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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What to Make of the Slams

With the first Grand Slam in the books, Sean and Scott discuss where the series stands in 2023. What is the perception of fans? How does that differ from the players? What do these events tell us about the place of professional curling? Following that, they talk about Team Ferbey's legacy as they are inducted into Canada's Sport Hall of Fame.

Let's Improve the Slams!, June 1, 2022

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What's Curling's Best Playoff Format?

After some time away from the mic, we're back to kick off our summer season of episodes! This week, we answer an interesting listener question: what is the best playoff format? Scott has gone through the numbers to see whether certain formats offer an unfair advantage and we also chat about the various formats that have been used and how we feel about them from a fan perspective. 

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What's the Word? Another New Team Edition

While it may not be the frenzy that we saw last year, the end of this curling season has brought with it some big lineup changes and we're here to talk about it. We go through 13 of the biggest lineup changes for Canadian teams and offer up a word to describe each. Let us know how you would describe the lineup changes and if there are any shuffles we missed.

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Postseason Power Rankings

We're back to start wrapping up the season that was in 2022-23! We start by stacking up all the teams in the 4-person game and seeing how they stack up against each other in our power rankings. Sean gives his list of the top 10 teams in the world while Scott offers up his feedback, including some honorable mentions. Let us know who you think we missed out in our rankings.

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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.

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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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Curious Strategies at the National

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about what was a fun weekend at the first Grand Slam of the season in North Bay. They discuss some of their big takeaways from the week (2:40) before getting into a couple rather curious strategies decisions from the playoffs. They debate Niklas Edin's decision in the semi-final against Matt Dunstone (7:10) and the pros and cons of being down 2 with hammer compared to tied without coming home. They also go back and forth about Kerri Einarson's decision in the fourth end of the final against Silvana Tirinzoni and the benefits of sitting 4 heading into skip's rocks (16:50). They finish by again asking for improvements to the Grand Slam website (25:00) before commenting on the on going situation with USA Curling (30:35).

You can check out Rocks Across the Pond's episode on USA curling here.

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Grand Slam Oddsmakers

In this episode, Sean and Scott go through the men's and women's fields for this week's Boost National in North Bay, ON. They give their odds for each team's chance at emerging victorious and get some clarification on the schedule live on the pod.

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Setting Team Schedules - 2022 Edition

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about how teams have set their schedules for the 2022-23 curling season. They start by looking at the recent changes announced by the World Curling Federation to the world rankings system and some of the player reaction. That's followed by going through the season schedules for 6 Canadian teams to see how they have set themselves up for the Season of Champions. They start with Team Homan and then move on to Team Koe, Team Lawes, Team Carruthers, Team Galusha, and Team Gauthier.

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TSN Has a Change in the Booth! And What is Going on in the US?

The News Fairy has come in the middle of the summer! Sean and Scott start by trying to understand what is going on between USA Curling and GNCC (3:00). They then talk about Cheryl Bernard announcing that she is leaving the TSN booth, including Cheryl's legacy in the booth, the expectations for the new person, and throw out some names of who that new person might be.

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Curling's Ryder Cup is Out, March Madness is In & What Other Sporting Events Should We Borrow From

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the news that the Continental Cup will not be played this season and what that means for the event's future before talking about the new March Madness style event set for September in Fredericton. They then look at some other major sporting events that curling could borrow from in order to spice up some of its events.

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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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Let's Improve the Slams!

In this week's episode, Sean and Scott brainstorm some ways to improve the 6 events in the Grand Slam of Curling. After briefly recapping the World Junior Curling Championship (3:00), they go event by event to come up with ways to make the Slams more unique and interesting for curling fans. They talk about why they think the series needs some changes (8:10) and then go through the schedule with ideas to spice up each event - National (16:00), Masters (21:30), Tour Challenge (24:51), Open (28:46), Players Championship (31:45), Champions Cup (34:32).

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The Arena Club Experience with Palmetto Curling & the last big Events of the Season

In this episode, Sean flies solo as he goes around the world of curling as the season inches to its conclusion. He starts by discussing the Champions Cup (1:15) and EJ Harndon joining Team Gushue, including the residency implications (9:45). He then talks about the U18 Canadian championship (11:35) and looks ahead to the World Junior Curling Championship (17:08).

He's then joined by Brian Champion-Westcott of the Palmetto Curling Club (23:00). They chat about the impact of the Olympics on the club, recruiting members in the southern United States, and the challenges of being an arena curling club, including the struggle to set up the ice and inconsistent ice conditions. 

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Is the Power Play Good for Mixed Doubles? Plus, More World Championships & the Final Grand Slam

In this episode, Sean and Scott go around the world of curling to discuss the latest developments. They start by talking about the World Senior Curling Championships (2:40) and the Mixed Doubles World Championship (5:23). They then do a deep dive into the Power Play statistics and debate whether it helps or hurts the mixed doubles discipline, particularly when it comes to keeping games close (14:04). They finish up by chatting about the Canadian U18 Championship (31:55), previewing the Champions Cup (33:55), and how to watch the Wheelchair Mixed Doubles World Championship (43:05).

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

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.

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Play to Win the Game: Provincial Champions, Mixed Doubles Confusion, & More Wild Cards

This week, Sean and Scott go through all the news in the world curling. They start by talking about the results of the weekend's provincial championships (2:25) before going through the now completed Scotties field (20:36), with the exception of the somewhat confusing Ontario situation and why Team Homan won't be allowed to play if Rachel Homan is selected for the Olympics (24:40). They then move on to who Curling Canada should select as the mixed doubles team at the Olympics and whether the rankings should be the ultimate decided factor (27:00). They then finish the show by talking about the push to add more wild card teams to the Scotties and Brier and the pros and cons (36:56).

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Bold Predictions for 2022

In this episode, Sean and Scott look ahead to 2022 with some predictions for what they think the year will bring. This includes who talking about how Curling Canada will select a mixed doubles representative, trying to make sense of the recent provincial and territorial championship cancellations, and debating who has the edge at the Olympics. They also chat about what the year will bring for team breakups, world championships, retirements, and the Grand Slams.

They also tally up the total donated to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation and Food Banks Canada through sales of the Game of Stones merch, where all proceeds are donated and matched.

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Curling on TV: Players, Personalities, & Perceptions with Kirk Muyres

In this episode, Sean and Scott are joined by Kirk Muyres, second for Team Dunstone, to talk about how television coverage can influence fans' perceptions of players. Kirk talks about learning to play with cameras and fans, how teams are interacting with fans in an age of social media, and how TV games can shape that engagement. He also offers some insight into how players think of TV games, the differences between players' real-world and in-game personas, and how fans can distinguish between the two.

If you would like to watch our chat, the video is available on our Facebook page.

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