Welcome to Morning Classes.  Since 1948, members and friends of the Fort William Curling Club in Thunder Bay have held classes each morning during the Brier.  During my detention, Fred Coulson and Alfie Childs share the history of this tradition and tell a few stories as well. The next time you attend the Brier, try to wake up early at least one day and attend a class. David Padgett started on his path to Ice Maker over 50 years ago. He began in Lindsay, Ontario at the age of twelve with his father, moving to the Avonlea in Toronto and eventually in 1980 to the Bayview Golf ; Curling Club. It was there he invented the original "Little Rock", a plastic composite stone that would simulate a real one at half the weight. David shares the evolution of ice making, thoughts... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Welcome to Morning Classes. ;nbsp;Since 1948, members and friends of the Fort William Curling Club in Thunder Bay have held classes each morning during the Brier. ;nbsp;During my detention, Fred Coulson and Alfie Childs share the history of this tradition and tell a few stories as well. The next time you attend the Brier, try to wake up early at least one day and attend a class.David Padgett started on his path to Ice Maker over 50 years ago.;nbsp; He began in Lindsay, Ontario at the age of twelve with his father, moving to the Avonlea in Toronto and eventually in 1980 to the Bayview Golf ;amp; Curling Club.;nbsp; It was there he invented the original "Little Rock", a plastic composite stone that would simulate a real one at half the weight. David shares the evolution of ice making,... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Kristefor and Jordan interview Erik Ordway, Dave Smeed, William Rivillas, and Dr. John Miller in the International Room at the Saint Paul Curling Club. They discuss the joys of international curling at the 2017 Tallinn Cup in Estonia. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Serious post-Brier depression has set in.
I want to be back at the Brier.
I walk into every room of my house and pretend that I am on TSN.
I signed my kidsâ report card with a Sharpie and wrote: âGood Curling, Mike Fournier, Team Quebecâ.
I pretend every water cooler conversation I have at work is actually a Media Scrum.
I stood outside my house waiting for the Brier Shuttle to pick me up and give me a lift.
I picked my kids up at school the other day and as they got in the car said âCount âem up, 1â¦2â¦3 for Team Quebec.â
At the conclusion of some âspecial timeâ with my wife, I shouted out âMake the Finalâ¦â. I was also wearing my Quebec jacket at the time.
I want to be back at the Brier.
Free Agent Frenzy
So the entire curling... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
On this weekâs From the Hack podcast, we wrap up our Olympic coverage with Phil Drobnick, the coach of the Olympic champions Team Shuster. Cheryl Bernard, the alternate for Team Homan in Korea, provides some insights on the Denmark game, the now infamous Sheet A and Cheryl also shares what she would change about the Olympic Trials process. Nolan Thiessen of Curling Canada joins us to address some of the topics that have emerged as a result of Canada missing the podium in both the menâs and womenâs events in Pyeongchang. Also, with the Brier less than a week away, we are joined by skip Mike Fournier of Quebec, skip Brendan Bottcher of Alberta and Brett Gallant the 2nd for Team Canada. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
As if losing the first three games of the Olympic women's curling competition wasn't hard enough on the Ottawa-based foursome skipped by Rachel Homan — and it certainly is well beyond frustrating for the pre-tournament favourites and reigning world champions — Friday's “burned” rock controversy sparked more controversy. Here's a primer on what happened, including what the rules of curling say about the situation. Incident report • With Denmark leading Canada 4-2 in the fifth end, Danish second Julie Hoegh touched a moving rock thrown by third Denise Dupont before it came to rest close to another Danish stone already in the rings, “burning” it. • Homan removed the “burned” rock thrown by Dupont and touched by Hogh. • The Canadians... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
On this weekâs stupendous, 100%-curling-there-is-no-point-in-even-listening-if-you-arenât-interested-in-it episode of 99 Friendship, Carolyn and I spend the full half hour recapping the Roar of the Rings, the curling tournament in Ottawa where Canadaâs curling gods decided that Rachel Homan and Kevin Koe would represent our nation at the upcoming winter Olympics in South Korea. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
When we lost our semi-final match of the Olympic Trials and our chance to go back to the Winter Games to defend our Gold Medal, I went to the boards for my routine post-game hug from my kid. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
CurlingZone's Gerry Geurts and Jamie Korab discuss the importance of small curling clubs for communities and sport in the Rural Routes podcast. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
ast weekendâs Everest Curling Challenge in Fredericton, New Brunswick saw an experiment with adding 2 points for covering the pin. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Reid Carruthers is a Canadian curler. He skips his own team based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Carruthers has won the 2016 Canada Cup of Curling, 2017 WFG Continental Cup of Curling as part of Team North America, and the 2017 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. He is currently representing Canada at the 2017 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Lethbridge, Alberta with Joanne Courtney. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Adapting to changes in the sport of curling will reduce the threat that is posited by doomsayers. Curling has emerged as both a sport and a recreation, but it is the recreation side that attracts 95% of your market. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Included: That time Rachel Homan beat him in a FG kicking contest... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Yes, I know, it's been more than awhile since I've put fingers to keyboard on my blog site. Thank you to the many who have sent emails and made telephone calls to inquire if I was, well, OK! I doubt I've never been fully OK, but thanks, I'm fine!;nbsp;So what's the reason for the no blogs for several months? I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't write just for the sake of writing. If there wasn't something to say, I wasn't going to say it! But now there is and it's time to reach into the electronic mailbag to answer an email sent from someone for whom I have great respect. His name is John Newhook from one of my favourite cities in Canada, Halifax. I had the joy of spending an afternoon with John at the iconic Mayflower CC as he walked me through... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
In case you have missed what is going on, Twitter has predicted the outcome of the February 12 Mens and Womens Round Robin games two days early in our completely scientific NerdCurl US Curling Twitter National Championships. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Team North America's lead heading into this final day seems insurmountable but don't tell that to the mostly European Team World supporters. They remember the "Meltdown at Medina" and are hoping for the curling equivalent upset. Fortunately for the North American's there isn't really a disastrous alliterative term I can think of that works with Vegas.
However, much to the liking of TSN and the Orleans ticket gate there is still plenty to play for. Pride is always good, especially with so many fans still cheering (sans Packer fans). But more importantly each game and end has some cash money tied to it which could seem pretty useful if you curl for a living and spending your last night in Vegas. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
The back half of the 2016-2017 curling season kicks off this week with the Meridian Canadian Open on the World Curling Tour and the USA Nationals Challenge Rounds taking place closer to home. A preview of the challenge rounds, highlights from an interview with Thomas Howell (lead for the top-ranked Heath McCormick rink) as their team embarks on its first Grand Slam of Curling event, and the updated rankings are on-tap in this weeks edition. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
e premise of this article is to vocalize my disdain for the current format, not necessarily the structure for which the bonspiel is set up but more precisely the flawed qualification process that has been implemented to secure a spot in this event. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Never in that period of time have I witnessed the tumult in the sport that we have seen in the past few years. In the eye of this tornado has been the pads we curlers use on our brushes. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Team Smith claimed the Oakville OCT Fall Classic menâs title and $3,000 prize money by defeating Team McCormick of the USA 7-2 in the final. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Just for fun, since the Summer Olympics are over and life is all about finding something to fill the void.Here's the qualification table. So far only Korea is qualified as the host nation.Canada - Rachel Homan - They were on the cusp of making it to Sochi, but as fate turned out it was actually Jennifer Jones' turn to represent Canada on the podium. This is a hard one to gauge, as I could also see Jones could repeat as the country, or Chelsea Carey or Val Sweeting or someone else having a hot run at the Roar to wear the maple leaf. Homan's the best on paper in any given tournament. Little has changed this century: politics are better, phones keep improving, and Canada will be the curling gold medal favorite.Korea - EunJung Kim - The host nation's top ranked team is #11.... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
I wanted to have a forum to discuss minor notes from in and around the curling world. Short House will do that for me, from time to time when I have quick thoughts about goings on you can find them here. Often it is a tall task for me to keep my writing brief but I will try.Sweeping Summit releaseThis past week the World Curling Federation released a statement updating the process of the Sweeping Summit that was held in Kemptville earlier this spring. The statement outlines initial findings and recommendations.As is the norm with the current "instant information" world that we live in, many are craving the full NRC results and data. Patience is not a virtue that sports fans let alone curling fans hold. Although we all would have loved the information to be released in real time in... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
DISCLAIMER! I sometimes work for Curling Canada, but have little to no idea whats going on at the Summit. Im not at all involved in it. These are my musings, thoughts, and opinions. There is nothing official about any of this
Cheers Brian Chick
Hey
you know what we havent talked about lately? SWEEPING!
Of course, this years buzz topic has already been beaten into the ground. Weve seen a million articles (some of which I wrote), blog posts, videos, and heard a million more anecdotes about what is possible with brush X vs. what you can do with brush Y. There were about 143 different rule changes, depending on which level(s) of competition you played, and endless debates about what sweeping can do, should do, shouldnt do, and what they the associations should... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Theres something a little odd about the sport of curling, and I dont mean the design of Team Norways pants. (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Don Landry of Yahoo Sports wrote a great preview of the Tim Hortons Brier today and we'd love to hear your thoughts on his choices and your own predictions!https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/brier-2015--contenders--challengers-and-long-shots-184308457.htmlTell his bosses at Yahoo that curling matters by posting them to his blog. Click on the link above, read and/or scroll down to the View Comments link and VERY IMPORTANT, post something in the comments section!Something positive about the Brier, about curling that may show Yahoo that they should be investing more into our great sport!Sharing is caring! (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Sadly, I was only able to make the Saturday sessions.;nbsp; See travelling on business?;nbsp; Nightmare!;nbsp; Anyhow, up we went to Perth, there to watch things and dream of times past.I don't know about anyone else, but I always find it very difficult to support one team.;nbsp; It was easier in olden times when teams represented ice rinks and comprised typically local players.;nbsp; The Torrance rink was from Hamilton and the Hay rink from Perth; if the skips name was Adam or Horton, chances were that they were from Glasgow and the Hendersons were Aberdeen born and bred.;nbsp; So, if you went to Dundee or Perth or Kirkcaldy, there to watch the Scottish Championship finals in February, you had "your" team.Now - it's a nightmare!;nbsp; Four of us decided to sit in the bleachers... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Jean-Michel Menard's guest blog the other day has seemingly rubbed at least one fellow athlete the wrong way. Speedskater Ivanie Blondin sent out a Tweet saying that she felt he was acting a bit spoiled.Feeling embarrassed for this guy. I'd count myself extremely lucky to be treated half as good as how he is treated http://t.co/mztiwkzzmuâ;quot; Ivanie Blondin (@IvanieB) April 2, 2015Menard said that he was bothered by the constant erosion of perks and accessibility given to the curlers at the Brier. Of course everything is relative. If you haven't had any of that stuff, you don't know what you're missing. And certainly most other athletes don't get treated as the men curlers do at the Brier. Even the women at the Scotties never had it quite as good as the men.... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
Hello everyone. ;nbsp;This year has been busy with a new 'regular' job for me. ;nbsp;Over the summer I was at the Arena Nationals in Cedar Rapids. ;nbsp;You can see the pictures here:;nbsp;http://www.rhphoto.net/arenanatsIn the fall I was at the St Paul Cash Spiel. ;nbsp;The pictures aren't totally done yet. ;nbsp;You can see the pictures which are done here:;nbsp;http://www.rhphoto.net/stpaulcash2015I shot the Junior Olympic Trials Finals in Blaine this fall. ;nbsp;This photo set is pretty much done. You can see the pictures here:;nbsp;http://www.rhphoto.net/p713273371 The events I'm scheduled to shoot coming up are: ;nbsp;US Open of Curling 2016 in Blaine, Mixed Nationals 2016 in Blaine, US Junior Nationals 2016 (playoffs) in Wilmar, ;nbsp;and US Nationals in Jacksonville,... (click here to view entire post on author's website)
We have developed a NEW website for the blog 2.You will still have everything you like including the ability for you to submit comments.We would like to thank you for using this site to tell your stories and submit your ideas!As the sport grows so do we! We hope you like our new site!www.wcblog2.com (click here to view entire post on author's website)
The Team Glenn Howard Fantasy Curling Camp wrapped up at the Guelph Curling Club on Sunday afternoon, ending three days of - of - of what? Learning, laughing, and a fair bit of pain (delivery, after delivery, after delivery....!) Moments of illumination, moments (long ones!) of frustration. Good times with new friends. Lots of failure. A few successes. And a long list of "Things I'm going to do (click here to view entire post on author's website)