First up we review women’s worlds, the slams and men’s worlds and learn why Jonathan has started calling Russia “Team VPN.” This leads to debates about live streams, Olympic expansion and rugby codes. Then we give quick previews of mixed doubles worlds and US nationals. Finally, we have curling news from Lithuania to LA and … Continue reading Team VPN and News from Around the Curling World →...
Get ready for the 2021 World Women’s Curling Championship with our in-depth preview. We go team-by-team and give you what to watch for during the tournament. Plus, we get to know three of the teams thanks to interviews with China’s coach, Marco Mariani, Japan’s coach, Connor Njegovan, and Korea’s coach, Lim Myung-sup. Estonian Curling with … Continue reading 2021 World Women’s Curling Championship Preview →...
And now for something completely different. We dive into Canadian curling champion Ed Lukowich’s sci-fi novel, The Trillionist and Ed’s Trillion Theory. Joining us to explore the concepts in the novel is Andrew Heaton. Heaton is a comedian, author, political satirist and host of the sci-fi podcast “Alienating the Audience.” Trillion Theory Andrew Heaton Andrew … Continue reading Exploring Ed Lukowich’s Sci-Fi Novel, The Trillionist, with Andrew Heaton →...
“Run it Back” is our continuing series looking at important games from curling’s Olympic age. In this edition, we talk to Actual Scotsman Kerr Alexander about the 2009 men’s Worlds final between David Murdoch and Kevin Martin. This game includes the most infamous strategic decision in curling history. Other Topics: Scottish sporting shortcomings, acoustic guitar … Continue reading Run it Back: 2009 World Men’s Curling Championship Final w/ Kerr Alexander →...
We have all you need to know for the 2021 World Men’s Curling Championship. First, we preview each team, including an interview with China’s coach, Sören Grahn. Then, we break the teams down into tiers and discuss the possible scenarios that will impact qualification for the 2022 Olympic Games. As many as six teams will … Continue reading 2021 World Men’s Curling Championship Preview →
Bottcher Time is here. Plus: Did this Brier give us a look at the future? Who’s now (or still) the favorite to represent Canada at the Olympics. 3rd End Saskatchewan vs. Wild Card 2
We proudly bring you the story of the 1991 USA Curling women’s national champions from Houston, Texas. All four team members help take us through their journey from a mall skating rink to the world championships. YouTube playlist of footage from 1991
We preview a wide-open, veteran-heavy Bubble Brier. Which teams will be most impacted by the shortened season? Which teams are going to pull upsets? Is it Bottcher Time? Plus, info on how to watch the Brier in the United States and other podcasts you might enjoy.
We are excited to welcome Amanda Gates, the lead from Northern Ontario, to take us inside the Calgary Curling Bubble. Amanda describes her team’s preparation before entering the bubble and the moment she knew this was unlike any curling tournament she’d played in before. We also learn about why it’s special to represent Northern Ontario … Continue reading Inside the Calgary Curling Bubble with Amanda Gates from Northern Ontario →...
We are here to sort out the results of the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts as well as give out some awards. First, we look at the storylines that emerged from Team Canada’s victory over Ontario in the final and Alberta’s run to the semifinal. Then, we hand out some awards including Rookie of the … Continue reading 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Review & Awards →
The Global Initiative for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Curling has lofty goals. They want to inspire all of curling’s stakeholders (from the very top to the grassroots) to make the sport reflect the communities in which it’s played. We are joined by India’s P.N. Raju, the USA’s Monica Walker and Sweden’s Sara Carlson to … Continue reading How Curling Orgs Can Help Foster Diversity →
“Run it Back” is our continuing series looking at important games from curling’s Olympic age. In this episode, we discuss the 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts final between Colleen Jones and Kelley Law. Joining us is Sean Graham from the Game of Stones Podcast to discuss this game’s place in curling history. Among the topics: … Continue reading Run it Back: 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts Final with Sean Graham →...
For the first time in almost a year we get to talk about major curling events. First, we preview the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts with Jonathan’s 10 things to watch. Then, we preview the Swiss Championships and Japanese Championships and tell you why they’re intriguing this year. Finally, we interject with an update on … Continue reading Actual Curling! Scotties, Swiss & Japanese Previews, but Women’s Worlds is Canceled →...
In 1998, the Danish women’s curling team took home silver at the Nagano Olympics. They did this despite no dedicated curling rinks anywhere in their country. Since then, curling has grown in the country and Denmark has regularly sent teams to the Olympics. We talk to Danish curling president Henrik Christoffersen and Mads Nørgaard of … Continue reading Nothing is Rotten About Curling in Denmark →
What does it mean to be a member of USA Curling? What benefits does an individual or club get from membership? That’s now in the process of changing. USA Curling is rolling out a new membership structure where individuals, not just clubs, can join the national organization. In this show, we talk about what that … Continue reading USA Curling’s Changing Membership Structure →
USA Curling CEO Jeff Plush was on the job for less than a month before the world changed due to a global pandemic. He joins us to discuss how USA Curling is navigating the pandemic and his plans for the future of the organization. He has high hopes to strengthen the sport in the US … Continue reading USA Curling CEO Jeff Plush on How the US Can Develop Sustained Success →
The World Championship Qualifiers in Denmark were recently suspended due to a positive COVID-19 test. Despite having similar protocols in place to the proposed Calgary curling bubble, the disease infiltrated the field of just four teams and spread quickly. Danish Curling Federation Chairman Henrik Christoffersen and Mads Nørgaard of Team Krause join us to talk … Continue reading COVID-19 Halts Worlds Qualifier in Denmark – What We Can Learn →...
This is part of our series, “Run it Back,” which looks at key games during curling’s Olympic age. We start with the 1997 Brier Final between Kevin Martin and Vic Peters. Kevin Palmer of Curling Legends Podcast and Curl with Math joins us to discuss this game’s place in curling history. Among the topics: Warren … Continue reading Run it Back: 1997 Brier Final with Kevin Palmer →
Korea’s Team Kim Eun-jung reached incredible heights at the 2018 Olympics on home ice. However, behind the scenes they suffered at the hands of those closest to them. We talk to their coach, Peter Gallant, and curling consultant Melvin Lee about their courageous journey and their return to the top of Korean curling.
There’s plenty to talk about in the curling world, including: The “Curling Bubble” and what it means for the Olympics USA Curling’s Annual General Meeting Club closures in North America What changes clubs can make coming out of the pandemic to grow membership The triumphant victory of Team Kim at the Korean Curling Championships
It wasn’t long ago that Shamrock Curling Club in Edmonton looked like it might close. Now, the club is thriving and has attracted a younger generation to curling. One of the people behind this revival is general manager Chris McTavish. In this episode, Chris tells us the story of how the Shamrock took a different … Continue reading Curling Case Study: Edmonton’s Shamrock Curling Club →
How do you build a country’s curling culture from scratch? Find out during our interview with Fred Randver of Estonia’s Curling Tallinn. Fred tells the history of curling in Estonia and how they were able to get a world-class facility built in Tallinn. Thanks to this facility, the country is quickly developing quality grassroots and … Continue reading Curling Case Study: Estonia’s Curling Tallinn →...
How quickly can COVID-19 spread among participants, volunteers and spectators at a curling event? Dr. Paul Luethy joins the show to tell us. Dr. Luethy is an Assistant Professor in Pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Assistant Director of the Clinical Microbiology Lab at the University of Maryland Medical Center. But … Continue reading How COVID-19 Spreads at a Curling Event →...
And now for something completely different. We joined Scott & Sean Graham from Game of Stones to pitch our ideas for curling movies to an actual screenwriter, Faisal Lutchmedial. Faisal most recently wrote on Endlings (broadcast on CBC and Hulu) and Ransom (broadcast on CBS and Global). He is currently developing a sci-fi action series … Continue reading Curling Movie Mania →
If you weren’t already suffering from Zoom Fatigue, we are here to talk webinars and streaming. First, Alyson Wiedenbeck joins us to discuss the wide range of topics they’re covering at the Curler Outreach Program. Then our friend Stephanie Thompson joins us to talk about how she’s helping to keep curlers of all skill levels … Continue reading Ep63: Connecting with Curlers during COVID-19 →...
Mike Ferguson, owner of the Forfar ice rink in Scotland, joins us to talk all things Scottish Curling. We discuss how to address declining interest in curling in Scotland, their return to play during the pandemic and the newly created British Players Curling Championship. Forfar Indoor Sports Scottish Curling’s Return to Play Guidelines British Players … Continue reading Ep62: Crowning British Curling’s People’s Champ w/ Mike Ferguson →...
One of the newest member associations in World Curling is Nigeria. Harold Woods III, who skipped Team Nigeria at the 2019 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, joins us to discuss his start in curling, the history of the Nigerian Curling Federation and how they are working to grow the sport there. We also talk about making curling … Continue reading Ep61: Curling in Nigeria w/ Harold Woods III →
The future of curling will rely on our ability to grow the game with younger demographics. But how do we get the next generation to play the sport and watch it on TV? John Allgood, Assistant Professor and Academic Director of the Executive Masters of Sports Business at Temple University, joins us to discuss this … Continue reading Ep60: Creating Curling’s Next Generation of Raving Fans w/ John Allgood →...
And now for something completely different. Author and pro beach volleyball player Travis Mewhirter joins the show to discuss that sports’ growing pains since joining the Olympics. How alike are the two sports? Well, beach volleyball joined the Games around the same time and features self-formed teams in a tour-based system. They even had a … Continue reading Ep59: Are Curling’s Growing Pains Unique? w/ Travis Mewhirter →...
We are joined by Megan Balsdon and Derek Leung to discuss their research into curling and curling rocks. Both are competitive curlers and academics who are using science to help us better understand curling. Megan is studying how different types of brooms affect curling ice. Derek is looking at how different types of granite react … Continue reading Ep58: A Curling Science Fair! →
