WCF

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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Euros Recap: Best Bad Beer Bet Result Ever!

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.

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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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We Sponsored a Team!

Sean is joined by the members of Team Davies, the University of Alberta U21 Men's Team. We have joined their list of sponsors for this season, so Sean chats with them about their expectations for the year, how the curling program works at the University of Alberta, and the financial challenge junior teams face in raising funds. The discussion is followed by Sean discussing the PointsBet Invitational and the World Mixed Curling Championship.

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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/
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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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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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What's the Word? New Team Edition

This week, Sean and Scott go through some of the biggest new teams announced during curling's free agent frenzy. They go through 10 women's and 10 men's teams and give their words to describe each of the new lineups. They also talk about how they think the teams will stack up next year and how some of the most competitive provinces will look as we enter the new Olympic quad.

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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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Curling World Roundup

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).

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(Nearly) Live from Men's World Curling Championship

In this week's episode, Sean talks with some of the players at the 2022 Men's World Curling Championship.

Hear from Ross Patterson, Oskar Eriksson, Korey Dropkin, Brad Gushue, Amos Mosaner, Magnus Ramsfjell, Lukas Klima, Craig Saville, Yannick Schwaller, Niklas Edin, and Brett Gallant as they talk about the ice conditions, world championship debuts, Olympic hangovers, and the state of the world championship in a sport so focused on the Olympic Games.

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Women's Worlds Take Shape & New Teams Announced

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

Biggest Stories of the 2022 Olympics...So Far

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