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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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!

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

What to Make of the Slams

With the first Grand Slam in the books, Sean and Scott discuss where the series stands in 2023. What is the perception of fans? How does that differ from the players? What do these events tell us about the place of professional curling? Following that, they talk about Team Ferbey's legacy as they are inducted into Canada's Sport Hall of Fame.

Let's Improve the Slams!, June 1, 2022

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Pointsbet Bracket Challenge

The Pointsbet single elimination event is back and so are we with our second annual Billion Dollar Challenge!! We go through the complete fields for this week and fill out our bracket live as we go. Be sure to let us know how your brackets stack up!

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Schedule Watch 2023

We're back from our summer break and looking ahead to the upcoming curling season! This week,  we go through some team schedules to see how the new Brier and Scotties qualification rules are impacting how teams pick their events. We talk about the defending champs, some established squads, and some up and comers to see if we can spot the differences in how they are approaching a new season. 

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Name that Shot: Progressive Trivia Edition

We're back from a mid-summer break for another edition of Canada's Fastest Growing Game Show, Name That Shot! This time we're doing a progressive trivia version of the game, so play along with Scott as Sean gives clues that get increasingly easier and let us know how you scored.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

How is Curling like Golf?

Join us as we head to the course to play of first round of the summer. Along the way we talk about the ways in which golf and curling are the same - from the warm-ups to the shot preparation to the conditions during the game. We also discuss our strategies, where we're the most comfortable, and how we played.

For more, visit us at gameofstonespod.com

Keys to Shot Making

What’s the most important thing you need to do to make a shot? We go through seven critical components of making a shot in an effort to determine which is the most critical. Let us know what you think is the biggest key to making shots!

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Confronting Racism Through Sport: A Historical Analysis

Sean is joined by Ian Kennedy, author of On Account of Darkness: Shining Light on Race and Sport. Ian talks about how athletes in the southwestern Ontario community have used sports to combat racial discrimination. From Hall of Famers like Fergie Jenkins to local legends, Kennedy examines the role sports can play is fighting racism. While Ian writes about Chatham-Kent, the themes certainly speak to broader issues in sports, many of which certainly apply to curling. 

For more information on Juneteenth:

The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth

Juneteenth: The History of the Holiday

For more, visit us at gameofstonespod.com

What's Curling's Best Playoff Format?

After some time away from the mic, we're back to kick off our summer season of episodes! This week, we answer an interesting listener question: what is the best playoff format? Scott has gone through the numbers to see whether certain formats offer an unfair advantage and we also chat about the various formats that have been used and how we feel about them from a fan perspective. 

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

What's the Word? Another New Team Edition

While it may not be the frenzy that we saw last year, the end of this curling season has brought with it some big lineup changes and we're here to talk about it. We go through 13 of the biggest lineup changes for Canadian teams and offer up a word to describe each. Let us know how you would describe the lineup changes and if there are any shuffles we missed.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Postseason Power Rankings

We're back to start wrapping up the season that was in 2022-23! We start by stacking up all the teams in the 4-person game and seeing how they stack up against each other in our power rankings. Sean gives his list of the top 10 teams in the world while Scott offers up his feedback, including some honorable mentions. Let us know who you think we missed out in our rankings.

For more visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Sherry Anderson Does It Again! What does Mixed Doubles gold mean for USA Curling?

We're back to talk about what was an exciting weekend in Korea as the world senior and mixed doubles titles were decided. We talk about Sherry Anderson winning her fourth senior world title and what an impressive stretch she is on the event before discussing the all-Canada sweep of the event. We then chat about the world mixed doubles event by debating what the win means for USA curling and whether this influences our perception of specialists v. non-specialists in the discipline.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Curling Canada Makes Changes

After a week off, we're back to talk about some of the changes Curling Canada made to Olympic, Scotties, and Brier qualification. We briefly touch on the world mixed doubles and senior championships before getting into the Curling Canada changes. We talk about what we like (a lot) and what we don't like (less) and how this could impact things moving forward.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

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.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com 

Brier Recap: Another Dynasty

We're back to recap what was an eventful week in London. We talk about Brad Gushue capturing his fifth Brier title, the cruelty of small misses that cost Matt Dunstone, and Marc Kennedy's stellar play. We also talk about the format, Kevin Koe's tough loss, and breakthrough performances by the Horgan brothers. We wrap up by talking about Colin Hodgson and Ryan Fry's departures and David Murdoch's tough position.

Be sure to check our socials for our giveaway of an Ailsa Craig print by Daniel Martin

For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com

Brier Update: Strategy Talk, Playoff Expectations, & New Merch Store

The Brier playoffs are set and we're here to talk about what we've seen so far and the playoffs coming up this weekend in London. We talk about Thursday morning's game between Quebec and Wild Card 1, the dominance of the top 4 teams, and how things are stacking up heading into the weekend. We then chat about some of the other stories of the week before talking about our new Merch store and what is now available.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com