Registered: Nov 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 621

As I have written about at length in previous posts......
The Scotties are roughly equivalent to the Euro's, the World's or the Olympics in terms of the depth of their fields. Aka. The degree of difficulty to win.

The Grand Slams on the other hand are far and away the deepest fields and so obviously the most difficult to win.

So by my count: Team Homan has 4 Golds. 2 Scotties, 2 Slams.

In addition to this they curled the highest percentage of any team in the history of the Scotties. And probably the Brier for that matter. (both play on arena ice, with comparable level of shot difficulty, so the comparison is valid)

And for added zest and flavour they have established a record of dominance for a single Scotties that will never be topped. I.e. Never once had to throw last rock while going undefeated.

With this team however even all of this, despite the extraordinary level of achievement it represents, is only the starting point of what makes them so exciting.

For we have never had a women's team that is ahead of the curve in terms of strategy. The tick and roll-in behind the corner shot that they play with hammer is a weapon no one else is yet daring. And what a weapon it is. It is only a matter of time before it is more widely adopted. Russ mentioned that Team Howard when the FGZ was first adopted tried playing that very shot because of the obvious advantage it conveys. They were forced to abandon it when they could not master it. Ice conditions have subsequently improved and Lisa Weagle has made the shot her own.

Then there is the extraordinary accuracy they have with hits of all kinds. The reason for this unprecedented level of accuracy is not because they are uniquely gifted in a way that no other curler ever has been. The reason for it is because they have built a better moustrap. I.e. Technique for throwing the rock. In effect they have more arrows in their quiver or more clubs in their bag when it comes to the up-weight. No other team has quite to their extent grasped the superiority of setting the rock with a variety of gradations. They are also unique in the degree to which they communicate what kind of release they are going to use. Rachel often plays her upweight across the house doubles with clearly negative ice. And man she makes a lot of them.

I remember back to the days of Colleen and Connie. It was to put it mildly frustrating to watch the Scotties and the World's. Like seeing the world adopt the 486 instead of the Mac. But there was no arguing with Colleen's success. (Or Microsofts for that matter....lol...) Unfortunately the fact of the matter was that the women's game lagged far behind the men's in terms of strategy. There was much talk at the time that the women were simply constitutionally incapable of playing the same kind of run-back game as the men. It was even said more than once that they always would be. Thankfully we can now put that hoary bit of male chauvinism to bed for good. And I look forward to seeing the women's game generally rise to the level of Team Homan. It may take a half a decade or perhaps even a little more, but it is as inevitable as it will be welcome.

This contribution will remain the defining mark of Team Homan no matter how well or badly they do in the future. Elevating the game itself is worth more than a couple of Gold's at the World's as far as I'm concerned and not by a small amount. Let's call it the Platinum standard:-)

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quote:

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Originally posted by Squiggsy
There may be some logic in Joanne telling Sweeting when she did. Look what is going on with all the rumours surrounding Team Koe, with Hebert, Kennedy and Laing supposedly joining him next year. They haven't played the Worlds yet, and all the focus is already on next year for many people. This adds to the distractions, when they should just be focusing on winning right now.

If Joanne told Team Sweeting a few weeks ago, then that gets out very quickly. Team Homan wanted to announce Ali's departure after the worlds, so they wouldn't have those distractions. Joanne basically told them at the earliest opportunity she reasonably could have. It's still a long ways to go before the start of next season.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by JB42
As I have written about at length in previous posts......
The Scotties are roughly equivalent to the Euro's, the World's or the Olympics in terms of the depth of their fields. Aka. The degree of difficulty to win.

The Grand Slams on the other hand are far and away the deepest fields and so obviously the most difficult to win.

So by my count: Team Homan has 4 Golds. 2 Scotties, 2 Slams.

In addition to this they curled the highest percentage of any team in the history of the Scotties. And probably the Brier for that matter. (both play on arena ice, with comparable level of shot difficulty, so the comparison is valid)

And for added zest and flavour they have established a record of dominance for a single Scotties that will never be topped. I.e. Never once had to throw last rock while going undefeated.

With this team however even all of this, despite the extraordinary level of achievement it represents, is only the starting point of what makes them so exciting.

For we have never had a women's team that is ahead of the curve in terms of strategy. The tick and roll-in behind the corner shot that they play with hammer is a weapon no one else is yet daring. And what a weapon it is. It is only a matter of time before it is more widely adopted. Russ mentioned that Team Howard when the FGZ was first adopted tried playing that very shot because of the obvious advantage it conveys. They were forced to abandon it when they could not master it. Ice conditions have subsequently improved and Lisa Weagle has made the shot her own.

Then there is the extraordinary accuracy they have with hits of all kinds. The reason for this unprecedented level of accuracy is not because they are uniquely gifted in a way that no other curler ever has been. The reason for it is because they have built a better moustrap. I.e. Technique for throwing the rock. In effect they have more arrows in their quiver or more clubs in their bag when it comes to the up-weight. No other team has quite to their extent grasped the superiority of setting the rock with a variety of gradations. They are also unique in the degree to which they communicate what kind of release they are going to use. Rachel often plays her upweight across the house doubles with clearly negative ice. And man she makes a lot of them.

I remember back to the days of Colleen and Connie. It was to put it mildly frustrating to watch the Scotties and the World's. Like seeing the world adopt the 486 instead of the Mac. But there was no arguing with Colleen's success. (Or Microsofts for that matter....lol...) Unfortunately the fact of the matter was that the women's game lagged far behind the men's in terms of strategy. There was much talk at the time that the women were simply constitutionally incapable of playing the same kind of run-back game as the men. It was even said more than once that they always would be. Thankfully we can now put that hoary bit of male chauvinism to bed for good. And I look forward to seeing the women's game generally rise to the level of Team Homan. It may take a half a decade or perhaps even a little more, but it is as inevitable as it will be welcome.

This contribution will remain the defining mark of Team Homan no matter how well or badly they do in the future. Elevating the game itself is worth more than a couple of Gold's at the World's as far as I'm concerned and not by a small amount. Let's call it the Platinum standard:-)

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Location: Toronto, Ontario
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quote:

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Originally posted by Unregistered


Not telling her team she had an offer and was considering leaving prevented them from trying to recruit any of the top curlers in AB. Nedohin&Nixon,Webster&Kaufman,Crocker and the new Albertan Carey have all committed to each other and I would be surprised if any of them go back on their word. Sweeting is going to have a tough time getting out of Alberta again and getting to the final against Homan again. I don't blame Courtney for taking this opportunity, but I don't like the way she treated her team of 3 years. it was either a brilliant move to weaken her competition or a very dirty one, every one is entitled to their own opinion on this.

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Originally posted by Manitoba Legend
w/ Jian Ghomeshi.

It aired this a.m. but is prolly on CBC site.

Team Jones are presenters at Juno awards

Women donning gowns + diamonds

must see TV

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Unregistered


Not telling her team she had an offer and was considering leaving prevented them from trying to recruit any of the top curlers in AB. Nedohin&Nixon,Webster&Kaufman,Crocker and the new Albertan Carey have all committed to each other and I would be surprised if any of them go back on their word. Sweeting is going to have a tough time getting out of Alberta again and getting to the final against Homan again. I don't blame Courtney for taking this opportunity, but I don't like the way she treated her team of 3 years. it was either a brilliant move to weaken her competition or a very dirty one, every one is entitled to their own opinion on this.

---

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Location: Ontario
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quote:

---

Originally posted by JB42
As I have written about at length in previous posts......
The Scotties are roughly equivalent to the Euro's, the World's or the Olympics in terms of the depth of their fields. Aka. The degree of difficulty to win.

The Grand Slams on the other hand are far and away the deepest fields and so obviously the most difficult to win.

So by my count: Team Homan has 4 Golds. 2 Scotties, 2 Slams.

In addition to this they curled the highest percentage of any team in the history of the Scotties. And probably the Brier for that matter. (both play on arena ice, with comparable level of shot difficulty, so the comparison is valid)

And for added zest and flavour they have established a record of dominance for a single Scotties that will never be topped. I.e. Never once had to throw last rock while going undefeated.

With this team however even all of this, despite the extraordinary level of achievement it represents, is only the starting point of what makes them so exciting.

For we have never had a women's team that is ahead of the curve in terms of strategy. The tick and roll-in behind the corner shot that they play with hammer is a weapon no one else is yet daring. And what a weapon it is. It is only a matter of time before it is more widely adopted. Russ mentioned that Team Howard when the FGZ was first adopted tried playing that very shot because of the obvious advantage it conveys. They were forced to abandon it when they could not master it. Ice conditions have subsequently improved and Lisa Weagle has made the shot her own.

Then there is the extraordinary accuracy they have with hits of all kinds. The reason for this unprecedented level of accuracy is not because they are uniquely gifted in a way that no other curler ever has been. The reason for it is because they have built a better moustrap. I.e. Technique for throwing the rock. In effect they have more arrows in their quiver or more clubs in their bag when it comes to the up-weight. No other team has quite to their extent grasped the superiority of setting the rock with a variety of gradations. They are also unique in the degree to which they communicate what kind of release they are going to use. Rachel often plays her upweight across the house doubles with clearly negative ice. And man she makes a lot of them.

I remember back to the days of Colleen and Connie. It was to put it mildly frustrating to watch the Scotties and the World's. Like seeing the world adopt the 486 instead of the Mac. But there was no arguing with Colleen's success. (Or Microsofts for that matter....lol...) Unfortunately the fact of the matter was that the women's game lagged far behind the men's in terms of strategy. There was much talk at the time that the women were simply constitutionally incapable of playing the same kind of run-back game as the men. It was even said more than once that they always would be. Thankfully we can now put that hoary bit of male chauvinism to bed for good. And I look forward to seeing the women's game generally rise to the level of Team Homan. It may take a half a decade or perhaps even a little more, but it is as inevitable as it will be welcome.

This contribution will remain the defining mark of Team Homan no matter how well or badly they do in the future. Elevating the game itself is worth more than a couple of Gold's at the World's as far as I'm concerned and not by a small amount. Let's call it the Platinum standard:-)

---

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Posts: 621

Dear Unregistered,

I suggest you buy yourself a ticket to one of the Slams and do yourself a little empirical research. Ask the players - any player - what a Grand Slam win would mean to them.

Now I understand perfectly well why a fan might feel that way. The national media treats curling with pretty much utter indifference unless they can bask in reflected glory. As a result when curling can give Canada a gold medal we become media darlings cause well there is nothing the media likes better than a chance to tell Canadians how great Canada is.

The interest however goes way down when it's the World Championship. Take a look at the Globe coverage for this weeks event for example and contrast it with the Olympics. The reason for this is not difficult to deduce. When we win at the Olympics we are "beating the world at sport", when it comes to the World's its merely a curling championship. So ya sure if we win it'll get mentioned. But Koe need not sit around his phone waiting for an invitation to the Juno's should he win.

The Slams by contrast have zero to do with nationalistic pride. They are instead about curling. So, the media, barely covers the outcome much less writing laudatory stories.

So yup, for the fan I can see it. I most certainly don't agree with it and believe my arguments are far more developed than theirs, but I can understand it.

For the players on the other hand the Grand Slam is the toughest event in their sport with by far the deepest fields.
Not to mention the fact that the players themselves developed this tour. Thereby finally escaping the monopolistic clutches of the CCA.

So go ahead and ask them. Or you could just take Glenn Howard's word for it. "It's so special whenever you can win one of these. It�s the best teams in the world, the best competition you�ll play against all year."

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well epping is now listed as skipping the fanset rink in the players.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by JB42
Dear Unregistered,

I suggest you buy yourself a ticket to one of the Slams and do yourself a little empirical research. Ask the players - any player - what a Grand Slam win would mean to them.

Now I understand perfectly well why a fan might feel that way. The national media treats curling with pretty much utter indifference unless they can bask in reflected glory. As a result when curling can give Canada a gold medal we become media darlings cause well there is nothing the media likes better than a chance to tell Canadians how great Canada is.

The interest however goes way down when it's the World Championship. Take a look at the Globe coverage for this weeks event for example and contrast it with the Olympics. The reason for this is not difficult to deduce. When we win at the Olympics we are "beating the world at sport", when it comes to the World's its merely a curling championship. So ya sure if we win it'll get mentioned. But Koe need not sit around his phone waiting for an invitation to the Juno's should he win.

The Slams by contrast have zero to do with nationalistic pride. They are instead about curling. So, the media, barely covers the outcome much less writing laudatory stories.

So yup, for the fan I can see it. I most certainly don't agree with it and believe my arguments are far more developed than theirs, but I can understand it.

For the players on the other hand the Grand Slam is the toughest event in their sport with by far the deepest fields.
Not to mention the fact that the players themselves developed this tour. Thereby finally escaping the monopolistic clutches of the CCA.

So go ahead and ask them. Or you could just take Glenn Howard's word for it. "It's so special whenever you can win one of these. It�s the best teams in the world, the best competition you�ll play against all year."

---

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I really don't think they'll miss even the slightest of beats.

Rachel has won a whole heck of a lot at every point in her career. Bantam, Junior, and now in Ladies.

In her first year of eligibility she lost 1 game at the provincials and 3 at the Scotties losing the Semi to Amber Holland the eventual champion.

In 2012 they went undefeated in the RR and lost the provincial final to Horgan. In 2013 they again went undefeated in the provincial RR and playoffs.

So in 3 years worth of provincial playdowns they have lost 2 games. These are Glenn Howard like numbers during his best days. They followed that of course by losing only a single game in the last two Scotties.

At one point in 2012-2013 they won something like 25 games in a row on the WCT. This is a very rare level of dominance. The last men's team I remember doing it was Team Middaugh at their peak.

The facts speak for themselves. This is a special athlete on a special team. It seems to me about as close to a lock as you can get in sport that they will keep rolling right along with Ms. Courtney filling as best she can the very large shoes she's been left.

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Is not an argument but a declarative sentence. As such it carries little information and even less weight.

Elaboration is required for the evaluation of the information you desire to convey and for the argument you wish to make.

Last edited by JB42 on 03-28-14 at 06:10PM

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quote:

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Originally posted by JB42
I really don't think they'll miss even the slightest of beats.

Rachel has won a whole heck of a lot at every point in her career. Bantam, Junior, and now in Ladies.

In her first year of eligibility she lost 1 game at the provincials and 3 at the Scotties losing the Semi to Amber Holland the eventual champion.

In 2012 they went undefeated in the RR and lost the provincial final to Horgan. In 2013 they again went undefeated in the provincial RR and playoffs.

So in 3 years worth of provincial playdowns they have lost 2 games. These are Glenn Howard like numbers during his best days. They followed that of course by losing only a single game in the last two Scotties.

At one point in 2012-2013 they won something like 25 games in a row on the WCT. This is a very rare level of dominance. The last men's team I remember doing it was Team Middaugh at their peak.

The facts speak for themselves. This is a special athlete on a special team. It seems to me about as close to a lock as you can get in sport that they will keep rolling right along with Ms. Courtney filling as best she can the very large shoes she's been left.

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Originally posted by Unregistered
news break....fresh on the unrestricted list is josh barry out of NB.....could be a good pick up for an up and coming team.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Manitoba Legend


Suspect they'll playoff in first couple major cash spiels they're invited. Initially, they'll just be basking in having a new teammate and trying to focus on the fact Ali is no longer on board. Probably hit rougher waters later but with another STOH fawn-fest they'll have little problem until they confront teams like Carey or Sweeting out of Alberta or Jones out of Manitoba. Minor threats from Van Osch/BC and/or Lawton/SK.

A team like Homan, even with Coco Jones playing 2nd will just torment the hell out of the 4 Maritime teams, the Yukon/NWT squad and both club teams out of Ontario & Quebec. Thats 7 wins in hand, beat BC & Sask'n and you've got 9.

The first big test with Courtney will occur in next year's STOH playoffs.

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R there any updates on gushue team

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quote:

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Originally posted by Unregistered


Not telling her team she had an offer and was considering leaving prevented them from trying to recruit any of the top curlers in AB. Nedohin&Nixon,Webster&Kaufman,Crocker and the new Albertan Carey have all committed to each other and I would be surprised if any of them go back on their word. Sweeting is going to have a tough time getting out of Alberta again and getting to the final against Homan again. I don't blame Courtney for taking this opportunity, but I don't like the way she treated her team of 3 years. it was either a brilliant move to weaken her competition or a very dirty one, every one is entitled to their own opinion on this.

---

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Originally posted by Squiggsy


Right now I'm considering switching jobs. In no way am I going to tell my current employer until I have decided if I'm leaving.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Unregistered


The employer/job analogy is flawed. A top level employee in private industry would sign a non-compete agreement (usually 1 year). If they left to not 'a' competitor but to their number 1 rival they would be sued.

Further employee loyalty does not exist because companies are not loyal to employees. If there were no loyalty in competitive curling it would not be sustainable. The majority of teams are loyal to one another.

No more 'job' analogies, please.

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Originally posted by JB42
So go ahead and ask them. Or you could just take Glenn Howard's word for it. "It's so special whenever you can win one of these. It�s the best teams in the world, the best competition you�ll play against all year."

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What's with all the incredible fawning over Rachel Homan 'Artist'? If she was as "special" an athlete as you suggest, she wouldn't have bombed out in the last two World Championships and even more so in the Olympic Trials.

Homan deserves 100% credit for back to back Scotties and she has an accomplished a great deal for someone her age. But she won't be "special" until she and her rink withstand the pressure and win some major international events.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Unregistered


The employer/job analogy is flawed. A top level employee in private industry would sign a non-compete agreement (usually 1 year). If they left to not 'a' competitor but to their number 1 rival they would be sued.

Further employee loyalty does not exist because companies are not loyal to employees. If there were no loyalty in competitive curling it would not be sustainable. The majority of teams are loyal to one another.

No more 'job' analogies, please.

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Posts: 192

Sweeting was the favorite in Alberta before Courtney left but now it's pretty much open season. I wonder who she gets to replace Joanne? Will a player from one of the other teams jump ship to Sweeting? The Olympics have raised the stakes, it's dog-eat-dog.

Last edited by radiowave on 03-28-14 at 11:00PM

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Originally posted by Manitoba Legend


Courtney & Homan left VaL pretty much hi + dry. She'll probably look for a quick patch for the upcoming season and then evaluate their success (or failure). And obviously with Courtney's actions they'll need to poach someone from another team - or bring in an inexperienced 19 yr old junior like Kelsey Rocque.

The only quality 3rds who are inactive for the upcoming season are Jeanna Schraeder (BC), Beth Iskiw (AB) and Cathy O (Parts Unknown)

If I were Val I'd be on the phone to Beth really soon. Beth and Val seem to have the same cool demeanour.

In fact, in my fantasy world the ideal STOH finale next season would be for Val to exterminate Rachel & Courtney in a semi-final slobber-knocker before succumbing to Jones in the final.

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You thought Germany was bad??? Look what happened allegedly with the South Koreans...

http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/phone/new..._newsidx=154269

I will pose this question. Ji-Sun Kim is married to Xiaoming Xu, the Chinese Vice.

We saw the Korean Short Track Speed Skater Ahn left Korea due to his Sport Federation for Russia and won multiple medals in Sochi.

Personally, if the allegations are true, I would leave to curl for another country and Jessica potentially has that option.

I thought Imogen joining the mutiny was weird. Betty and Jessica in 2018?!?!? Can we trial test this at the 2016 Continental Cup?

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