Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
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Getting close to post time. Place your bets. I don't want to be swamped with those saying "I knew Nina would win" the day after the finals.

Prop Bets: McCormick/McCormick Double Win Special 15 to 1

Tetley's sons end up being better curlers than their mother: 20 to 1...damn hockey

Monica Walker has troubles with the airlines either going to Kzoo or returning home 1 to 1

Katie Bert makes Steph Jensen laugh so hard that Steph actually snorts 1 to 1

Odds that Dave Jensen will be offered cash for his notes on the rocks 1 to 1, odds that he'll accept cash 55 to 1

As Willy The Wise says, bet with your head...not over your head.

Ben Tucker

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Kind of surprised to see Lank v Roth, Sormunen v Christianson, Brown v McCormick in first round. It used to be that top teams would not meet until later in the week.
Do they still use peer seeding for this event?

Last edited by dbsdbs on 02-14-15 at 06:55PM

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Upset in first draw.... Go Lank!

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I have yet to see a significant difference in the success of the HPP teams (both mens and women's) vs. the top non-funded teams that would really justify the money spent on that silly program...

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quote:

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Originally posted by IMWright
I have yet to see a significant difference in the success of the HPP teams (both mens and women's) vs. the top non-funded teams that would really justify the money spent on that silly program...

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Some of us are up early watching the women's games. Looks like "4's are wild"!

One game is 9-1 after 3!

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Jim

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A little late but I am choosing Roth over Brown.

I think some are having trouble learning the ice with the big ends so far.

After watching the games I am wondering a little about the uniform rules for competitions. Three of a team wearing kilts but not the fourth? Multiple sponsor patches? One member wearing a hat while the other three wearing no hat?

Seems to be a change in the rules or are they not as strict in enforcing them?

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Obvious some of these curlers have little experience on swingy ice, especially the last 3 or 4 women's teams. They must not be trusting the brooms with all the crashed guards. Of course how many US curlers do?

Swing seems similar to the ice on the Scotties (ESPN3).

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quote:

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Originally posted by biterbar
Obvious some of these curlers have little experience on swingy ice

Swing seems similar to the ice on the Scotties (ESPN3).

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The ice is playing "green". They had problems with the deionizing tanks, I hear. It should get better as the week goes on with heavy scrapes.

None of the last 4 teams to get in have beaten the Top 6 yet.

I'm liking my picks. Patti vs Eileen a big game going on right now. If the HPP teams are going to finish outside of the Top Three, somebody has to hang some losses on Eileen.

Ben Tucker

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I can see that there's no "minimum end requirement". A few of these games haven't made it to the break. That has to be very distressing.
There are "Canuckleheads" watching the webcast-for some reason there's no morning draw at the Scotties today (must have been celebrating "Family Day" last night...)
How are the crowds?

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Jim

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"How are the crowds?" Dude, you are SO Canadian!

Last Four teams finally score a win over the Top Six teams this morning as Bert upsets Princess Debbie in an extra end. I didn't get to watch any of it, but I imagine it was pretty good.

When looking at the remaining games, give Patti a bump in your standings. They only have 1 game left against the Top Six. Give Aileen a slight bump because they have head-to-head wins against both Cory and Patti.

Katie Bert could win out and make the playoffs, but that's a tough set of games (Wapola, Lank, Sormunen).

If you're looking for team to play Wild Card, look to Joyance. Lots of tight games played so far and precious little to show for it. Unlikely to make the playoffs, they could have a big impact on the playoffs with their remaining games (Lank, Roth, Moulton).

For those playing the interesting game of No HPP Teams In The Top Three, you're gonna need Nina to beat Aileen tonight and/or Cory to beat Aileen tomorrow. If HPP Nina or Aileen make the Page 1v2, it's over. However, if Erika and Cory (or maybe Patti) make the Page 1v2, then we have us an interesting Page 3v4. Nina owns no head-to-head wins over contending teams yet.

Ben Tucker

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If Roth and Sormunen end up in the 3/4 page game, that single game would be winner take all for a trip to Worlds, no?

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That is my understanding. Between now and then, however, Team Roth would have to remember how to curl.

Too snarky? Too mean? I'm just trying to be funny. That team has had a very good year. I know. Just trying to be funny.

Ben Tucker

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Tuck, what's with the resentment-in case anybody has forgotten, this is one Canuck who wants to see the U.S. do well, both nationally and internationally-check my earlier posts.

I think that the international growth of our game is more dependent on getting exposure in the States AS A RESULT OF STRONG U.S. TEAMS than simply watching TSN or the pro tour.

So yes, I'm just curious as to how many folks have made the trip to the "Zoo"? (as in a term of endearment for Kalamazoo).

Also wondering if Ian Tetley has made the trip.

Your friend,

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Jim

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Sorry, Jimbo. I'm just trying to be funny today. Pointing out the difference in USA curling and Canadian curling just struck my funnybone. While Canucks actually pay attention to crowd size for big events, it hardly ever dawns on us to ask.

Philly (twice now) has packed a small arena. We'll fill up a curling club like Devils Lake this year for Juniors. Fargo had nice crowds for the Olympic Trials, but it was lost in the 6,000 seat arena as most hung in boxes or in the bar.

Didn't mean any offence. I know a friendly neighbour when I see one...and I deliberately misspelt neighbor to prove it.

Ben Tucker

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...oh...and Tet's normal modus operandi is to show up when the playoffs start. Until then, he takes his turn watching the sons. As the sons get of age to play hockey (a terrible sport), Chubb sightings might get fewer and farther inbetween.

Last time I saw Tet, I was so drained from the webcasting that I didn't even recognize him at first. I was a dead lump and just looking to get drunk. Now I wish I had sucked it up and asked him 1,000,000 questions.

Ben Tucker

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Let's declare this championship over. I'm pretty proud of my Erika-over-Cory prognostication and want it to stop right now before it all goes to heck.

Ben Tucker

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The further the week goes on, the less the games are seeming to matter.... Off I go to watch The Scotties on ESPN3, where the matches get more important the further we go through the week...

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quote:

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Originally posted by IMWright
The further the week goes on, the less the games are seeming to matter.... Off I go to watch The Scotties on ESPN3, where the matches get more important the further we go through the week...

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Yeah, they've sucked the drama out of the round robin for sure.

As much as I am not keen on the HPP a couple of their decisions on the women's side have worked out quite well. Including the junior team has energized Team Christenson and they are seriously kicking senior butts. Last minute line-up changes (Walker from lead to vice on Team Sormunen and Anderson tossing last bricks for Christianson) are working out for both teams.

Team Roth may miss the page altogether which add pressure for continued HPP funding. Hopefully not as the HPP definitely owes them one.

Last edited by TNH on 02-17-15 at 09:58PM

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I'm looking at the women's rosters and see that very few of these teams are listing their residences anywhere near their teammates. How often do they get together to practise and who puts the rinks together?

Erika is a perfect example: Oakville (Toronto area), Minnesota, Wisconsin and Maryland.

By the way, before conceding the championship, somebody please tell this Canuck (and long-time Lank fan) about Cory Christensen.

FYI, I was in attendance at the old Winnipeg Arena when Debbie beat Colleen...you're welcome!

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quote:

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Originally posted by TNH
Yeah, they've sucked the drama out of the round robin for sure.

As much as I am not keen on the HPP a couple of their decisions on the women's side have worked out quite well. Including the junior team has energized Team Christenson and they are seriously kicking senior butts. Last minute line-up changes (Walker from lead to vice on Team Sormunen and Anderson tossing last bricks for Christianson) are working out for both teams.

Team Roth may miss the page altogether which add pressure for continued HPP funding. Hopefully not as the HPP definitely owes them one.

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Not sure that one year is enough time to determine if HPP is working. [However, I suspect that if Roth and McCormick were leading the fields the USCA would be touting the program's success.] I guess Roth has had a decent year but the payoff is supposed to come at the end and we are not seeing that.

I suppose HPP gets some credit for Christianson rink but I still question the idea of identifying a small select group of junior rather giving more junior curlers the opportunity to develop. Roth's results this year show the problems with putting all one's eggs in a single basket.

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quote:

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Originally posted by dbsdbs
Not sure that one year is enough time to determine if HPP is working. [However, I suspect that if Roth and McCormick were leading the fields the USCA would be touting the program's success.] I guess Roth has had a decent year but the payoff is supposed to come at the end and we are not seeing that.

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