Registered: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 39

Last night's RR game:

With their skip's last rock in the 5th, Team Dropkin ignores a hog-line-violation red light, allowing the rock to hit into the house-rocks.

Then they delay the game 15 minutes or more vehemntly disputing the indication. "I was not even close". All the while, freezing Ruohonen for his final rock of the end.

TV angles, as usual, are bad, even worse in this particular case, but it is quite clear that he was "close".

Officials did not handle it particularly well, at one point lifting the rock from its resting place in the rings and "testing" it with a magnet, right there over top of the rings and the rest of the rocks. There was nothing wrong with the rock.

In the end, the violation stood, the house had to be replaced, and Ruohonen made his draw for 2. (Dropkin eventually won the game anyway.)

You can see the game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20ZJJEDHXro

This is the first time ever that I saw a red light ignored, and... especially... argued so vehemently. That was, after all, the whole idea behind the electronic handles.

In any other sport this would be worthy of a fine...

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2013
Location:
Posts: 1875

I watched it live last night and I couldn't believe the on ice antics of both Dropkin and the officials. Neither handled the situation well, especially the official for letting it drag on. A quick 30 second decision, the lights came on, pull the rock. Can you imagine the damage to the ice if he dropped the rock

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 39

For years curlers complained about hog line officials being fallible.

Hence the handles.

Now we are going to question the handles as well?

We should realize that we are just as fallible as the officials were.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2019
Location:
Posts: 1523

Team McEwen ignored a red light in 2016. I'm not sure how familiar they were with electronic handles back then. They've been to big Curling Canada events before, but this was their first Brier.

https://youtu.be/baqFctO16pI

It was a double touch, caught on camera.

TSN commentators were praising the sweepers for ignoring the red light (!!!). According to WCF rules in 2020, if you don't stop the rock, you waive the right to have the rock checked, and it would be ruled as a hog line violation.

You can only ask to check if the rock malfunctioned in very specific circumstances. Long story short, if you ignore a red light and let it cross the far hog line during a game, there is only one consequence: it will be ruled as a hog line violation.

https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/...ials-Manual.pdf

About the only time you're supposed to ignore a red light is during LSD (drawing for hammer on an empty house).

Last edited by curlingclips on 05-30-21 at 04:38AM

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 39

Although the camera angles in the Dropkin case were pretty bad, I would say that it was probably a double-touch as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20ZJJEDHXro

at the 1:25:35 mark.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2019
Location:
Posts: 1523

This was the National Championships. It's not the Olympic Trials.

Top 2 of men's & women's are qualified for trial. So are 2020 champions Shuster & Peterson, who openly declined to participate in another bubble.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2009
Location:
Posts: 695

This was handled poorly. The rules are clear, how do you take 15 minutes to enforce them? The fault is totally on the officials and not the players. Take charge and make a decision for cripes sake!

It was a great game and compliments to RR for not allowing it to affect that shot or the remainder of the game.

Congratulations to Team Dropkin.

__________________
"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire"-Winston Churchill

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 39

quote:

---

Originally posted by biterbar
This was handled poorly. The rules are clear, how do you take 15 minutes to enforce them? The fault is totally on the officials and not the players. Take charge and make a decision for cripes sake!

It was a great game and compliments to RR for not allowing it to affect that shot or the remainder of the game.

Congratulations to Team Dropkin.

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2009
Location:
Posts: 695

I absolutely agree there was fault by not stopping the rock. What they were thinking I have no idea. The argument that he wasn't even close doesn't pass the smell test either. Neither matter as the rules are clear what happens in his case.

That transgression took less than 10 seconds, the 15 minute delay is all on the officiating or lack there of. enforcing the rule as written.

__________________
"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire"-Winston Churchill

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2019
Location:
Posts: 1523

Even after the umpire presented his case (if the rock fails the test, he as purported eyewitness will veto the Eye on the Hog and rule it a clean release), and failed on all parts (the rock succeeded the test, and there is no such veto power since you're supposed to use hog line observer or sensor handle exclusively one or the other, never both, and even Dropkin admitted that the umpire is not a credible eyewitness to begin with)...

Even after all that, they just stood there and kept talking amongst themselves.

It took a different group of umpires to enter the picture to finally settle the dispute the way it should have been settled in the fist place.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2011
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 1418

It seems that it’s the American way. First Labonte, then Shuster, now Dropkin. I guess they are bigger than the game.
Can anyone remember anyone else causing a long stoppage in a game because of sportsmanship ( lack of)?

__________________
It’s me!

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged