Do you really want to cheer for Americans?

Chicken posted:

Men's Curling

Schedule - Click here!

Format
Ten teams play a round robin with the top four teams making the playoffs. 1 plays 4 and 2 plays 3 with the winners going to the gold medal game and the losers going to the bronze medal game.

Teams

Canada - Skip: Kevin Koe Third: Marc Kennedy Second: Brent Laing Lead: Ben Hebert Alternate: Scott Pfeifer

After the retirement of Kevin Martin, there hasn't been one men's team that can claim to be the best in Canada. Gushue, MacEwen, Norris, and Jacobs have all given it a try but since the creation of this all star team in 2014, they've certainly made the best argument. The lead and third won a gold medal with Kevin Martin in Vancouver and there's a combined nine world championships between the four players. Kevin Koe himself has spent much of his career in obscurity, growing up in the curling backwater of Yellowknife, NWT and then spending years as a second tier team in Alberta before the retirements of Martin and Ferbey allowed him to come to the fore. These guys throw huge weight with deadly accuracy and there will be a highlight reel shot every other end. That's not the only tool in their belt though; their draw weight is exceptional and Kevin's ice reading is second to none. I wouldn't put them as heavily favourited as Rachel Homan, but anything less than gold will be a disappointment.

Official Chicken Prediction: Gold
Hero or Villain? They yell a lot and are kind of dicks on the ice. Even as a Canadian it'll be hard to cheer for these guys.

Denmark - Skip: Rasmus Stjerne Third: Johnny Frederiksen Second: Mikkel Poulsen Lead: Oliver Dupont Alternate: Morten Berg Thomsen

A bit more experienced than their female compatriots, this team will still have a tough time of it here. They don't have the skill at the big weight shots that allow a team to hold a lead, so while they might be able to mix it up in the middle of a game, expect the other teams to pounce on these guys in the eighth and ninth ends.

Official Chicken Prediction: Ninth
Hero or Villain? The most villainous Scandinavians here although that's not saying much.

Great Britain - Skip: Kyle Smith Third: Thomas Muirhead Second: Kyle Waddell Lead: Cameron Smith Alternate: Glen Muirhead

This team was selected by their country's Olympic committee over the established David Murdoch which was a bit of a surprise. Having seen a bit of their play, it's hard to see why that decision was made, but Scotland is deep enough that these guys could win a few games. The talent is apparent but the experience just isn't there and unless they've done a lot of homework since I last saw them, the shot-calling will be hit and miss.

Official Chicken Prediction: Eighth
Hero or Villain? Villainous usurpers of the rightful representative.

Italy - Fourth: Amos Mosaner Skip: Jo�l Retornaz Second: Simone Gonin Lead: Daniele Ferrazza Alternate: Andrea Pilzer

Every time I've seen these guys play, one of the commentators brings up when they beat Canada in the round robin at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. They didn't make the playoffs that year, but a victory over Canada by a second tier curling country put their name in a lot of people's minds. There have been a few lineup changes in the past twelve years, but there's still that ability to beat some top teams. They play a quiet, unassuming game but keep enough rocks in play that they can score a big end by capitalizing on mistakes. I can't see them in a playoff spot but will be on the edge of my seat when they play Canada.

Official Chicken Prediction: Fifth
Hero or Villain? Giantkilling heroes.

Japan - Skip: Yusuke Morozumi Third: Tetsuro Shimizu Second: Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi Lead: Kosuke Morozumi Alternate: Kohsuke Hirata

This team's competed a bit on the Canadian circuit and get a little better each time I see them. The weight has always been good, but the strategy and ice reading has improved by leaps and bounds. They would prefer not to throw a lot of takeouts, and when they do, they'd prefer to play soft enough weight that some rocks will stick around. Hard to see them doing well against the top half of the teams but if they can beat the teams they're capable of beating and get a bit of luck, you might see them in a playoff spot.

Official Chicken Prediction: Sixth
Hero or Villain? They're only getting better so get on this bandwagon while you can.

Norway - Skip: Thomas Ulsrud Third: Torger Nerg�rd Second: Christoffer Svae Lead: H�vard Vad Petersson Alternate: Sander R�lv�g

They wear cool rear end pants. The last two Olympics have seen the pants of the Norwegian team achieve great heights: New York Times articles, magazine spreads, their own Facebook page. But behind the pants is a great team. Ulsrud is (I believe) the oldest player in the field and he's got the kind of veteran savvy that can carry a team. One of the most finesse based teams here, they play a fun style of curling with lots of rocks in the house. They've got the skill and savvy to stay in games even without the huge takeouts and when the dust settles I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys go home with a medal to showcase at their next pants photoshoot.

Official Chicken Prediction: Bronze
Hero or Villain? The pants are cool, the team is cool. Heroes!

South Korea - Skip: Kim Chang-min Third: Seong Se-hyeon Second: Oh Eun-Su Lead: Lee Ki-bokAlternate: Kim Min-chan

I've only seen this team once, when they finished second at a Canadian event late last year. Put a big asterisk next to that, because most of the big teams were preparing for Olympics qualifying and the winners were a third tier Scottish team. Still that's great experience for a young team and they should have the skill to keep most of the games close even if they don't win many.

Official Chicken Prediction: Tenth
Hero or Villain? Hometown heroes.

Sweden - Skip: Niklas Edin Third: Oskar Eriksson Second: Rasmus Wran� Lead: Christoffer Sundgren Alternate: Henrik Leek

These guys match up pretty well to the Canadians and their round robin game next Saturday will probably be a gold medal game preview. The front end is a little more elegant but Edin can throw big weight with the best in the world. He's also great at strategy and ice reading and he might be upset with a shot that looks good, just because he rolled an inch too far to set up a shot later in the end. No weaknesses except that they're not quiiiiiiite as good as Canada. Nevertheless, if they can take advantage of a few mistakes they have a decent shot at a gold.

Official Chicken Prediction: Silver
Hero or Villain? Still kind of dicks on the ice but they're nicer than Canada.

Switzerland - Fourth: Beno�t Schwarz Third: Claudio P�tz Skip: Peter de Cruz Lead: Valentin Tanner Alternate: Dominik M�rki

More well rounded than most of the other teams, they're partial to the low weight game but can throw big weight when needed. One of the unique things about this team is that their skip throws the third and fourth rocks. You'll see de Cruz holding the broom for the first two rocks, then run down to the other end to throw two shots, and then head back to holding the broom. It's a good tactical move to have whoever is the strategic genius plan the shots whatever rocks they throw, but there's some accountability to throwing the last rocks and running the team. You might see a bit of too many cooks in the kitchen, with the third and fourth expecting to have some input on the shots they'll throw. Keep an eye on the clock too, because all that discussion takes up valuable time.

Official Chicken Prediction: Fourth
Hero or Villain? Low key heroes.

United States - Skip: John Shuster Third: Tyler George Second: Matt Hamilton Lead: John Landsteiner Alternate: Joe Polo

This thread's punching bag, John Shuster returns to the Olympics happily unaware of his terrible reputation here. They like big weight and that might be all you need at the Ten Thousand Lakes Fun Bonspiel in Cold-As-Balls, Minnesota, but at the Olympics you need the finesse game too and I haven't seen anything to suggest they can match up here. Still, they've had some decent results in the past and if they can go in under the radar and avoid getting mixed up in ends that will be on "Worst of the Olympics" highlight reels, they have an extremely outside chance at a playoff spot.

Official Chicken Prediction: Seventh
Hero or Villain? Villain.

Chicken posted:

Mixed Doubles Curling

I know the least about mixed doubles curling but as it's started already I'll do what I can.

Schedule

Rules

Mixed doubles is a brand new event at the Olympics and pretty new overall. It was invented in 2001 and the first world championship wasn't until 2008. As you might guess from the name, teams consist of two players, one male and one female. Teams play eight ends instead of the ten in men's and women's. Each team throws five rocks an end with one player throwing the first and fifth rocks and the other player throw the other three. The other player can either hold the broom for the thrower to aim at or they can sweep the rock. The thrower can also get up and sweep their own rocks. There aren't really any rules on this so you might see teams change it up depending on the type of shot. No rocks can be taken out of play until after the fourth rock is thrown.

The biggest difference is that there are two rocks placed in play at the beginning of each end. The team that has last rock in the end gets a stone of their colour placed in the house at the back of the button. The other team has their stone placed as a guard in front of the other rock. Each team has the option, once per game when they have last rock, to move the rocks 4 feet to the side. This is called a powerplay. Just like hockey. I guess?

To determine who gets last rock in the first end (also called the hammer) all players throw a rock as close to the middle as possible. The team with the smallest combined distance to the middle get last rock. This is an advantage!

Format

The eight teams play a round robin. The top four teams make the playoffs. Team 1 plays Team 4 and Team 2 plays Team 3 with winners going to the gold medal game and losers going to the bronze medal game.

Teams

Canada - Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris

If you just looked at the pedigree of these two you'd think they'd be shoo-ins for the gold medal. Each have won an Olympic gold medal and between them they have multiple national and world championships. The only problem is that they've won all those in men's and women's. The first time they played mixed doubles was at the Canadian Olympic playdowns a month ago! Their biggest challenge will be learning the game. I noticed at the playdowns that John sometimes dictates what's going to happen while Kaitlyn often has the better plan. If they're going to challenge for a medal John's going to need to shut the hell up once in a while.

Hero or Villain? If you're not from Canada definitely villains, Heroes if you're Canadian.

China - Wang Rui and Ba Dexin

These two have won a silver and bronze medal at the last two mixed doubles world championships and they have have a handful of Olympic and world championship appearances. I haven't watched them play but if they're like the other Chinese teams they'll try to play a fairly defensive, low- scoring game.

Hero or Villain? Hero if you're a fan of racial diversity at the Winter Olympics.

Finland - Oona Kauste - Tomi Rantam�ki

She's played for the Finnish national women's team for a while. He, on the other hand, has come out of nowhere. There's nothing about him on the internet. Is he a spy? A ringer? Nobody knows! All we know is that they are the most Finnish looking people in the world.

Hero or Villain? Meh.

Norway - Kristin Skaslien - Magnus Nedregotten

I saw them beat Canada in the first game and they looked really good. He missed a few shots but she was on the ball. Or rock I guess. I don't think they played a single take out the whole game so expect to see some really high scoring games.

Hero or Villain? They don't wear cool pants like their men's team compatriots, so villain.

Definitely not Russia - Anastasia Bryzgalova - Alexander Krushelnitskiy

They won the world mixed doubles two year's ago so they can definitely challenge for a medal here. Unlike most of the other teams almost all of their experience is in mixed doubles so expect them to have a leg up on the competition. Although they got stomped by the Americans so what do I know?

Hero or Villain? I don't think Russia can avoid being the villains at these Olympics in any sport.

United States - Rebecca Hamilton - Matt Hamilton

Like the Canadians, these two have very little experience in mixed doubles but quite a bit of other curling experience. I assumed they'd be bad but they beat Russia so they might actually be good. He might be the most stereotypical American at the Olympics.

Hero or Villain? I want to say villain, but that moustache is endearing...

South Korea - Jang Hye-ji - Lee Ki-jeong

These two have basically no experience and only got in because their country is hosting. They beat Finland in their first game though so the boisterous home crowd might just carry them to the playoffs.

Hero or Villain? Underdog heroes!

Switzerland - Jenny Perret - Martin Rios

Switzerland has won more mixed doubles world championships than everybody else combined and they are definitely the gold medal favourites.

Hero or Villain? Do you like cheering for the New England Patriots, New York Yankees, or Manchester United? Then cheer for Switzerland you jerk.

Inept fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Feb 16, 2018

# ? Feb 8, 2018 04:44

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# ? Apr 16, 2024 05:18

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Inept posted:

Curling is fun to watch when you're bored. I have no idea why they yell at each other though, seems like a slightly raised voice would get the message across.

It's because they really want their teammates to hurry hard, dumbass.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 04:49

Marshal Prolapse: Jun 23, 2012; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Inept posted:

Curling is fun to watch when you're bored. I have no idea why they yell at each other though, seems like a slightly raised voice would get the message across.

The best part is they do it with the intensity and anger they would make you think a town was being ethnically cleansed.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 04:54

Leperflesh: May 17, 2007

Curling is cool and good.

This year there is a new curling event at the olympics: mixed doubles! In this game a man and a woman team up to curl. Also each end has only five stones instead of eight, and there's something called a power play, and probably other esoteric differences who cares.

Today America beat Russia in their first match of initial round-robin matches! Sorry if that's a spoiler but it's your fault for not watching mixed doubles curling live streaming!

By the way you can officially live stream your mixed doubles curling from here:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/curling

You can do it free for 30 minutes and after that you have to log in through a TV provider like comcast or directv or whtaever. If you don't have any of those things or even if you do, here is how to stream the olympics:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/7/16986832/winter-olympics-pyeongchang-2018-how-to-watch-live-stream

# ? Feb 8, 2018 04:55

sellouts: Apr 23, 2003

Curling is the best sport and I am not currently accepting messages on this matter

# ? Feb 8, 2018 05:03

Chicken: Apr 23, 2014

Curling is a good sport. I play a bit and watch a lot so if anybody has any questions just ask.

For anybody in Canada (or possibly if you can pretend you're from Canada?) CBC has every single game on demand on their website for free!

Mixed doubles is kind of weird but after watching the Canadian Olympics playdowns I've started to like it. The games are quicker and it rewards tactical thinking and soft precision shots over the "throw rocks really hard" strategy that some of the men's teams employ. It's also nice to have a curling event where the Canadians aren't medal favourites.

I'll do some writeups on the teams later, but for now, I'll just leave this here so you can get PUMPED THE gently caress UP FOR CURLING!

# ? Feb 8, 2018 05:09

Benne: Sep 2, 2011; STOP DOING HEROIN

Mixed doubles started today and :911:

got off to a great start with a glorious win over ~~Russia~~ the Olympic Athletes of Russia

# ? Feb 8, 2018 05:11

Inept: Jul 8, 2003

Chicken posted:

I'll do some writeups on the teams later

Cool, I will put it in the OP. Please indicate which teams are villains so we know who to boo.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 05:25

Eltoasto: Aug 26, 2002; We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.

Benne posted:

Mixed doubles started today and got off to a great start with a glorious win over ~~Russia~~ the Olympic Athletes of Russia

Oh I guess this isn't live then.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 06:17

Fearless_Decoy: Sep 27, 2001; You shall all soon witness the power of my Tragic 8-Ball!

All I remember from previous Winter Olympics is that Curling is awesome and the US Men's team has had some truly epic gently caress ups. Like 'give up 6 points in a frame" gently caress ups.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 06:41

Its Rinaldo: Aug 13, 2010; CODS BINCH

EVE MUIRHEAD

# ? Feb 8, 2018 06:50

Chicken: Apr 23, 2014

Mixed Doubles Curling

I know the least about mixed doubles curling but as it's started already I'll do what I can.

Schedule

Rules

Mixed doubles is a brand new event at the Olympics and pretty new overall. It was invented in 2001 and the first world championship wasn't until 2008. As you might guess from the name, teams consist of two players, one male and one female. Teams play eight ends instead of the ten in men's and women's. Each team throws five rocks an end with one player throwing the first and fifth rocks and the other player throw the other three. The other player can either hold the broom for the thrower to aim at or they can sweep the rock. The thrower can also get up and sweep their own rocks. There aren't really any rules on this so you might see teams change it up depending on the type of shot. No rocks can be taken out of play until after the fourth rock is thrown.

The biggest difference is that there are two rocks placed in play at the beginning of each end. The team that has last rock in the end gets a stone of their colour placed in the house at the back of the button. The other team has their stone placed as a guard in front of the other rock. Each team has the option, once per game when they have last rock, to move the rocks 4 feet to the side. This is called a powerplay. Just like hockey. I guess?

To determine who gets last rock in the first end (also called the hammer) all players throw a rock as close to the middle as possible. The team with the smallest combined distance to the middle get last rock. This is an advantage!

Format

The eight teams play a round robin. The top four teams make the playoffs. Team 1 plays Team 4 and Team 2 plays Team 3 with winners going to the gold medal game and losers going to the bronze medal game.

Teams

Canada - Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris

If you just looked at the pedigree of these two you'd think they'd be shoo-ins for the gold medal. Each have won an Olympic gold medal and between them they have multiple national and world championships. The only problem is that they've won all those in men's and women's. The first time they played mixed doubles was at the Canadian Olympic playdowns a month ago! Their biggest challenge will be learning the game. I noticed at the playdowns that John sometimes dictates what's going to happen while Kaitlyn often has the better plan. If they're going to challenge for a medal John's going to need to shut the hell up once in a while.

Hero or Villain? If you're not from Canada definitely villains, Heroes if you're Canadian.

China - Wang Rui and Ba Dexin

These two have won a silver and bronze medal at the last two mixed doubles world championships and they have have a handful of Olympic and world championship appearances. I haven't watched them play but if they're like the other Chinese teams they'll try to play a fairly defensive, low- scoring game.

Hero or Villain? Hero if you're a fan of racial diversity at the Winter Olympics.

Finland - Oona Kauste - Tomi Rantam�ki

She's played for the Finnish national women's team for a while. He, on the other hand, has come out of nowhere. There's nothing about him on the internet. Is he a spy? A ringer? Nobody knows! All we know is that they are the most Finnish looking people in the world.

Hero or Villain? Meh.

Norway - Kristin Skaslien - Magnus Nedregotten

I saw them beat Canada in the first game and they looked really good. He missed a few shots but she was on the ball. Or rock I guess. I don't think they played a single take out the whole game so expect to see some really high scoring games.

Hero or Villain? They don't wear cool pants like their men's team compatriots, so villain.

Definitely not Russia - Anastasia Bryzgalova - Alexander Krushelnitskiy

They won the world mixed doubles two year's ago so they can definitely challenge for a medal here. Unlike most of the other teams almost all of their experience is in mixed doubles so expect them to have a leg up on the competition. Although they got stomped by the Americans so what do I know?

Hero or Villain? I don't think Russia can avoid being the villains at these Olympics in any sport.

United States - Rebecca Hamilton - Matt Hamilton

Like the Canadians, these two have very little experience in mixed doubles but quite a bit of other curling experience. I assumed they'd be bad but they beat Russia so they might actually be good. He might be the most stereotypical American at the Olympics.

Hero or Villain? I want to say villain, but that moustache is endearing...

South Korea - Jang Hye-ji - Lee Ki-jeong

These two have basically no experience and only got in because their country is hosting. They beat Finland in their first game though so the boisterous home crowd might just carry them to the playoffs.

Hero or Villain? Underdog heroes!

Switzerland - Jenny Perret - Martin Rios

Switzerland has won more mixed doubles world championships than everybody else combined and they are definitely the gold medal favourites.

Hero or Villain? Do you like cheering for the New England Patriots, New York Yankees, or Manchester United? Then cheer for Switzerland you jerk.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 07:08

Its Rinaldo: Aug 13, 2010; CODS BINCH

Chicken is right, team Norway not wearing those pants is the most villainous act of these Olympics

# ? Feb 8, 2018 07:13

Chicken: Apr 23, 2014

You're in luck!

Just the pants, not the jackets obviously.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 07:16

CLAM DOWN: Feb 13, 2007

This mixed doubles event is hosed up also awesome and I really enjoyed these first matches!!

# ? Feb 8, 2018 07:52

Leperflesh: May 17, 2007

Chicken posted:

I'll just leave this here so you can get PUMPED THE gently caress UP FOR CURLING!

if anyone scrolled past this and didn't click on it then you hosed up badly!

# ? Feb 8, 2018 08:09

Grem: Mar 29, 2004; It's how her species communicates

Curling is my favorite Olympic sport, and mixed doubles is awesome cause the person throwing the stone has to sweep. loving hell am I pumped for curling!

They yell with the intensity of hockey but their game has the intensity of a nap!

# ? Feb 8, 2018 08:19

ilmucche: Mar 16, 2016

I'm not so sure on this.mixed doubles thing. I guess I'm a curling traditionalist.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 09:45

GobiasIndustries: Dec 14, 2007; Lipstick Apathy

What's a good way to learn about curling basics? It seems like a fun sport to watch during the olympics but I never have any idea what the hell is going on.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 10:32

SLICK GOKU BABY: Jun 12, 2001; Hey Hey Let's Go! 喧嘩する
大切な物を protect my balls

Not sure why this was a small link that nobody will ever see...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAtBVRFD_Zg

# ? Feb 8, 2018 11:14

Vertical Lime: Dec 11, 2004

the second session is ongoing

https://twitter.com/Devin_Heroux/status/961560674919890944
https://twitter.com/Devin_Heroux/status/961561337254969344

# ? Feb 8, 2018 12:26

GobiasIndustries: Dec 14, 2007; Lipstick Apathy

so they brush forward and back if they're trying to keep it going and sideways if they want to slow it? Seriously I wasn't being glib with my previous post I don't know a loving thing about curling but I want to.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 12:47

Stretch Marx: Apr 29, 2008; I'm ok with this.

GobiasIndustries posted:

so they brush forward and back if they're trying to keep it going and sideways if they want to slow it? Seriously I wasn't being glib with my previous post I don't know a loving thing about curling but I want to.

The ice itself is covered in little ice beads that let the rocks slide. Because of that, under normal circumstance the rocks would only slide straight if you don't put any curl on the rock. However, in order for them to get the rocks to go where they want they need to curl. The problem is that once the rocks starts to spin it wants to continue spinning in place. So when the person throwing the rock goes to spin it, they have to put enough force behind it to make sure it reaches the other end of the ice. Otherwise it'll just do donuts in the middle of the ice.

The role of the sweepers is to affect those beads on the ice. Sweeping wears down the beads and makes the rock slide straight. So you'll see them sweep for most of it because they don't want to rock curling until it's just right. The skip (captain) generally sits at the other end of the ice and is the person you hear screaming. They're giving directions to the sweepers depending on how the rock is moving. If it's not curling enough, the skip tells them to stop. if it's overcurling then the skip tells them to sweep harder. Sweeping also makes the rocks slide farther. This is why you'll generally see a player sweep the front of a rock that is about to stop so they can get it move an inch or so more. Players also do this to make the opposing rocks slide too far.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 14:00

Ghost of Reagan Past: Oct 7, 2003; rock and roll fun

Curling owns, I've been curling a few times and it's good fun all around. There's a curling club in Brooklyn, I should go.

Anyway I'm here for curling.

Can't wait to see how John Shuster fucks it up this year.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 14:07

Iron Crowned: May 6, 2003; by Hand Knit

I missed the vast majority of the Winter Olympics last time because of work, so I'm looking forward to curling this year

# ? Feb 8, 2018 14:09

McStabby: Jun 26, 2007; LANA!!! CRUUUUUSH!

Chicken posted:

Their biggest challenge will be learning the game. I noticed at the playdowns that John sometimes dictates what's going to happen while Kaitlyn often has the better plan. If they're going to challenge for a medal John's going to need to shut the hell up once in a while.

I noticed this last night during their time out. She had a better idea, John and the coach convinced her that John's idea was better, then he hosed up the throw. It happened a couple of other times during the game that allowed Norway to steal.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 14:13

Grittybeard: Mar 29, 2010; Bad, very bad!

quote:

South Korea - Jang Hye-ji - Lee Ki-jeong

These two have basically no experience and only got in because their country is hosting. They beat Finland in their first game though so the boisterous home crowd might just carry them to the playoffs.

They just missed a draw to beat China and start off 2-0 too.

China had to screw up pretty badly in the 8th end to get it there though.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 15:25

Chicken: Apr 23, 2014

GobiasIndustries posted:

so they brush forward and back if they're trying to keep it going and sideways if they want to slow it? Seriously I wasn't being glib with my previous post I don't know a loving thing about curling but I want to.

In addition to what Stretch Marx said, a few years ago there was some weird fabric that they used on brooms that would change the curl of the rock depending on the angle the sweeping was done at. They banned the hell out of it but a few players will still sweep like that. Also in mixed doubles you'll see people sweeping in all kinds of weird positions so that they don't block the view of the other person.

I am sick as hell today which means I get to stay home from work and watch curling through a fever which is awesome! I'm going to watch all the Canada games obviously but tell me if some of the other games were good.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 16:27

cda: Jan 2, 2010; by Hand Knit

Chicken posted:

I am sick as hell today which means I get to stay home from work and watch curling through a fever which is awesome!

This was how I became a curling fan. I had a horrible flu and curling was the only thing gentle and engaging enough to make me feel even a little bit better, and I imprinted on curling like a baby duck imprinting on a mama duck. I will forever love curling now.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 16:44

Miz Kriss: Mar 17, 2009; It's only an avatar if the Cubs get swept.

I swear to god Matt Hamilton looks like the perfect definition of �Minnesotan.�

# ? Feb 8, 2018 16:58

Chicken: Apr 23, 2014

GobiasIndustries posted:

What's a good way to learn about curling basics? It seems like a fun sport to watch during the olympics but I never have any idea what the hell is going on.

The best way to learn about curling is to head down to your local curling club. If you live in Canada there;s almost certainly one within 10 km of you. Judging by your av you're American though so here's the Wikipedia list of curling clubs in the United States. There's more than you might think! Plenty in Minnesota, New England, and the northern prairie states, but there's also a bunch in Florida for snowbirds. And there's one in every state except Alabama, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Hawaii apparently has a paper curling association which uh I'm not sure what that means. In the rest of the world, Scotland, Scandinavia, and Switzerland will all have plenty of curling clubs. Outside of that it gets a little more sparse but if you live in a country that has winter, chances are there's a curling club somewhere.

Most curling clubs will have a new curlers event at the beginning or end of the season and even if you don't know if you want to play you'll still learn the basics and have a better understanding of the physical effort needed. Sweeping is surprisingly difficult.

Other than that, the best way to learn about curling is to watch with commentary. CBC's commentary team is ok if you can get that. Not sure what the American commentators are like. This glossary of curling terms should help you out with some of the weird words we use.

The worst way to learn about curling is reading a post on an internet forum but I'll give it a try! Olympic curling (besides mixed doubles) has two teams of four players each playing for ten ends. The coloured circles are called the house and the largest ring is 12 feet in diameter. Rocks that are not touching the house do not count for points. The team that has the closest rock to the middle will get at least one point, with an additional point for each rock in the house that is closer to the middle than any of the opponent's rocks. Throwing the last rock in an end is an advantage, so the team that does not get points gets last roick in the next end. If no teams gets points, the hammer stays with the same team. So it might be better to get zero points and keep the hammer than to only get one point and lose the hammer.

One player throws the rocks, one person holds the broom for the thrower to aim at, and the other two move alongside the rock to potentially sweep it. In general (but not always) the skip holds the broom for the first three players and then throws the last two rocks. The lead will throw the first two rocks and then sweep the rest. The second will throw the third and fourth rocks and sweep the rest. The third will sweep the first four rocks, throw the fifth and sixth rocks, and then hold the broom for the skip.

In terms of tactics, the general strategy is to try and get at least two points when you have the hammer. If that's not possible, you generally want to blank the end. Teams with hammer will often play rocks to the sides of the house, leaving the middle open for the skip to throw their last rock to the middle. For the team without hammer, you want to either get one point or force the opponent to take one point. To do this you play lots of rocks in the middle of the sheet, trying to get one rock in the middle of the house protected by guards. Obviously these two strategies are very different so the interesting thing to watch for is when teams move away from their strategy to trying to disrupt their opponent's strategy. These strategies are not universal! Teams that are ahead will often try to keep as few rocks in play as possible and just take out all of their opponent's rocks. Teams that are behind will try to keep as many rocks in play as possible. There's a whole bunch of other stuff that goes into choosing shots but that's pretty advanced stuff.

One rule that changes things a lot is the "four rock rule" (will become the five rock rule for most events next year). This rule says that if rocks are outside of the house, they cannot be removed by the opponents team until the fifth rock of the end. This encourages teams to play a few guards and setup the end. It tends to mean that more rocks are in play and makes for a more exciting game.

If you have any other questions, just ask!

Chicken fucked around with this message at 17:46 on Feb 8, 2018

# ? Feb 8, 2018 17:08

CLAM DOWN: Feb 13, 2007

I'm stoked on how stoked South Koreans seem to be about curling tbh

# ? Feb 8, 2018 17:15

Android Apocalypse: Apr 28, 2009; The future is
AUTOMATED
and you are
OBSOLETE; Illegal Hen

When is the calendar coming out?
:ninja:

edit: it�s available!

# ? Feb 8, 2018 17:56

Chicken: Apr 23, 2014

I bought that calendar for my sister for Christmas and cut her husband's face out of a picture and put him on the guys.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 18:01

CellBlock: Oct 6, 2005; It just don't stop.

Have been curling for about 8 years; I can confirm curling is cool and good, both to watch and to do. Throwing rocks is fun; sweeping is fun and really satisfying to do well; yelling at your guys to sweep HARD NO GUYS REALLY HARD YOU GOT THIS is also fun. (I play vice, so I get to do all of those things.)

Seriously, I got into the sport after the Vancouver games and thought "huh, too bad there's no place around here to do that" but it turns out THERE IS. (Note, in the US, "around here" may mean something like a 45 minute drive. Not like in Canada where Toronto has like 25 curling clubs.)

My club (Potomac Curling Club in Laurel, MD) does an open house (aka a "Try Curling" event) about twice a year, and the one we're having next week has been sold out for months because it's during the Olympics and everyone wants to see what the hell this is about.

Also, I just love to talk about curling, so like Chicken, I'll answer any questions I can, whether about the Olympics, other competitions, or just the sport in general. (At one point, I tried to start a general curling thread in main SAS; it didn't last very long.)

# ? Feb 8, 2018 18:16

Josh Lyman: May 24, 2009

WTF I didn't realize USA/CAN played this morning. I'm missing so much (live) curling!

# ? Feb 8, 2018 19:03

Leperflesh: May 17, 2007

Josh Lyman posted:

WTF I didn't realize USA/CAN played this morning. I'm missing so much (live) curling!

Yeah and the result of the match was massively spoilered on the page where you go to watch a stream of it, something that I suddenly remember was a constant source of irritation last time I watched the olympics.

Goddamnit world I'm not up at 6 AM to watch curling don't shout the results out at the top of every page where sports are mentioned!

e. Oh yeah so, curling experts, under what conditions are you allowed to start brushing in front of your opponent's stones? Do they have to cross a particular line first, or is it just any time you want but if that's the case, what stops you from getting into counter-sweeping tangled battles in the house?

# ? Feb 8, 2018 19:14

Miz Kriss: Mar 17, 2009; It's only an avatar if the Cubs get swept.

I wouldn�t mind trying curling if I wasn�t so terrified of walking on ice.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 19:15

CLAM DOWN: Feb 13, 2007

I'm really warming up to this mixed doubles event

# ? Feb 8, 2018 19:29

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 16, 2024 05:18

pseudodragon: Jun 16, 2007

McStabby posted:

I noticed this last night during their time out. She had a better idea, John and the coach convinced her that John's idea was better, then he hosed up the throw. It happened a couple of other times during the game that allowed Norway to steal.

Hopefully it�s just people unfamiliar with each other falling into their regular skip/third roles. I wonder what the dynamic would have been with the planned Morris/Homan pair as they�d both be used to calling the shots.

Leperflesh posted:

e. Oh yeah so, curling experts, under what conditions are you allowed to start brushing in front of your opponent's stones? Do they have to cross a particular line first, or is it just any time you want but if that's the case, what stops you from getting into counter-sweeping tangled battles in the house?

You can sweep the other team�s shot behind the t-line (the line that cuts across the centre of the rings). Usually by then it will be clear enough what will happen that only one team will want to sweep it.

# ? Feb 8, 2018 19:33

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > Curling - Hog line violation by Steak?!

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