As Terry Jones reports from the Brier it’s time to start the revolving doors among curling’s elite players. With the Olympics over and a new multi-year cycle about to start, the dance partners are lining up and looking for new partners. One of the players involved is likely to be former world champion Nolan Thiessan. “There’s lots of stuff out there,” said Thiessen, the Edmonton curler who won...
t want to go into the relegation pool figuring it wouldn...
The Timmies Brier gets underway today and, of course, it is the first relegation Brier. Teams at the bottom will be dumped into a pool to fight it out for spots next year. The great Terry Jones pens a good look at the new system with quotes from just about every curler whose province is on the bubble, starting with Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy. “It’s horrible for everybody — the curlers, the families...
s what the Canadian Junior Women's team is asking after a controversial measurement that took place at the World Junior. Canadian skip Kelsey Rocque Tweeted out a picture of the stone and the measure and certainly from the angle shown, it appears the rock was in (It does beg the question of what exactly the skip was doing with a cel phone/camera that she was able to get this photo UPDATE: as reader...
s not advancing things because this is just a hobby, not his actual work. As well, he thinks you'd need to test it out over the course of a year. "You...
partner, Brent Laing, is the second for Glenn Howard's Ontario rink, one of the best in the country on the men...
t quite the madhouse in Winnipeg where the Jones team landed, but it was a big turnout for the bronze- and silver-medallists. Here...
ll have to ask Trevor about that) -- got a heroes welcome. By 9 p.m., the airport was packed with more hundreds of raucous friends, family and fans eager to congratulate the team on their win by 9 p.m. Many held signs and Canadian flags. Even Mayor Sam Katz was there, holding bags of goodies for the team when they arrived. Mounties in full uniform were also on hand, and...
Putting politics aside for a minute and forgetting about the looming vote for Scottish independence, the medal-winning curlers from Team GB got to spend a little time with British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday after arriving back from Sochi. Here are some of the images from the visit to No. 10 Downing Street. ...
t just because of what he did on the ice. He was the ultimate teammate. He kept everyone loose." In an era before there were specialists, when the weakest links usually played lead, Harrison revolutionized curling by making the lead position his craft. He was a lead and proud of it. In fact at the 1983 World Curling Championships, Harry become the first player to ever throw a perfect game. "Everybody...
s the question asked by the Washington Post which also provided an answer: YES. The Post's Marissa Payne dealt with that age-old question that Americans have about whether or not curling is athletic enough to stay in the Olympic family. She provided one rather interesting statistic about the roaring game: According to Harvard University , curling burns 149 calories per 30 minutes of play....
When I watched Brad Jacobs, Ryan Fry, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden receive their medals today, I couldn’t help but think about what a stunning and awe-inspiring journey it’s been for the boys from the Soo. In Vancouver four years ago, I don’t think many people would have figured that this rink would be representing Canada let alone winning gold. And to me, that’s what makes this so special. Their...
d suggest you read this tale by Jeff Passan of Yahoo! on David Murdoch and his home town of Lockerbie. It's truly a great read. The story revolves about the Scottish town that is a curling powerhouse but also known as that place where Pan Am 103 crashed down and how that had a chance to change at the Olympics. Here's a touch of it, based on Murdoch's parents: About a half-hour before the...
Finally, it appears the OCA has come to its senses. According to multiple sources, the OCA’s president, Ian McGillis, sent a letter to the CCA last night apologizing and retracting statements that were felt by the CCA to be defamatory. That has cleared the way for the association to avoid being suspended and also for the association to be put back in good standing. The CCA sent out a letter today...
t like the physical, aggressive style of Canada's Brad Jacobs and his team, saying it's not good for the sport. He criticized the Canadian team's animated emotions that have become their trademark. Gran, a Swede who coaches David Murdoch's rink, spoke out to the Sun chain a day before his team will meet Brad Jacobs Canadian team for the gold medal. "The aggressive style we have seen from the Canadians...
Four years ago, I got to sit in Vancouver and watch every shot of every draw in the Olympics. One of my seat-mates for that stretch was Jennifer Jones, who at the time was working for Yahoo! But it was clear that she was burning to be down on the ice rather than up with the media; she wanted to play rather than watch, wanted desperately to be an Olympian and it was obviously eating her up sitting....
ve ever watched any British documentaries, particularly ones on nature, you've probably heard Sir David Attenborough. His voice is unmistakable, unique. Somehow, the BBC managed to convince Sir David to do a little commentary on Team GB's game against the U.S. earlier this week and the results were tremendous and hilarious. For example, he used the following phraseology to describe Anna Sloan delivering...
A number of Canada’s top Olympic curlers have told me over the years that while winning a gold medal is a glorious feeling, winning the semi-final contest might provide the biggest relief of the Olympics. Knowing you’re going home with a medal provides some respite from the pressure of a nation, hungry for medals and one that expects nothing less than gold from its curlers. I’m sure that Jennifer...
Here’s a cool video from CurlingZone.com’s Far From Home series looking at the Great Britain team at the Olympics and the controversial tactic of having five players. I’ve never known a five-player team that’s worked all that well although it’s been done a number of times in major competitions including the Brier and world championships. Of course, having a boatload of money behind it -- reportedly...
Just when you thought you’d heard it all comes more news of the OCA-CCA conflict. Over the past 24 hours, I’ve heard from three different Zone reps – you know, the folks who represent a group of clubs in a part of the province. Now you’d think that if you were in charge of the OCA and there was a crisis going on that you’d want to at least communicate with these folks, seeing as how they are the ones...