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Oh poo poo how did I miss this thread?! I'm curling in two leagues this year. Men's league is a new team so after a bit of a slow start it looks like we'll be moving up to the top tier in a few weeks. Mixed is more of a fun league but there's another team that's got a member of the Senior National Australian Men's team (they're all Canadians with dual citizenship!) so there's a lot of variance in skill levels. The five rock rule doesn't change anything if you're down and don't have hammer. It really comes into play when you're down with hammer. You get to throw three rocks before your opponent can take out any guards so you've got options depending on how far down you are, how swingy your ice is, and the skill of your team. One option if you need a few points is to throw two high corner guards and a tight corner guard that you can raise in later. Depending on what your opponent does you can then either start hitting and rolling behind the guards or draw behind them. Another less risky option is to throw the high corner guard and then draw behind the guard. If your opponent freezes onto your draw you can throw back 8 weight and jiggle them around, if your opponent misses the freeze you can throw a tight guard. If your team is up it changes the strategy too. You might have thrown the lead's rocks through the house before but now you have to be a little more careful. I've seen some of the top teams throw one top button and then another top 12 which means the opponent will have to make a double and a nice roll at some point. From a more strategic point of view, it means that you have a decent chance to take 3 if you have hammer. Some of the top teams in the Grand Slam would rather be down 3 with hammer than down 1 without. Canada Cup is pretty good so far. I don't quite get the time rules yet. Do you get 1 full time out, 1 short time out, and the time is per end? I saw that Bottcher went over the time limit and couldn't throw his last rock which I've never seen before. Bottcher is really great although John Epping would be a close second. Team Homan looks a bit off this year, not as bad as at the Olympics but there's something missing there. Einarsson's got to be a little disappointed with the year so far but it is a lot of role changes for the players and I wouldn't write them off yet. Jennifer Jones is some sort of timeless curling god. And Ryan Fry getting drunk as poo poo and kicked out of a bonspiel confirms every suspicion I've had about that team and I hate them all.  Also this was in the last thread but it's really good and you should watch it!
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Dec 8, 2018 03:07
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I guess I was basing my assessment of Einarson on the televised events and you're right that they are doing really well at some of the smaller events. Shouldn't be long until they start doing well at the big events. That semi-final loss to Fleury at the last Grand Slam event must have stung a bit though since Fleury is basically all of Einarson's old team! What are the bonspiel prizes like where you're at? Growing up in Saskatchewan the prizes were really awesome. We won a fishing trip for winning like the H or I event at a big bonspiel way back in the day, won a bunch of gift certificates at Folk's Curling, and I still have a pile of casserole dishes and other miscellaneous house stuff from finishing third in the B event at bonspiels in towns that had one sheet of ice and the bonspiel took a whole week. Now in BC they're pretty much all cash prizes and you have to be top 5 or 6 to make back your entrance fee. I guess I won a growler with some refills in our leagues playoffs last year which is cool.
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Dec 9, 2018 21:48
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Went to a bonspiel this weekend and got destroyed by a team skipped by an 82 year old. He then proceeded to outdrink us afterwards.
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Jan 15, 2019 00:44
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I PVRed the Bottcher / Koe game and watched it instead of the Super Bowl. I don't regret it. Skins is just so different from regular curling and definitely worth watching. All the teams are going full offence all the time and it leads to some crazy shots. Even though Carruthers didn't win a single skin in the game you mentioned it still felt like a fun game. I think Darren Moulding might be my spirit animal. Going up into the stands and grabbing a bag of chips to watch Koe throw his last shot was amazing. Team Einarsson is cool and all but she seems to have some rough times playing her old team. Losing both the Manitoba Scotties and the skins game to Fleury must be a little embarrassing.
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Feb 4, 2019 19:12
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Tournament of Hearts starts tomorrow! Hell yeah! Well the wildcard game at least... Teams this year: Pool 1 Ontario - Rachel Homan Manitoba - Tracy Fleury Alberta - Chelsea Carey BC - Sarah Wark Northern Ontario - Krista McCarville Nova Scotia - Jill Brothers Quebec - Gabrielle Lavoie Nunavut - Jenine Bodner Pool 2 Canada - Jennifer Jones Wild Card - Einarson or Scheidegger Saskatchewan - Robyn Silvernagle Prince Edward Island - Suzanne Birt Northwest Territories - Kerry Galusha New Brunswick - Andrea Crawford Yukon - Nicole Baldwin Newfoundland & Labrador - Kelli Sharpe Pool A looks quite a bit more difficult to my eye. Homan, Fleury, and Carey could all conceivably make the final and McCarville and Wark won't be pushovers. Pool B just has Jones and the wild card as credible finalists although I think Silvernagle could be a dark horse contender. She's got Stefanie Lawton as third and could do some real damage. Full disclosure: I curled against her in a junior league way back in the day and she routinely kicked the poo poo out of us so I may be projecting... Either way, I've got a bonspiel this weekend so I'm going to curl, drink, watch curling, and drink some more! Going to be some good times.
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Feb 15, 2019 02:51
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Congratulations to Nunavut on their first ever Scotties' win!
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Feb 17, 2019 09:30
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The whole team is curling pretty badly. Jones could easily be 0-4. Northwest Territories are playing messy as hell games. It's awesome to get the update and see like 13 guards. They're also winning a pile of games and will almost definitely get into the championship pool and have a good chance of making the playoffs. Cool to see.
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Feb 19, 2019 19:19
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Keep in mind that your record in the first round robin gets carried over to the second. If NWT stays at one loss in the weak pool they could be a game up on everybody else in the next pool. I don't expect Galusha to be hoisting the trophy or anything but it's cool to see them do well and I hope they get some televised games because they would be fun to watch. Also those dumb commercials with Vic and the guy who doesn't know anything about curling make me laugh every time.
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Feb 19, 2019 20:11
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Would have liked to see Saskatchewan in the final but it should be a good one either way. Apparently at your first Scotties you get a necklace and then at your second one you get a diamond to put in it. I don't know if that keeps going, but Kerry Galusha might have the glitziest piece of jewelry in NWT.
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Feb 24, 2019 20:22
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This is a very boring game that Rachel Homan is going to win.
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Feb 25, 2019 00:32
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Going to extra ends! Way more exciting game now.
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Feb 25, 2019 01:55
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I really thought Homan would play the double instead of the draw. Especially when she had just missed a similar draw the end before. Kudos to Carey for not giving up. Played a close to perfect game from the fifth end on.
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Feb 25, 2019 02:35
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Brier time! Pool A: Alberta - Kevin Koe Canada - Brad Gushue Ontario - Scott McDonald Nova Scotia - Stuart Thompson BC - Jim Cotter New Brunswick - Terry Odishaw NWT - Jamie Koe Nunavut - Dave St. Louis Pool B Northern Ontario - Brad Jacobs  WILD CARD - winner of Bottcher/EppingManitoba - Mike McEwen Saskatchewan - Kirk Muyres Quebec - Martin Crête NL - Andrew Symonds PEI - John Likely Yukon - Jon Solberg Hopefully they manage to keep Ryan Fry and Jamie Koe away from the Brier Patch. Bottcher and Epping are both good and fun to watch so it's a bit of a shame they won't both be in it. I'll be cheering for whoever wins that game. Wouldn't mind if Gushue wins again because he's just such a happy looking guy. I hope Kevin Koe loses even though Ben Hebert is a national treasure.
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Mar 1, 2019 03:40
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McEwen was skipping at the Manitoba finals. Probably a good call.
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Mar 1, 2019 18:30
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Welcome to the sport friend! We may be able to put a Something Awful curling team together. Bottcher looked real good tonight. They were making everything out there.
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Mar 2, 2019 05:28
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That... is beautiful! Brendan and Darren are a weird combo but it works so well. I really hope Jacobs doesn't win the whole thing. They look pretty unstoppable so far.
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Mar 8, 2019 00:16
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^In their official picture they have a patch for "KB" on the left chest. I googled it and it's a sponsorship from one of the big banks in South Korea. I would guess that the title sponsor of the event "LGT: Liechtenstein Global Trust" (also a bank) wouldn't allow other banking sponsorships there but they only figured it out a few days before the event and didn't have time to get new gear? Latvia's lead is 15 years old and has been curling for 7 years. That's cool.
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Mar 17, 2019 21:20
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLmbmGtDhmI There's already an NFL all star curling team, why not an NHL one?
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Mar 17, 2019 21:26
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I'm only halfway through the Finland game but Canada looks really bad so far this tournament. They'll probably win this game but being 3-2 and still having to play Sweden, Russia, Switzerland, Scotland, the US, and China is really bad. Maybe it's just the braid, but Finland's skip looks a lot like Elsa from Frozen. Haven't heard her break into song yet...
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Mar 19, 2019 05:04
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Can't wait to get home from work and watch Carey get wrecked.
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Mar 19, 2019 23:04
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Really nice of Chelsea Carey to let some of the other countries into the playoffs. First time since 1999 that Canada hasn't made the playoffs.
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Mar 23, 2019 04:36
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So I was out on an island without internet or TV this weekend and I'm just sitting down to watch the playoffs. Did Vic, Russ, and Cheryl clear out as soon as Canada was eliminated? Because they're just using the world commentators and it's not quite the same.
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Mar 26, 2019 04:32
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Besides BJ Neufeld (who's amazing) Koe looks only okay so far. Fortunately for him, the only team that looks really good is Sweden. The Swiss and Americans are looking a bit off their game, Japan is beatable, and the Scots are having a tough week. The Dutch have looked really improved since last year. The shot to beat Scotland was insane and I just really like their style of game.
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Apr 2, 2019 03:13
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Oh man you weren't kidding about that shot. Amazing!
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Apr 5, 2019 06:23
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Sweden is just so good. Sooooo good.
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Apr 8, 2019 18:02
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FrenzyTheKillbot posted:Anyways, my season actually started last week. It's my first year playing in an actual league, I started with a beginner/tutorial league last year. The team is full of relative newbies including a girl who had literally never thrown a stone before, but we did pretty well and actually won something like 9-4. Getting back to it tonight for game 2! It looks like the sheet isn't wide enough. Like a rock could be on the tee line, touching the rings, and in the next sheet simultaneously. Could be perspective I guess! And beginning curlers can be really good! My mixed team is roughly in the middle of our league and last year we were two points off of beating the best team and we needed my last rock to barely beat the team who hadn't won a game all year.
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Oct 18, 2019 06:12
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Slung Blade posted:Someone want to aggregate the curling tourney dates and I will update the op? National/International World men's is March 28 to April 5 in Glasgow. World women's is March 14-22 in Prince George BC. World mixed doubles is April 18-25 in Kelowna BC. Brier is February 29 to March 8 in Kingston ON. Scotties is February 15-23 in Moose Jaw SK. US men's and women's is February 8-15 in Spokane. Grand Slam of Curling: October 22-27 in North Bay ON November 5-10 in Pictou NS December 10-15 in Conception Bay NL January 14-19 in Yorkton SK April 7-12 in Toronto ON April 29 - May 3 in Olds AB I'm on vacation with just the phone right now or I'd add some links and pictures and stuff.
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Oct 18, 2019 21:45
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Watching live curling is great. You can usually get a day pass (3 games) for fairly cheap during the week. I think it was $60 for World Men's in Victoria a few years back. Might be more in the Prairies and less everywhere else. Also went to a Grand Slam a few years ago and sat in the bar area at the end of the sheets which was awesome. My buddy said "Nice shot!" and Brad Gushue turned around and said "Hell yeah it was!". Crazy to see some of those shots close up.
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Oct 19, 2019 05:49
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I don't think the Chinese teams usually play in the Grand Slam. Plus they haven't been great the past few years so they might not have been invited/qualified.
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Nov 9, 2019 22:23
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Oh right. Liu Rui played a few on the men's side too. Highest Chinese team is 29th on the WCT money list right now so they must be playing in the Asian bonspiels.
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Nov 9, 2019 23:30
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Taking 5 and then stealing 3? Didn't know Kevin Koe had an account here. Congratulations on the first skipping win!
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Dec 2, 2019 22:28
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I've found the best thing is to have a consistent slide. It doesn't have to pretty but as long as you come out of the hack the same way every time that's going to go a long way to getting your weight down. It's also a good idea to communicate a lot with your teammates about the ice and how fast it is and even how it feels. On ice like Inspector's (I can't imagine curling on ice like that... kudos) that can be pretty broad. Could just say "ice felt slower than normal on the slide but it went further than I thought". A more experienced team could have the thrower say that slide felt quicker than normal, the sweepers might say the rock moved well but then slowed down a lot after the hogline, and the skip might know that there have been a lot of rocks down that path so it's pretty consistent but might slow down if the game goes to eight ends. Stopwatches can kind of be useful if you curl with a few different teams or at more than one rink, but I would usually advise against them for everybody else.
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Dec 18, 2019 21:10
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Can you even see the rings from the other end? drat... This is where I curl:  I actually fell while sliding on an open takeout tonight. I turned away in disgust but my third kept an eye on it and I somehow managed to tick one of our guards into the rings for shot rock behind a ton of cover. It was the luckiest curling shot I've ever made. We were also up by 3 in the last end with last rock and just barely managed to win so practice your peels everybody!
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Dec 19, 2019 08:04
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Those plaid shirts for Team Canada are really good. And the nicknames on the back are amazing. Continental Cup is real good.
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Jan 10, 2020 06:28
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Just curled against a team from Sacramento that came up to Canada for a bonspiel. We lost but it was a close game, they were real fun to play against, and it was cool to hear about some of the politics going on in US curling. Got some awesome pins and an invitation to their bonspiel next year! Also, Brazil got a curling club! https://www.facebook.com/BrazilianCurlingClub/ Several years ago, some Brazilian students at a Canadian university started a curling team and have played against either the US or Canada (when the US hosted) for the second western hemisphere slot at Worlds. Now that they have their own club, I fully expect to see them at Worlds in the near future... Way behind on the Scotties due to the bonspiel, but go Saskatchewan I guess?
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Feb 16, 2020 02:46
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FrenzyTheKillbot posted:This is very cool. I had to pass up the opportunity to play in a big bonspiel because it happens to be a weekend I already have baseball tickets. Also, how does the whole pin thing work? I guess more I mean, at what point is a bonspiel big enough that exchanging pins is expected etiquette? I wish I knew the answer to this question! We were just coming from across town so we didn't even think about it. We bought them a pitcher of beer instead. Still behind on the Scotties but New Brunswick getting a 7 ender on Manitoba is one of the wildest curling things I've ever seen. I wish that was the feature game so that I could see the buildup.
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Feb 19, 2020 23:31
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Slung Blade posted:Is it bad I want the wild card to lose only because Jones' kid got me and the wife sick? (We were spectating in Canmore at the mixed doubles tournament and her kid was sick and running around the club.) Haha that's hilarious. And you got your wish.
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Feb 24, 2020 02:49
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I feel really bad for Bottcher but that final was not great. Pretty wild Brier though. Jacobs starts off 1-3 and goes on an absolute roll until he meets Gushue. Four way tiebreaker after the championship pool. Russ and Cheryl thought there were more great shots than any other Brier and unlike most sports commentary I don't think they were being hyperbolic at all. World's are going to be pretty good! Curling season is winding down here. Last bonspiel starts Thursday and it should be a good time! I heard about a bonspiel in Seattle that goes around the clock. Like you could get a 4 AM draw. Sounds awesome, goon meet?
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Mar 10, 2020 18:21
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World women's curling in Prince George has been cancelled/postponed due to covid19. I imagine men's won't be far behind. Not surprising as there are teams from three of the worst hit countries (China, South Korea, Italy).
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Mar 12, 2020 22:33
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Even my bonspiel just got cancelled due to Covid19! Nooooooo that means no more curling for the year. I get it though, apparently a third of teams had cancelled already.
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Mar 13, 2020 00:40
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