USA Curling

Women's Sports & Identity

Sean talks with Michelle J. Manno, author of Denied: Women, Sports, and the Contradiction of Identity. They talk about Michelle's personal experience with collegiate basketball, how personal identity mixes with team identity in sports, and how players navigate contested spaces. They also discuss how coaches police players' identities, the role of TItle IX, and how these issues exist across all women's sports. 

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Best Active Rivalries

In the midst of the Season of Champions, we take a break from the on-ice results to discuss some of the best matchups that we're looking forward to seeing over the next few months. From cross Canada competition to international matchups, we go across the globe to identify some of the best active rivalries around the curling world.

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Bold Predictions for 2024!

In another one of our favourite annual traditions, we offer up some bold predictions for 2024! From who will win to big event changes, we offer up some thoughts on what could transpire in the world of curling over the next 12 months. We then wrap up with a couple great emails we received over the holidays!

Do you like our predictions? What do you foresee for the year? 

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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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Kelowna Controversy

We get together to talk about what has been an eventful week at the Pan Continental Curling Championship in Kelowna. We break down TSN's decision to move the games off teevee and exclusively to streaming, Brad Gushue offering some strong criticism for the World Curling Federation, and what this all says about the state of the event, now in its second year. Following that, we talk about the games being played, including both Canadian teams qualifying for the playoffs, the world qualifiers, and the great story being written by Jamaica on the women's B-side.

Check out the Belgium Women's and Men’s Challenger Events early next year!

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Name that Shot: Progressive Trivia Edition

We're back from a mid-summer break for another edition of Canada's Fastest Growing Game Show, Name That Shot! This time we're doing a progressive trivia version of the game, so play along with Scott as Sean gives clues that get increasingly easier and let us know how you scored.

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Keys to Shot Making

What’s the most important thing you need to do to make a shot? We go through seven critical components of making a shot in an effort to determine which is the most critical. Let us know what you think is the biggest key to making shots!

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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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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.

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New Kids on the Block: Men's Worlds Recap

We're back to recap what was a fun week at the men's world curling championship in Ottawa. We talk about Bruce Mouat getting his first world championship, Brad Gushue earning his third silver medal, and steps forward for Italy and Switzerland. We also debate where Niklas Edin's spinner ranks on the list of all-time greatest shots, the vibe in the building, and how the Patch was this week.

Be sure to check out the Goulden Carolus Classic over in Belgium.

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

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

Women's Worlds Preview: Beat the Streak?

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 

Gambling & Curling

Matthew Hall, former Canadian and World Junior champion, stops by to discuss gambling and curling. Currently an oddsmaker with CoolBet, he talks about his interest in math, creating odds for curling, and how he models events. He also discusses the amount of money brought in by curling, the guard rails in place to prevent foul play, and curling prop bets.

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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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

2nd Annual Stoney Awards

The guys are back after a holiday break to dish out some hardware. They recap 2022 in curling and hand out some awards for the best of the year. They go through 12 categories ranging from Game of the Year to Oddity of the Year. If they missed any out, get in touch over 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.

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

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.

Yates Report, Grassroots Reaction, & What's Next for USA Curling

This week, Sean talks about the current situation with USA Curling and its CEO Jeff Plush. He opens by going through the Yates Report and Plush's actions while he was the Commissioner of the NWSL and reports of abuse and misconduct were brought to his attention. He then talks with Monica Walker and Courtney Shaw about the grassroots response in the United States and the open letter written by the DEI Task Force.

For more information, please check out the following sources:

Yates Report

DEI Task Force Letter

USA Curling Statement

USA Curling 'reviewing' report detailing current CEO's Involvement in systemic abuse in NWSL

Former NWSL commissioner didn't respond to Sally Yates after saying he 'welcomed' investigation

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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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What's Next for Grand National Curling Club

This week Sean flies solo to try to get to the bottom of the situation in the United States between USA Curling and the Grand National Curling Club. He's joined by Kristen Conrad of GNCC to talk about the background to what led to USA Curling's vote to remove GNCC clubs. They talk about how GNCC supports its members, the financial challenges faced by clubs over the past 2 years, and how this decision will be felt by players. Kristen also explains the next steps in the process and whether there could be a change of heart between now and the final vote in the fall.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com