News

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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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.

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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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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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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).

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Canada Has a Mixed Doubles Team: Instant Reaction

On Thursday, Curling Canada announced that Rachel Homan and John Morris would represent Canada at the upcoming Beijing Olympics. In this quick episode, Sean and Scott share their instant reaction, what this means for mixed doubles in Canada, and the impact on who will represent Ontario at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

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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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Weird Weekend: Cancellations, Qualifications, & Explanations (Plus, a Sex Toy 'Controversy')

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about a weekend when the world of curling really went off the rails. They start by talking about the cancellation of the 2022 Continental Cup, which was scheduled for January in Fredericton before moving onto the Olympic Qualifying Event talking place in the Netherlands, including the playoff matchups for the mixed doubles and the fields for the men's & women's qualifiers, which kick off on the weekend. They also get into the sex toy sponsorship 'controversy' that disrupted the broadcasts. They then move to the Canadian Senior Curling Championship taking place in Sault Ste Marie and the absolutely loaded women's field. They also discuss the coverage of Team Bottcher's announcement that Darren Moulding would no longer be on the team and how business arrangements could infuence team dynamics moving forward. FInally, they debate who would win an all-curling version of the Lou Marsh Award.

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She Did What!?!? Combacks, Qualifications, & a World Championship

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about a busy weekend in the world of curling. They discuss a couple crazy comebacks for Krista McCarville, the tough spot facing Mackzenzie Zacharias, and teams Horgan and Gunnlaugson qualifying at the Pre-Trials before looking ahead to how the four teams who got through this weekend may fare during the Olympic Curling Trials later this month. They then recap China's extra-end win at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship, Sweden's strong 3-three run, and the teams that qualified for the 2022 Paralympic Games. The guys finish out the show by talking about Team Bottcher securing Canada's spot in the 2022 World Championship, Plys/Persinger winning the US Mixed Doubles qualifier, and who they're picking in this week's National Grand Slam.


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Olympic Curling Update: Who's in, Who's out, and How are Teams Qualifying

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about Curling Canada's new Olympic Trial qualification process and how teams will get into the Trials. They also talk about the cancellation of the Women's World Curling Championship and the impact on how country's will qualify for the Olympics. They wrap up by talking about the mixed doubles situation and debate whether Curling Canada will have to send a team to a last chance Olympic qualifier.

News Update: Provincial Playdowns & Who is Going to the Bubble

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about all the latest news in the world of curling, including Curling Canada's announcement of a new Brier & Scotties format, the status of each provincial/territorial playdown, and the teams that have already booked their trips into the Curling Canada bubble.

Bold Predictions for 2021

In this episode, Sean and Scott give some predictions for what they think may happen in the world of curling in 2021. This includes predictions on Olympic representatives, lineup shuffles, and who we'll hear on broadcasts. Be sure to let us know what your predictions are for curling in 2021.

News Update: What to Expect in the Curling Canada Bubble

In this episode, Sean and Scott break down the Curling Canada's Calgary bubble announcement for the Scotties, Brier, Mixed Doubles, and Men's Worlds. They discuss the protocols, the reaction from players, and how confident they are in these events taking place.

Teams are Playing & Streaming

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the KW mixed doubles bonspiel and look ahead to this week's Stu Sells event. They also talk about Team Koe's plans to stream their games this year and how teams might adjust their use of social media this season.

Worlds Qualification Cancellations

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the World Curling Federation's cancellation of the 2020 European Championship, Pacific-Asia Curling Championship, and America's Challenge. They discuss the ramifications on the 2021 Brier and Scotties, what the  World Championships will look like, and how this could shape the Olympics.

Summer News Update: Canada Cup Postponed & Clubs Announce Plans

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about all the recent news in the world of curling. They talk about the postponement of the Canada Cup, how that will shape the season, and whether this will lead to changes for the Scotties and Brier. They also talk about local curling facilities announcing their plans for the season and the resulting financial implications for the sport.

Curling News Update & Ranking Top 5 Players in the World

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about some recent curling news, including event cancellations, procedures for clubs, and the new World Curling Tour points system. They also give their rankings of the top 5 players in the world.