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Women's Worlds Recap & Men's Worlds Preview

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It's a busy time of year in the curling world and we're excited to be talking about it all. We start by recapping what was a fun week at the Women's World Curling Championship. We talk about Rachel Homan's win, the game/shot of the year, and how the rest of the field broke down over the course of the week. We then move on to preview the field for the Men's World Curling Championship. We go through the field and talk about all 13 teams before offering up our picks for the week.

For more, visit us at GameofStonespod.com

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Brier Recap & Women's Worlds Preview

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In the midst of the very busy Season of Champions, we're back to recap the week that was at the Brier and look ahead to the Women's World Curling Championship. We start by recapping the Brier, including Gushue's run of dominance, a great week for Saskatchewan, and some of the best stand out performances of the week. At 31:05 we look ahead to the Women's Worlds by previewing all 13 teams in the field, including Silvana Tirinzoni going for her 5th consecutive title. We wrap the show by talking about our attempt to watch curling at Montana's during the Brier.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Sherry Anderson Does It Again! What does Mixed Doubles gold mean for USA Curling?

We're back to talk about what was an exciting weekend in Korea as the world senior and mixed doubles titles were decided. We talk about Sherry Anderson winning her fourth senior world title and what an impressive stretch she is on the event before discussing the all-Canada sweep of the event. We then chat about the world mixed doubles event by debating what the win means for USA curling and whether this influences our perception of specialists v. non-specialists in the discipline.

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 

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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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

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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.

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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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Who Ya Got? Each Team's Strengths Heading into the Olympics

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In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the 4-person team competition at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. They start by discussing their level of excitement heading into the week and the challenges of how long the event will be. They then go through the field team by team, starting with going through the strengths and potential weaknesses for all 10 women's teams before making their podium picks(3:30). They wrap up by playing some word association for the 10 men's teams as they debate who stands out as the favourite and make their picks (32:16).

For more, visit us 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

Hong Kong Skip Jason Chang on the 30th & Final Pacific Asia Curling Championship

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about this week's Pacific Asia Curling Championship before welcoming in Team Hong Kong Skip Jason Chang. Jason talks about the new-look field this year, adding new players to the team, and his expectations for the week. We also discuss the women's field, world championship qualification, and the legacy of the Pacific Asia Curling Championship.

You can watch all this week's action here.

Be sure to visit us GameofStonesPod.com

Does Slam Success = Olympic Success?

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the return of the Grand Slam of Curling by talking about next week's Masters. With this being an Olympic year, they look back at how the Olympic teams from 2018 fared in the Slams leading up to the Games to try to determine if there is a correlation between success in the Slams and success in the Olympics. They also talk about the triple knockout format, the 32 teams in the field, and make their picks for the week.

Be sure to visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Name That Shot! Bubble Edition

In this episode, we play another round of Canada's fastest growing game show, Name That Shot! This time it's shots from the 2021 Calgary Bubble. Play along as Sean plays clips of some of the season's best shots and Scott tries to Name That Shot!

If you missed them, be sure to check out our past Name That Shot! episodes:

https://www.gameofstonespod.com/episodes/2021/1/28/name-that-shot
https://www.gameofstonespod.com/episodes/2020/11/25/guess-that-shot

Be sure to visit us at GameofStonesPod.com