Bracket Busted! No More Extras!? And are Shooting Percentages Inflated?

In this episode, Sean and Scott look back at the Pointsbet Invitational. They talk about wins for Reid Carruthers and Jennifer Jones as well as which teams stood out, the new timing rules, and what was up with the teevee schedule. They also debate the draw the button at the end of tied games, the state of the extra ends, and how to make end of game scenarios more exciting. They then move on to the shooting percentages for the week and ask whether they may be inflated and why that could be happening. They wrap up by talking about the uSports championship and who will represent Canada at the World University Games in January.

Our Fall Training episode is available here: Spring (umm...Autumn?) Training

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Bracket Challenge!

In this episode, Sean and Scott go through their bracket for this week's PointsBet Invitation in Fredericton. They go through both the men's and women's brackets as they build towards their winner picks. If you want to compete against the guys and the chance for $1 million if you get a perfect bracket, head over to sweep16.ca

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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

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Setting Team Schedules - 2022 Edition

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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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Invitational Matchups Set, Early Season Results, & Eve Muirhead's Legacy

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about what's happening in a strangely busy August in the world of curling. They start by talking about some early season events (2:00) before moving on to the first round matchups for the PointsBet Invitational coming up in September (Women - 7:00; Men - 22:40). They wrap up by talking about Eve Muirhead's retirement, legacy, and whether she is the greatest Scottish player of all time (35:20).

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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What's Next for Grand National Curling Club

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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

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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Curling's Ryder Cup is Out, March Madness is In & What Other Sporting Events Should We Borrow From

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the news that the Continental Cup will not be played this season and what that means for the event's future before talking about the new March Madness style event set for September in Fredericton. They then look at some other major sporting events that curling could borrow from in order to spice up some of its events.

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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.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Glitter Bombspiel is Back!

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This week Sean and Scott welcome Tammy Moyer and Courtney Shaw from the Potamac Curling Club to discuss the return of the Glitter Bombspiel. We talk about the importance of the Bombspiel, the level of competition, and creating inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ2+ community in curling.

Registration opens on July 5 here: https://curldc.org/eventPage.php/glitter-bombspiel-2022

Follow them on Twitter: @curldc & @GlttrBombspiel

Visit the Wine Counrtry Curling Club here: https://winecountrycurlingclub.com/bonspiels/

Fore more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Who Gets on Teevee?

This week, Sean and Scott look at the data from the past four years to determine how teams get on TSN? Does winning matter? How important is name recognition? Do certain provinces gets hosed? The guys break it all down.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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Let's Improve the Slams!

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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).

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

The Arena Club Experience with Palmetto Curling & the last big Events of the Season

In this episode, Sean flies solo as he goes around the world of curling as the season inches to its conclusion. He starts by discussing the Champions Cup (1:15) and EJ Harndon joining Team Gushue, including the residency implications (9:45). He then talks about the U18 Canadian championship (11:35) and looks ahead to the World Junior Curling Championship (17:08).

He's then joined by Brian Champion-Westcott of the Palmetto Curling Club (23:00). They chat about the impact of the Olympics on the club, recruiting members in the southern United States, and the challenges of being an arena curling club, including the struggle to set up the ice and inconsistent ice conditions. 

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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

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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).

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(Nearly) Live from Men's World Curling Championship

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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.

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