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.

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Keepin' Up with Curlin' - Brier & Paralympic Reactions, Women's Worlds Preview, & Roster Shakeups

In this episode, Sean and Scott go around the world of curling to talk about all the action from the ice. They start by recapping the Brier (1:45), including Brad Gushue's remarkable win, some of the more fun results, and the state of the broadcasts. That's followed by a recap of the Paralympics (35:25), including the great performances by the medallists and Slovakia's incredible run. They then preview the Women's World Curling Championship, which starts on Saturday (43:55), by discussing their expectations for the 13 teams in the field. They wrap up by offering their reactions to some of the team breakups that have been announced this week (1:07:28).

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Diversity in Curling Roundtable

With the Brier and Paralympics in full swing, Sean and Scott wanted to re-visit their discussion with Auria Moore, Porsche Stephenson, and Jason Chang on the state of diversity in the sport. In the roundtable, which was held in 2020, they each discuss their experiences in the sport and strategies we can all implement to make the sport welcoming to everyone who comes to a curling facility.

For more, please visit us at GameofStones.com

Brier & Paralympic Mega Preview!

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).

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That's a Wrap! Full Olympic Curling Recap

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.

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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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Who Ya Got? Each Team's Strengths Heading into the Olympics

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).

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A New Dynasty! Looking Back at the 2022 Scotties

In this episode, Sean and Scott look back at the week that was in Thunder Bay for the 2022 Scotties. They talk about Team Einarson's three-peat, what that means for the team heading into the next Olympic cycle, and how dominate they were all week. They also chat about an eventful week for Team McCarville, a major breakthrough for Andrea Crawford, and Kerry Galusha's playoff appearance. They wrap up by looking at some teams who may be disappointed with the week and Christina Black's solid performance.

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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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A Stacked Pool, New Playoffs, & a Three-peat? Our 2022 Scotties Preview

In this episode, Sean and Scott look ahead to the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They chat about the new modified page playoff system (4:35), whether the teams that didn't play in the Olympic Trials have an advantage (10:13), and a stacked Pool A (13:10). They then go team by team through Pool A (17:10) and Pool B (35:30) before making their picks for the week (49:30).

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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

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.

For more, vsit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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).

For more, be sure to visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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.

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

Separating Fact from Fiction at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Olympic Curling Trials

In this episode, Sean and Scott look ahead to the Candian Mixed Doubles Olympic Curling Trials, which kick off next week in Manitoba. They go through the 16 teams in the field and separate fact from fiction as the discuss what will be the difference in determining who is going to Beijing and who is going home.

For more, including our merch, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

The 2021 Stoney Awards: Honouring the Year's Best in Curling

In this episode, Sean and Scott hand out some hardware as we present our year end awards. We go through 10 categories as we recount the highlights from a very eventful year in the world of curling.

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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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Queen Stays Queen: Recapping the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials

In this episode, Sean and Scott look back at the week that was at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. They start by talking about the women's final, the missed opportunities in that game, and a couple technical issues spotted during the late ends. Then the discuss the men's final, the cause of the low score, and Brad Jacobs' final shot. They also chat about Team Jones and Team Gushue as Team Canada at the Olympics before finishing by recapping the results from the 2021 European Curling Championship.

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Each Team's Path to Victory at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials

In this episode, Sean and Scott preview the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials.. They talk about all 18 teams in the field and chart a path for how each of them can stand tall at the end of the week. They also talk about the schedule, the expected crowds, and their Broomstacking plans for the week.

To join us for our daily Broomstacking following the afternoon draws, follow us on Facebook

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com