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02-22-17 09:27AM |
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curlky
Drawmaster
Registered: Oct 2013
Location:
Posts: 559 |
My thought process on my picks above (as this is what I would do if I were in charge). I think that the HPP will want at least 1 non-HPP team on one of the sides to appease people who are very anti-HPP. I also think that they might want to cut 1 HPP team, 1 to send a message to the anti-HPP people, but also to the HPP players/teams themselves to let them know that just making the HPP will not guarantee a spot at trials, you need to perform as well.
Now my caveat on 1 HPP team cut is that I think that prior to this happening, someone within the HPP will discuss this with the USOC (the source of the funds). If USOC disagrees and says all HPP teams need to be at trials, then I think all HPP teams make it no matter what because you cannot eliminate the funds. Like the HPP program or not, getting those funds from the USOC is a huge thing.
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02-22-17 09:42PM |
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tuck
Super Rockchucker
Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
Posts: 2613 |
(internal confidential memo to CurlKY: Appease? Have you met these people? Appeasement is not on their radar. That's OK. I disagree with them on almost everything, but I respect their owning their methods.)
HEATER MCCORMICK
(to be honest, I think the HPP is way ahead of me on this thinking)
I think Heater McCormick is a unique, bizarre and inconsistent talent. It's possible that I am wrong, but I'm not wrong. Heater is a talent. I played a lot. I watched a lot. I pay a lot of attention. I think Heater is really, really talented.
I also think that we've gotten precious little of this talent out of him.
We stock him with very good players. (Let's be clear here: I'm not saying that any lack of results is the fault of any teammate. I believe them all to be very good players.) We fund Heater's entries and we provide coaching.
So why has he not blown up USA curling?
This year, he was in the HPP and did accumulate Points. I don't see any wins over a Top 25 team except for Shuster. He was in the HPP two years ago and did make the semis in a SLAM. Still, all of that falls far short of what I hoped and expected. I'm pretty sure that it falls far short of what Heater expected as well.
So what's the deal? Where is the Heater that blew away Philadelphia? Where is the brilliant Heater? I'm not sure, but I have a few ideas.
First of all, Heath now seems to call a typical game. In fact, he seems to be slightly conservative and slow to take the game to the opposition. Some of it looks slightly European to me. I know that current HPP thinking is to "secure the deuce", but we better start letting Heater be Heater or we are wasting a talent. Heater may need more than a coaching change; he may need a coaching philosophy change.
Second, Heater's best results seem to have come when he had a team that was overly supportive of him with no negativity. Perhaps the HPP needs to scour the nation and give him the most positive three good shooters they can find. I think I'd start with Joe Cool, but I'm too far away from the situation.
Again, I'm not saying that the front end is not filled with great curlers. It is filled with great curlers. It just isn't working. If Heath is the talent that I believe him to be, the HPP needs to change things up and do it right away.
Ben Tucker
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02-23-17 10:46AM |
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curlky
Drawmaster
Registered: Oct 2013
Location:
Posts: 559 |
Tuck just about everything that you said about McCormick goes along with my thinking, and it is for that reason that I gave my thoughts on him being left out possibly. My only slight disagreement with your statement is that I look at Philadelphia differently. I see that as a super talented under performer who caught fire for a time. I see his talent, but without results, talent really means little in the hard reality of professional sports.
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02-23-17 12:29PM |
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dbsdbs
Drawmaster
Registered: Feb 2013
Location:
Posts: 812 |
quote: Originally posted by curlky
I see his talent, but without results, talent really means little in the hard reality of professional sports.
After playing McCormick earlier this season, one of the competitive curlers from our club virtually guaranteed that Heater would get a medal this year -- at worlds -- because he was playing so well. But, as curlky points out, that talent again came without results. Doesn't mean it is not going to happen but it should make one wonder.
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02-23-17 01:46PM |
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IceMelter
Harvey Hacksmasher
Registered: Apr 2009
Location:
Posts: 25 |
Every year it's the same 5 skips at the top of the nationals standings. Almost every one of them is going to be 40+ and they aren't getting younger. The best being the only outlier..
Shuster
Birr
Fenson
Brown
Clark
Mccormick
of course you get a random name in there here and there, but not consistently. There are two thirds that could be the next generation of skips in Tyler George and Kroy Nernberger. You can't really move George as he's a huge part of Shuster's consistency. Nernburger though i believe should get his chance to skip sooner than later. He's proven he can make every shot, and has a methodical and intelligent way of seeing the game. Watching a few of those games it seemed like he was calling most of the shots already...
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