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European Championship Preview

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It's time for the 2024 European Curling Championship! Ryan from Rocks Across the Pond joins Sean and Scott for the 5th Annual Bad Beer Bet! They go through the fields for both the A & B events before giving their picks for who will win, who will get relegated, and who will be promoted. For more, join us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Euros Recap: Best Bad Beer Bet Result Ever!

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The Euros are done and the results of the Bad Beer Bet with Rocks Across the Pond are in and we are excited! We talk about all the action from Scotland, including who is getting promoted, who is getting relegated, and who won! We also finish by briefly talking about the Canadian Club Curling Championship.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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European Championship Preview & Bad Beer Bet with Rocks Across the Pond

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It's that time of year again where the top curling teams in Europe gather to determine the European champion, the teams heading to the world championship, and who will be promoted/relegated next year. It's also the time of year where we go head to head and pit our picks against those of our friends at Rocks Across the Pond. With Jonathan playing in the event this year, we had to do things a little differently so Ryan is flying solo as we preview both the men's and women's events. We go through all the teams in the A events, including some interesting stats that could have a significant impact on the week, before chatting about some of the B event teams that we expect to make a serious push towards promotion. Who do you like this week?

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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The Era of Dynasties: Swiss Women Win & Swedish Men Take Their Turn

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We're back to talk about all the action at the Women's World Curling Championship. We talk about the dominance of Team Tirinzoni, a surprise silver for Norway, and the week that was for Team Canada. We also go through the rest of the field and talk about the narratives that emerged about the ice before talking about the Canadian Mixed Doubles and Juniors. We then turn our attention to the Men's Worlds, which kick off on Saturday. We go through all 13 teams in the field, discuss how they can navigate the week, and make our picks for who will emerge as the 2023 World Champion.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Women's Worlds Preview: Beat the Streak?

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We're back to talk about the Women's World Curling Championship, which starts on Saturday in Sandviken, Sweden. We chat about the 13 teams in the field, including Silvana Tirinzoni and Switzerland going for their fourth straight title. We also talk Anna Hasselborg's chances at getting her first world title, whether this is the year for Kerri Einarson, and if Satsuki Fujisawa can take what has been a strong season and make it a great season as we debate each team's chances.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com 

Madeleine Dupont Proves Scott Wrong! And What's the Value of Rankings?

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about a fun week so far at the European Championships. They discuss Madeleine Dupont's incredible run, the women's final, and the crowded middle of the women's field. They also chat about the men's side and how things look heading into the second semi final. They then look at the current CTRS, Ken Pom, and Twine Time rankings and debate about the value of ranking systems and whether they warrant so much attention.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Men's Euros Preview & Bad Beer Bet with Rocks Across the Pond

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In this crossover episode, Sean is joined by the Professor of Peel, Jonathan Havercroft, to preview the men's A & B fields for the 2022 European Curling Championship, which starts Saturday in Ostersund, Sweden. They go through the A division team by team and discuss how each team looks heading into the week before making their picks for who books their spot in the world championship and who gets relegated. They then chat about the B division, which teams stand out, and who may have the edge for promotion.

For a full preview of the women's field, be sure to check out Ryan and Scott's preview on Rocks Across the Pond.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Curling World Roundup

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In this episode, Sean and Scott go around the curling world to catch up on all the goings on over the past couple of weeks. They start by talking about Niklas Edin's 4th straight world championship (2:15) and hear from Oskar Eriksson and Niklas Edin on what the win means for the team (10:04). They then discuss Sean's experience in Las Vegas, the crowd size, and Vegas' future as a host city for curling events (12:25).

That's followed by a chat about the Players Championship, including Bruce Mouat and Anna Hasselborg's wins (17:09) before moving on to previewing the Mixed Doubles World Championship (24:39) and World Senionr Championship (36:38), both of which kick off this weekend in Geneva.

They finish by looking at the lineup announcement for the new Team Bottcher (40:07) and breaking down their own results as their season starts to wind down (44:49).

For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com

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(Nearly) Live from Men's World Curling Championship

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In this week's episode, Sean talks with some of the players at the 2022 Men's World Curling Championship.

Hear from Ross Patterson, Oskar Eriksson, Korey Dropkin, Brad Gushue, Amos Mosaner, Magnus Ramsfjell, Lukas Klima, Craig Saville, Yannick Schwaller, Niklas Edin, and Brett Gallant as they talk about the ice conditions, world championship debuts, Olympic hangovers, and the state of the world championship in a sport so focused on the Olympic Games.

For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com

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One Worlds Ends as Another Worlds Starts

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In this episode, Sean and Scott look back at the Women's World Curling Championship in Prince George, BC (1:55). They talk about SIlvana Tirinzoni's 3rd consecutive championship, a terrific performance from Team Korea, and the untimely struggles of Team Canada in the midst of an overall very good week. They also chat about Anna Hasselborg still chasing that elusive world championship, strong performances for Denmark and the United States, and Turkey picking up the country's first ever victory in their debut performance.

They then move on to this week's Men's World Curling Championship (35:10). They talk about some of the major teams that are not going to be playing in Las Vegas before going through the 13 teams that will be playing. They discuss each team's roster and divide the field into tiers before making their picks.

They wrap up by giving their initial reactions to the news that Tracy Fleury will join Team Homan and their own return to the win column.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Women's Worlds Take Shape & New Teams Announced

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In this episode, Sean and Scott check in on the Women's World Curling Championship taking place in Prince George, BC. They talk about the new no-tick rule and its impact on the play, where Team Canada stands, and how they playoff picture looks. They also talk about Team Scotland's withdrawal, the impact on the field, and how the remaining schedules shape the playoff race. Before moving on, they also correct last week's episode on how Czech Republic made it into the field and discuss other replacements for Russia in world events. They then discuss the new team announcements, including Teams Howard, McCarville, Jacobs, and Lawes. They end with a discussion of the Gouden Carolus Classic and their own teams as they head to the end of the season.

For more, be sure to visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Keepin' Up with Curlin' - Brier & Paralympic Reactions, Women's Worlds Preview, & Roster Shakeups

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In this episode, Sean and Scott go around the world of curling to talk about all the action from the ice. They start by recapping the Brier (1:45), including Brad Gushue's remarkable win, some of the more fun results, and the state of the broadcasts. That's followed by a recap of the Paralympics (35:25), including the great performances by the medallists and Slovakia's incredible run. They then preview the Women's World Curling Championship, which starts on Saturday (43:55), by discussing their expectations for the 13 teams in the field. They wrap up by offering their reactions to some of the team breakups that have been announced this week (1:07:28).

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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That's a Wrap! Full Olympic Curling Recap

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The Beijing 2022 Olympics are done, but Sean and Scott are just getting started as they look back at all the curling stories from the past 3 weeks. They start by talking about the women’s field (5:45), including Eve Muirhead’s dominant performance in the gold medal game, a great week for Satsuke Fujisawa, another medal for Anna Hasselborg, and what went wrong for Team Canada. They then break down the men’s field (33:30) from Niklas Edin capping his career, a Bruce Mouat’s silver, a great week for the Americans, and the end of Team Gushue’s remarkable run. They wrap up by reflecting on the mixed doubles event (57:25) and how Team Italy dominated the field, the strange circumstances of Team Australia, and what the expectations should be for Canada moving forward, including the role fans have in supporting the athletes.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Biggest Stories of the 2022 Olympics...So Far

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In this episode, Sean and Scott look at all the curling goings on at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. They start by giving their overall impressions (1:34) before moving on to some of the biggest stories of the week. They explore why Silvana Tirinzoni and Niklas Edin sit at the top of the table (3:45), whether Jennifer Jones & Brad Gushue's struggles at last stone draw are overstated (8:00), the problems with the broadcast (13:00), and the ice conditions at the Ice Cube (22:15).

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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High Expectations!?! Who has the Edge in Mixed Doubles at the Olympics

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In this episode, Sean and Scott look ahead to the mixed doubles competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics. They go through all 10 teams competing in Beijing and discuss what will constitute a successful week. They also go through some key stats for each team and make their picks for who will stand on the podium at the end of the week.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

10 Burning Questions Heading into the Olympics

In this episode, Sean and Scott look ahead to 2022 Winter Olympic Games by addressing some of the biggest questions heading into the competition.

Will everyone be able to play? (5:20)

How will the ice conditions be? (9:36)

What is the magic number for losses to still make the playoffs? (13:16)

Will one player win two medals? (14:57)

How will the Chinese curling team perform? (18:33)

What style of play should we expect? (23:07)

Is this the best American curling contingent ever? (28:10)

Will there be an upset? (32:33)

Does Canada have to win a medal? (35:20)

Will one country sweep the gold medals? (42:02)

Are there any players you want to see win? (44:15)

Let us know what you think of these burning questions on social media @GameofStonesPod

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Weird Weekend: Cancellations, Qualifications, & Explanations (Plus, a Sex Toy 'Controversy')

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about a weekend when the world of curling really went off the rails. They start by talking about the cancellation of the 2022 Continental Cup, which was scheduled for January in Fredericton before moving onto the Olympic Qualifying Event talking place in the Netherlands, including the playoff matchups for the mixed doubles and the fields for the men's & women's qualifiers, which kick off on the weekend. They also get into the sex toy sponsorship 'controversy' that disrupted the broadcasts. They then move to the Canadian Senior Curling Championship taking place in Sault Ste Marie and the absolutely loaded women's field. They also discuss the coverage of Team Bottcher's announcement that Darren Moulding would no longer be on the team and how business arrangements could infuence team dynamics moving forward. FInally, they debate who would win an all-curling version of the Lou Marsh Award.

For more, be sure to visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Queen Stays Queen: Recapping the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials

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In this episode, Sean and Scott look back at the week that was at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. They start by talking about the women's final, the missed opportunities in that game, and a couple technical issues spotted during the late ends. Then the discuss the men's final, the cause of the low score, and Brad Jacobs' final shot. They also chat about Team Jones and Team Gushue as Team Canada at the Olympics before finishing by recapping the results from the 2021 European Curling Championship.

For more, be sure to visit us GameofStonesPod.com

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Bad Beer Bet with Rocks Across the Pond: Picking the Euros & Olympic Trials

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In this episode, Sean and Scott are joined by Jonathan & Ryan from Rocks Across the Pond for their annual Bad Beer Bet. They talk about the fields for the European Championship and the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, both of which start on Saturday, before making their picks for the week. Whichever show loses has to drink some terrible beer live on our end of year Broomstack.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com