Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Brandon
Posts: 1060

Interesting article:
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/...brier-1.6765288

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Registered: Mar 2019
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Curl Canada is so focused on the elite few and the qualifying process and gold medals they have lost sight of why they really exist.
And I don't blame them, they want to be judged on medals because they have absolutely failed at achiving their core mandate which is to grow the game in Canada.
Thay have been around forever. In that time the number of people who curl has gone steadily down. The demographics of the ones who still culr get older and older. Curling clubs are closing. They have utterly failed to attract young people to the game and they are even worse at attracting newcomers and ethnic groups which is the key to growing the game. Outside of a lame ad they have been running for about 3 years now I don't see any initiatives that are going to change this death spiral.
So if I was inept like they are I would want to shift the focus away from my incompetence and make it all about a medal so if/when that happens I can say I'm a success even though the game is actually worse off.
They will change the residency rules, announce the new qualifying process, pat themselves on the back for a job well done while another club closes and less players play.

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Registered: Jan 2011
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Why would TSN not bring Joanne back to do commentary? Gauthier and Russ need to go!

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Brandon
Posts: 1060

quote:

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Originally posted by decade
Why would TSN not bring Joanne back to do commentary? Gauthier and Russ need to go!

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Registered: Mar 2023
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quote:

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Originally posted by hogged again
Curl Canada is so focused on the elite few and the qualifying process and gold medals they have lost sight of why they really exist.
And I don't blame them, they want to be judged on medals because they have absolutely failed at achiving their core mandate which is to grow the game in Canada.
Thay have been around forever. In that time the number of people who curl has gone steadily down. The demographics of the ones who still culr get older and older. Curling clubs are closing. They have utterly failed to attract young people to the game and they are even worse at attracting newcomers and ethnic groups which is the key to growing the game. Outside of a lame ad they have been running for about 3 years now I don't see any initiatives that are going to change this death spiral.
So if I was inept like they are I would want to shift the focus away from my incompetence and make it all about a medal so if/when that happens I can say I'm a success even though the game is actually worse off.
They will change the residency rules, announce the new qualifying process, pat themselves on the back for a job well done while another club closes and less players play.

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Registered: Feb 2020
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Posts: 148

Im curious about some of the caps that some of the players are wearing. Does anyone know if they are standard issue with their uniforms ?

With the exception of the Wild Card teams those wearing caps all have their provincial/territorial emblems on them. Is this new this year?

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Registered: Mar 2023
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Gushue's finished. He's telling everyone who brings a mike near him that he's chronically injured.

Probably sees the writing on the wall with Dunstone, guy from italy, Bottcher etc.

Too much competition and Harndon isn't the answer.

He got a MBA for a reason. He wants an admin job n curling. So he's throwing this team under the bus. Retired by end of year.

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Registered: Mar 2019
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Today's curling tip of the day: know your role.
McEwen, Fry and Laing have been to a miilion Briers between them but here's the lead who has been on the team for 2 months in his first Brier dominating the strategy conversation.
I'm guessing pops has a talk and we don't see that again for the rest of the week.

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Registered: Jan 2011
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quote:

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Originally posted by CurlingWatcher1
Gushue's finished. He's telling everyone who brings a mike near him that he's chronically injured.

Probably sees the writing on the wall with Dunstone, guy from italy, Bottcher etc.

Too much competition and Harndon isn't the answer.

He got a MBA for a reason. He wants an admin job n curling. So he's throwing this team under the bus. Retired by end of year.

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Brandon
Posts: 1060

quote:

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Originally posted by hogged again
Today's curling tip of the day: know your role.
McEwen, Fry and Laing have been to a miilion Briers between them but here's the lead who has been on the team for 2 months in his first Brier dominating the strategy conversation.
I'm guessing pops has a talk and we don't see that again for the rest of the week.

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Registered: Sep 2011
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I gotta say I've been really impressed with Nova Scotia these first 2 draws. They keep up this level and they could very well stun and get out of the group

On the other end someone is gonna have to have a talk with BC .how you lose 10-8 after being up 6-1 is just...wow

I'd like to talk to whoever was dong stats for because somehow Jacques Gauthier was still graded at 86% after 9 ends and I can't see how

I agree Joey Hart talk to much but that's up to Mike and Ryan to silence him

Last edited by misty1 on 03-06-23 at 08:22AM

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 2668

quote:

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Originally posted by jabba the hut
i beleive gushue is injured, watch how he throws, now that the gambling is involved who knows wats goin on!lol lets face it curlers arn't rich, now a days they are all good friends and splitting has been an ongoing thing for as long as i can remember. its like horse racing, not hugely popular but we can take care of our own.....who knows just a thought?

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Well Behaved Women Don't Make History.

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Registered: Nov 2016
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Posts: 468

quote:

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Originally posted by CURLER1



She is a nurse and has to work.

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Registered: Mar 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 31

I'm not sure what to say this year.

I'm cheering for teams like Knapp, Gauthier and Sturmay, but I'm not sure if any of these teams will be able to get into the playoffs... Time will tell I guess. Looking @ the pools, you can probably guess 5 of the 6 teams that will make the playoffs already. The only unknown to me is Horgan or Caruthers. I'm from Nont myself, so I'm rooting for the Moose!

I really hope there are some major changes to the team selection process going forward in the national championships... I think the first step is giving the wild card teams the first 3 spots, not the last 3. Then give the remaining spots to each province? I know the argument is that if the top teams aren't at the provincial, then ratings will be down for that event. The issue is that if there's only 1 teams at the province people want to watch, why go thru the whole ordeal of having a provincial championship in the first place. If we're trying to grow the sport, like in other countries, more teams will show up if teams like Koe or Bottcher aren't playing... Just look at what happens in NFLD when Gushue is team Canada. The entries quadruple. Also, if the juniors can have multiple teams from the same province, why can't the adults? Get rid of "wildcard" and call them Manitoba 1, 2, etc...

I also read something recently on changing the entry format back to an area vs. province format. Maybe its time we do so & give provinces entry by population. The 1927 Brier had teams from both Toronto and Montreal... Maybe go to something like 3 Team Canadas (was created for the Scotties for Marketing purposes originally), 1 North (Yukon, NWT and NU), 2 East (Quebec to PEI), 3 Central (Ont, Man), 3 West (Sask to BC)... 12 teams, full Round Robin, 8 end games. 70 games total (assuming there's a page playoff) vs the 80 we have today... You could also start at least 1 day, if not 2 later... Also, eliminate the residency rules all together but allow teams to only register for 1 province OR just have the 4x competitions (North, East, Central & West) on the same weekend... They do this now in Ontario playdowns. 4x provincial qualifiers. Doesn't matter which one you go to, but you can only pick one...

The more I see the 18 team format, the more I dislike it. It made sense, I guess?, during COVID? There are sooo many teams that really have no chance of winning. At least with the 14 teams format, there was the crossover event. This way, the top teams all played each other, which eliminated lopsided pools and there was a true top 4 at the end of the round robin. It also made sure that the games at the end of the week all meant something. I know people had a hard time understanding the crossover, but it's not as confusing as the seeding game we have now (which is silly) as well as the tiebreaker rules from the Scotties...

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Registered: Nov 2008
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I think you're going to see another step happen next year - not requiring Wildcard teams to abide by provincial residency restrictions. At all.

So top teams who don't meet residency requirements won't play in provincial playdowns - and they won't need to - because they'll just get in based on CTRS rankings.

That's what the language in the CBC article seems to be hinting at, in my opinion, anyway. They're very careful in how they talk about what type of eligibility will be impacted.

It's probably a good thing in the short term, to accommodate one or two Gushues of the world, at the top of the sport but not aligned with residency rules. Three wildcards is probably enough (although those who believe in "you should have to earn your way in" might disagree with just how that should be earned, but I digress).

But the athletes will evolve further in their non-provincial alignment, and by the next Olympic cycle those non-aligned top teams will probably outpace the number of wildcard entries available. And then how big does the competition need to grow to get them all in? 20 teams? 22? 24?

More importantly, how long can Curling Canada hold on to the increasingly incongruous objectives of retaining grassroots history and accommodating elite evolution at it's biggest event?

And in the mean time, are they even succeeding in meeting their purpose? curling.ca/about-curling-canada/what-we-do/our-mandate-and-mission/

Playdown numbers are dwindling and Canada are becoming less likely to earn medals at international competitions than ever before.
Not to mention shuttering clubs and decreased participation at the grassroots level in general. (And I won't get into viewership/broadcasts keeping up with the shift to online consumption/availability and their "more curling fans" goal).

I'm not sure how long they can keep chopping and changing this thing before it's indisputable that they've lost sight of their purpose and just want to squeeze every last drop from their golden goose at all costs.

I've always been of the opinion that they need to acknowledge the sport's new reality and separate professional from amateur.
Make the national championship professional, and keep the Brier/Scotties amateur but allow the winner/runner-up/third place teams a place at the national championship (and hey, the Bronze Medal match might mean something again).

Canada Cup becomes the national championship, and any financial windfall lost from the Brier/Scotties can be regained at that event. If they manage it right, they might even grow the pot.

In retrospect, I think the early 2000s WCT was on the right path towards this, and while I can understand why they got back together with the CCA, I think the sport would benefit from everyone taking another look at whether that might have been the right start for the roadmap of the future in Canada.

I certainly don't think they can hold on to tradition forever.

Last edited by bpm on 03-06-23 at 12:06PM

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Registered: Sep 2011
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Maybe it's because I'm used to Kevin talking a lot more during games. Discussing options but the chemistry on this Alberta team seems off. They dont seem to blend very well

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Registered: Mar 2019
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quote:

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Originally posted by misty1
Maybe it's because I'm used to Kevin talking a lot more during games. Discussing options but the chemistry on this Alberta team seems off. They dont seem to blend very well

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Last edited by hogged again on 03-06-23 at 03:10PM

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Registered: Mar 2023
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Another bad loss for McEwen.

Richard and Joey Hart must have brought some money into that team because they don't seem to have much respect for Skip McEwen.

So far it looks like a tossup between Bottcher and Dunstone to win the Brier..

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Registered: Oct 2019
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quote:

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Originally posted by lixit74
At least with the 14 teams format, there was the crossover event.

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: Toon Town
Posts: 104

quote:

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Originally posted by hogged again
Curl Canada is so focused on the elite few and the qualifying process and gold medals they have lost sight of why they really exist.
And I don't blame them, they want to be judged on medals because they have absolutely failed at achiving their core mandate which is to grow the game in Canada.
Thay have been around forever. In that time the number of people who curl has gone steadily down. The demographics of the ones who still culr get older and older. Curling clubs are closing. They have utterly failed to attract young people to the game and they are even worse at attracting newcomers and ethnic groups which is the key to growing the game. Outside of a lame ad they have been running for about 3 years now I don't see any initiatives that are going to change this death spiral.
So if I was inept like they are I would want to shift the focus away from my incompetence and make it all about a medal so if/when that happens I can say I'm a success even though the game is actually worse off.
They will change the residency rules, announce the new qualifying process, pat themselves on the back for a job well done while another club closes and less players play.

---

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Inturn..I thought you wanted an out.

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Registered: Feb 2013
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 80

quote:

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Originally posted by hogged again


And Tardi can't shoot like BJ. Maybe someday he will but you can hear the frustration in Koe's voice, as soon as Tardi releases the rock it's an exasperated "nooooo" from KK. Most of the strategy input comes from Karrick who knows his stuff but the other 2 don't say a lot which is opposite the recent Koe teams where everyone had 2 cents.

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Last edited by Prawnpuller on 03-06-23 at 06:54PM

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Registered: Dec 2004
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Posts: 12

quote:

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Originally posted by Deliverer


That's absolute nonsense. She is married to a Nephrologist who's annual salary is probably somewhere in the $400K - $425K range.

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Registered: Mar 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 31

Agreed. Not sure what a spouse's job has to do with allowable vacation time of one's own career...

I think Joanne did a great job & should potentially consider a career change. It was also nice hearing things from a recent curler's perspective. I also finds she isn't biased at all towards any particular team. I do find Russ and Cathy do have their favorites they like to talk about (unconscious bias perhaps)...

Not sure what a part time broadcaster would make compared to a full time nurse though...

Not that it's any of my business...

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Registered: Mar 2021
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Posts: 6

quote:

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Originally posted by bpm
I think you're going to see another step happen next year - not requiring Wildcard teams to abide by provincial residency restrictions. At all.

So top teams who don't meet residency requirements won't play in provincial playdowns - and they won't need to - because they'll just get in based on CTRS rankings.

That's what the language in the CBC article seems to be hinting at, in my opinion, anyway. They're very careful in how they talk about what type of eligibility will be impacted.

It's probably a good thing in the short term, to accommodate one or two Gushues of the world, at the top of the sport but not aligned with residency rules. Three wildcards is probably enough (although those who believe in "you should have to earn your way in" might disagree with just how that should be earned, but I digress).

But the athletes will evolve further in their non-provincial alignment, and by the next Olympic cycle those non-aligned top teams will probably outpace the number of wildcard entries available. And then how big does the competition need to grow to get them all in? 20 teams? 22? 24?

More importantly, how long can Curling Canada hold on to the increasingly incongruous objectives of retaining grassroots history and accommodating elite evolution at it's biggest event?

And in the mean time, are they even succeeding in meeting their purpose? curling.ca/about-curling-canada/what-we-do/our-mandate-and-mission/

Playdown numbers are dwindling and Canada are becoming less likely to earn medals at international competitions than ever before.
Not to mention shuttering clubs and decreased participation at the grassroots level in general. (And I won't get into viewership/broadcasts keeping up with the shift to online consumption/availability and their "more curling fans" goal).

I'm not sure how long they can keep chopping and changing this thing before it's indisputable that they've lost sight of their purpose and just want to squeeze every last drop from their golden goose at all costs.

I've always been of the opinion that they need to acknowledge the sport's new reality and separate professional from amateur.
Make the national championship professional, and keep the Brier/Scotties amateur but allow the winner/runner-up/third place teams a place at the national championship (and hey, the Bronze Medal match might mean something again).

Canada Cup becomes the national championship, and any financial windfall lost from the Brier/Scotties can be regained at that event. If they manage it right, they might even grow the pot.

In retrospect, I think the early 2000s WCT was on the right path towards this, and while I can understand why they got back together with the CCA, I think the sport would benefit from everyone taking another look at whether that might have been the right start for the roadmap of the future in Canada.

I certainly don't think they can hold on to tradition forever.

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Registered: Oct 2019
Location:
Posts: 1433

quote:

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Originally posted by The Waco Kid
The risk is that a change from the Brier to the Canada Cup for the national championship relegates the Brier to a 2nd tier event

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Last edited by curlingclips on 03-07-23 at 11:10AM

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