We're back to preview the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier! We talk about all 18 teams in the field in London, ON, including the favourites, the young teams trying to establish themselves, and some of the new and returning faces. We also make our picks for the week and announce the winner of our Ailsa Craig print. If you didn't win, have no fear, we're doing another giveaway for the Brier!
For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com
We're back to review an eventful 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. We start by talking about Kerri Eirnarson's 4th straight Scotties title and her final win over Jennifer Jones. We then discuss another podium finish for Krista McCarville and a breakout week for Christina Black before going through some of the highlights from the rest of the field.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
We're back to chat about some of the trends we've seen this week at the Scotties. We discuss the playoff scenarios, the increase in scoring from last year, and time management for teams with more active front ends. We wrap up by talking about the rather interesting measures we've seen, the ice conditions, and the new look TSN booth.
For more, visit us at gameofstonespod.com
It's time for our favourite event on the curling calendar, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. We talk about Joanne Courtney joining the TSN booth for the week and how strong the field is before turning our attention to each team. We go team-by-team through the pools to talk about the lineups, the favourites, and who we think will stand tall at the end of the week. We wrap up by talking about our special Scotties giveaway.
For more, visit us at gameofstonespod.com
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.
For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com
Recorded before the David Murdoch to Curling Canada news, Sean and Scott talk about a busy weekend in curling as the Scotties Tournament of Hearts field is set. They talk about the provincial championships from the weekend, the Wild Card selections, and a rather stacked pool for the Scotties. They then turn to 2 announcements by Curling Canada, including the very strange pregnancy policy and the new qualification format for next season's PointsBet Invitational. FInally, the guys talk about their bonspiel experience over the weekend and what formats work best when heading to a 'spiel.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
It's been a big week in the world of curling, both on and off the ice. The guys start by talking about some of the provincial finals from the weekend and currently on going, including a phenomenal game winning shot from Kayla Skrlik. They then discuss Curling Canada's review of the high performance program and the attention (or lack thereof) on the grassroots level in Canada. They also give their thoughts on Curling Canada+, the new streaming service for all non-Season of Champions events. They wrap up by sharing a curling story from ChatGPT.
Check out Scott's AI generated curling image here.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
There's been a lot going on in curling, so Sean and Scott roundup all the news, including the Grand Slam, provincial results, and some lineup changes. They also dish out some tips for first timers heading to live events during the Season of Champions.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
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
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
At last week's Grand Slam, only 7 of the 16 playoff teams were Canadian, including only 2 on the men's side. This led to a fresh round of declarations that the world has caught up with Canada. This prompted us to look back at 20 years of this declaration and whether it's (finally) time to retire this narrative.
We also talk about Sherry Anderson winning her fifth(!!!!) consecutive Canadian senior championship and the ways the finals played out at the Masters.
To see the articles mentioned in the episode, check out this blog from our website: A Brief History of "The World has Caught up to Canada'
For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com
Curling Canada announced this week that the 2024 Brier will be held in Regina, prompting the question of whether the days of Briers in NHL arenas are behind us? And does that impact the fan experience? We then talk about this week's Grand Slam and what winners would make for the most interesting storylines going into 2023. The show wraps up by talking about some of our recent games, including a big strategy decision and what makes for major momentum swings in rec level games.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
Sean and Scott start off by celebrating their win in the annual Bad Beer Bet with Rocks Across the Pond. They then get into the European championship playoffs and who is heading up and down next year as well as who booked their spots in the world championship. They then go through what is a very busy week in curling, including the Canadian club championship, the Canadian senior championship, and the world mixed doubles qualifying event. They finish up by talking about which beers they should pick for Ryan and Jonathan.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about a fun week so far at the European Championships. They discuss Madeleine Dupont's incredible run, the women's final, and the crowded middle of the women's field. They also chat about the men's side and how things look heading into the second semi final. They then look at the current CTRS, Ken Pom, and Twine Time rankings and debate about the value of ranking systems and whether they warrant so much attention.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
In this crossover episode, Sean is joined by the Professor of Peel, Jonathan Havercroft, to preview the men's A & B fields for the 2022 European Curling Championship, which starts Saturday in Ostersund, Sweden. They go through the A division team by team and discuss how each team looks heading into the week before making their picks for who books their spot in the world championship and who gets relegated. They then chat about the B division, which teams stand out, and who may have the edge for promotion.
For a full preview of the women's field, be sure to check out Ryan and Scott's preview on Rocks Across the Pond.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
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.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
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.
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:
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
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
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.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com
In this episode, Sean and Scott go through the men's and women's fields for this week's Boost National in North Bay, ON. They give their odds for each team's chance at emerging victorious and get some clarification on the schedule live on the pod.
For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com