News

They're Saying Boourns! & Other Curling News

After a week off, the guys are back to do a tour around the world of curling. They start with the recent lineup change to Team Dunstone before talking about the Grand Slam in St. John's, which included a great moment where Team Jacobs was booed by the home crowd. They also talk about the field being set for the Canadian Mixed Doubles Olympic Curling Trials, the Canadian Senior Championship, and a new initiative from Curling Ontario.

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Euros Recaps & News Update

With the 2024 European Curling Championship in the rearview mirror, Sean and Scott look back on the week that was in Lohja, Finland.  They talk about a surprising win for  the German men, the continued dominance of the Swiss women, and who struggled during the week. They then discuss the other news in the world of curling, including a new event from Curling Ontario, the Candian Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials Qualifier, and the Canadian Club Championship.

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A New Roster Trend?

The guys are back to talk about another week of bombshell news in the world of curling. They talk about Brendan Bottcher joining Team Gushue as second and what that will look like on the ice. They then chat about whether this is part of a larger trend in the sport and what that means for elite-level curling moving forward.

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Schedule Watch 2024

The 2024-25 season is underway and the guys are back with their annual look at how teams are setting up their schedules. They look at a couple of the top Canadian teams, some of the best international teams, and a couple of the 'middle class' and up-and-comers to see which events are being targeted and how teams are managing travel. They wrap up by talking about some of the early season results along with the other news from the world of curling (44:10).

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Summer News Update

It's been a while since we caught up on all goings on around the world of curling, so this week we catch up with what's been happening. We talk the European C championships, some host city announcements for upcoming events, and the Canadian Wheelchair program selections. We also get into a report on recreational curling engagement from CurlON and finish the show with a special clip of what could Scott's big break.

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Spring News Update

We're back after a brief hiatus to talk about what has been a very busy spring in the world of curling. We start by discussing the Men's World Championship along with the mixed doubles before going across Canada to talk about all the men's (16:00) and women's (39:40) lineup changes that we've seen.

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November News Update

We're back to talk about what has been a busy week in the world of curling. We start by wrapping up the Pan Continental Championship, including talking about who was relegated, promoted, and qualified for the world championship. We then chat about some of the familiar names in contention at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, John Morris' new team, and the start of this week's grand slam. We wrap up by talking about a weird game we played in this week and how our season is going.

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Curling Canada Makes Changes

After a week off, we're back to talk about some of the changes Curling Canada made to Olympic, Scotties, and Brier qualification. We briefly touch on the world mixed doubles and senior championships before getting into the Curling Canada changes. We talk about what we like (a lot) and what we don't like (less) and how this could impact things moving forward.

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Gambling & Curling

Matthew Hall, former Canadian and World Junior champion, stops by to discuss gambling and curling. Currently an oddsmaker with CoolBet, he talks about his interest in math, creating odds for curling, and how he models events. He also discusses the amount of money brought in by curling, the guard rails in place to prevent foul play, and curling prop bets.

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Scotties Field Set, Dumb Pregnancy Rules, & Best Bonspiel Formats

Recorded before the David Murdoch to Curling Canada news, Sean and Scott talk about a busy weekend in curling as the Scotties Tournament of Hearts field is set. They talk about the provincial championships from the weekend, the Wild Card selections, and a rather stacked pool for the Scotties. They then turn to 2 announcements by Curling Canada, including the very strange pregnancy policy and the new qualification format for next season's PointsBet Invitational. FInally, the guys talk about their bonspiel experience over the weekend and what formats work best when heading to a 'spiel. 

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High Performance v. Grassroots, Curling Canada Launches Streaming, & ChatGPT Curling Storytime

It's been a big week in the world of curling, both on and off the ice. The guys start by talking about some of the provincial finals from the weekend and currently on going, including a phenomenal game winning shot from Kayla Skrlik. They then discuss Curling Canada's review of the high performance program and the attention (or lack thereof) on the grassroots level in Canada. They also give their thoughts on Curling Canada+, the new streaming service for all non-Season of Champions events. They wrap up by sharing a curling story from ChatGPT.

Check out Scott's AI generated curling image here.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

News Roundup & First Timer Live Event Tips

There's been a lot going on in curling, so Sean and Scott roundup all the news, including the Grand Slam, provincial results, and some lineup changes. They also dish out some tips for first timers heading to live events during the Season of Champions.

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2023 Bold Predictions

The guys are back with one of their favourite annual traditions - bold predictions for the year to come! They start by recapping which of last year's predictions came true and then give 13 bold predictions for 2023. They go from championships to breakups to off the ice stories to outline what could be some of the biggest stories of the year.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

2nd Annual Stoney Awards

The guys are back after a holiday break to dish out some hardware. They recap 2022 in curling and hand out some awards for the best of the year. They go through 12 categories ranging from Game of the Year to Oddity of the Year. If they missed any out, get in touch over at GameofStonesPod.com

20 Years of the World has Caught Up to Canada!" Plus, it's Sherry Anderson's World & Another Slam in the Books

At last week's Grand Slam, only 7 of the 16 playoff teams were Canadian, including only 2 on the men's side. This led to a fresh round of declarations that the world has caught up with Canada. This prompted us to look back at 20 years of this declaration and whether it's (finally) time to retire this narrative.

We also talk about Sherry Anderson winning her fifth(!!!!) consecutive Canadian senior championship and the ways the finals played out at the Masters.

To see the articles mentioned in the episode, check out this blog from our website: A Brief History of "The World has Caught up to Canada'

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Smaller Curling Venues, Interesting Masters Outcomes, & We're Playing Weird Games Lately

Curling Canada announced this week that the 2024 Brier will be held in Regina, prompting the question of whether the days of Briers in NHL arenas are behind us? And does that impact the fan experience? We then talk about this week's Grand Slam and what winners would make for the most interesting storylines going into 2023. The show wraps up by talking about some of our recent games, including a big strategy decision and what makes for major momentum swings in rec level games.

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Bad Beer Bet Win & A Very Busy Week in Curling

Sean and Scott start off by celebrating their win in the annual Bad Beer Bet with Rocks Across the Pond. They then get into the European championship playoffs and who is heading up and down next year as well as who booked their spots in the world championship. They then go through what is a very busy week in curling, including the Canadian club championship, the Canadian senior championship, and the world mixed doubles qualifying event. They finish up by talking about which beers they should pick for Ryan and Jonathan.

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More USA Curling Changes, Niklas Edin has Surgery, Pan Continental Takes Shape, & Fitting in with New Teammatesing

In this episode, Scott makes his triumphant return to the pod to chat with Sean about the USA Curling situation, including even more changes to the organization. They also talk about the on-going Pan Continental Curling Championship, including the poor attendance, the impact of China not participating, and the teevee coverage. They wrap up by talking about the best ways to incorporate new players into your team and how communication and expectations are key before Sean vents about an esoteric pet peeve.

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News Update: Plush is Out, Pan Continental Championship is In

In this episode, Sean talks about the resignation of Jeff Plush from USA Curling, how the decision was announced, and what this means for the organization moving forward. He also talks about Niklas Edin's injury before previewing both the A & B side of the inaugural Pan Continental Curling Championship. He is then joined by a special guest to make their picks for the week.

Yates Report, Grassroots Reaction, & What's Next for USA Curling

This week, Sean talks about the current situation with USA Curling and its CEO Jeff Plush. He opens by going through the Yates Report and Plush's actions while he was the Commissioner of the NWSL and reports of abuse and misconduct were brought to his attention. He then talks with Monica Walker and Courtney Shaw about the grassroots response in the United States and the open letter written by the DEI Task Force.

For more information, please check out the following sources:

Yates Report

DEI Task Force Letter

USA Curling Statement

USA Curling 'reviewing' report detailing current CEO's Involvement in systemic abuse in NWSL

Former NWSL commissioner didn't respond to Sally Yates after saying he 'welcomed' investigation

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com