Everyone loves a good trivia game, so this week Sean gives Scott some trivia questions related to the Scotties and Brier. Play along and see if you can beat Scott! If you do, be sure to let us know!
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2024 Curling Commercial Rankings
For the first time in a couple years, we were gifted with some new curling commercials for the 2024 Season of Champions! And as we love to do with a new batch of ads, we’re here to rank them. From agricultural products to Curling Canada promotions, there is a lot to discuss this year. What do you think of our rankings? Did we miss any ads this year?
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Scotties Recap: Passing the Torch
We join you nearly live from the Ottawa Curling Club, home of Team Homan, to talk about an action packed week at the Scotties. From Rachel Homan capturing her fourth title to Kerri Einarson's remarkable streak coming to an end to the retirement of Jennifer Jones, there was a lot going on in Calgary and we try to cover it all.
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Super Scotties Preview
It's our favourite event of the year, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. To get you set for the week, we give our full preview, including the new playoff format, new rules, and the biggest storylines of the week. We also preview all 18 teams in the field, the expectations for each, and give our picks for how things will stack up at the end of the week. But before all that, we give our initial reactions to the news that this year will be Jennifer Jones' last Scotties as she steps away from the 4-person game.
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Provincial Playdown Excitement!
It's provincial and territorial playdown season across Canada, so we go coast to coast to coast to discuss some of the biggest storylines we're looking forward to following. From deep fields to up and coming teams to the CTRS points, we talk about what will be a fun few weeks as the Scotties and Brier fields are rounded out.
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*recorded Wednesday January 17
Schedule Watch 2023
We're back from our summer break and looking ahead to the upcoming curling season! This week, we go through some team schedules to see how the new Brier and Scotties qualification rules are impacting how teams pick their events. We talk about the defending champs, some established squads, and some up and comers to see if we can spot the differences in how they are approaching a new season.
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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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Scotties Recap: Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back
We're back to review an eventful 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. We start by talking about Kerri Eirnarson's 4th straight Scotties title and her final win over Jennifer Jones. We then discuss another podium finish for Krista McCarville and a breakout week for Christina Black before going through some of the highlights from the rest of the field.
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Scotties Trends Heading into Playoffs
We're back to chat about some of the trends we've seen this week at the Scotties. We discuss the playoff scenarios, the increase in scoring from last year, and time management for teams with more active front ends. We wrap up by talking about the rather interesting measures we've seen, the ice conditions, and the new look TSN booth.
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Super Scotties Preview
It's time for our favourite event on the curling calendar, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. We talk about Joanne Courtney joining the TSN booth for the week and how strong the field is before turning our attention to each team. We go team-by-team through the pools to talk about the lineups, the favourites, and who we think will stand tall at the end of the week. We wrap up by talking about our special Scotties giveaway.
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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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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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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.
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Diversity & Inclusivity Initiatives After Curling Canada Symposium
In this episode, Sean is joined by Sabena Islam about diversity and inclusion initiaitves in curling. They talk about Curling Canada's 'Changing the Face of Curling' symposium and some of Curling Canada's DEI initiatives. The discussion ranges from how these program's came about, where they stand now, and what steps the curling community can take moving forward.
Please check out some of the resources available:
United we Curl: https://unitedwecurl.com/
Curling Canada: https://www.curling.ca/files/2021/03/Full-Resource-Kit-Eng.pdf
Goldline: https://blog.goldlinecurling.com/we-can-all-changethefaceofcurling-introducing-the-unitedwecurl-brooms/
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Best Games of the Quad
This week, Sean and Scott look back at the best games from the past four years. From worlds to Olympics to national championships, they talk about the most exciting matches that still hold some re-watchability. Agree with their list? Be sure to let them know what they missed.
To see the list, including links to watch the game, check out the accompanying blog post.
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Who Gets on Teevee?
This week, Sean and Scott look at the data from the past four years to determine how teams get on TSN? Does winning matter? How important is name recognition? Do certain provinces gets hosed? The guys break it all down.
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A New Dynasty! Looking Back at the 2022 Scotties
In this episode, Sean and Scott look back at the week that was in Thunder Bay for the 2022 Scotties. They talk about Team Einarson's three-peat, what that means for the team heading into the next Olympic cycle, and how dominate they were all week. They also chat about an eventful week for Team McCarville, a major breakthrough for Andrea Crawford, and Kerry Galusha's playoff appearance. They wrap up by looking at some teams who may be disappointed with the week and Christina Black's solid performance.
For more, please visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
A Stacked Pool, New Playoffs, & a Three-peat? Our 2022 Scotties Preview
In this episode, Sean and Scott look ahead to the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They chat about the new modified page playoff system (4:35), whether the teams that didn't play in the Olympic Trials have an advantage (10:13), and a stacked Pool A (13:10). They then go team by team through Pool A (17:10) and Pool B (35:30) before making their picks for the week (49:30).
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com