Switzerland

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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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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 

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.

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

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).


Fore 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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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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Brier & Paralympic Mega Preview!

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It's a major week of curling around the world with both the Brier & Paralympic Curling starting on the weekend and Sean and Scott have got you covered. They start by talking about the Brier, including whether there is a stronger of the two pools (4:30) before exploring the key storylines for each team in both Pool A (8:31) and Pool B (32:07). They then discuss what some of the most fun scenarios that could happen over the course of the week (49:55) and make their picks (54:40).

They then look at the wheelchair curling field at the 2022 Paralympic Games. They talk about some of the key stats for each of the 12 teams in the field (55:40), the uncertainty surrounding Russia's participation, and make their picks for who will top the podium (1:21:50).

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

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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

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Bold Predictions for 2022

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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.


For more info and to check out the merch, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Best of 2021

This week, we look back at some of our favourite moments from 2021. From great guests to an accurate prediction, we re-visit the moments that stood out to us from the year. Thanks to everyone for listening and we wish you a healthy and happy 2022!

Clips

Advent of Rotation on the Stone: 2:35

Jason Chang on PACC: 7:25

Scott's Bold Prediction: 9:35

Greg Smith on LGBTQ2+ Representation: 13:28

Elena Stern on Switzerland's same-sex marriage referendum: 15:10

Katherine Henderson on Curling Canada's Equity and Diversity Initiative: 16:42

Annette Norberg's Greatness: 21:22

Kirk Muyres on Players on TV: 25:36

Nevin Demiliano on Social Media in Curling: 27:27

Use of Unbelievable in Broadcasts: 31:34

You can find all of our past episodes at GameofStonesPod.com