[GT] Day 13 (PM of February 16 - AM of February 17)

[CofR]

Canada down one heading to the last end with the hammer.

[ajr4013]

Huge one there by Gushue.

[FireGilbert]

Let's go Gushue!

The Americans made an interesting decision in the other semi. Decided to be down 2 with the hammer in 10 instead of tied and without the hammer.

[ajr4013]

Damn. Well I liked that Gushue went for it.

[CofR]

Entertaining game, close finish

[GirlySports]

I think Gushue getting bronze would a successful and fair result. Edin and Mouat are just out of this world.

TV overuses the word heartbreak. When Canada and US lose to one another in a two team sport that's not heartbreaking, nor are curling teams losing to better teams. That's just losing.

Heartbreaking is for when unforseen things happen or losing last minute.

[MRCboicgy]

Heartbreaking is actually how I feel for the Russian girl after bombing her long program. I acknowledge the cheating part, which was assuredly the Russians doing Russian things, but she should never have been put in the position to fail like that today. ISU/IOC et al are to blame for much of that.

She's just a kid, and no one deserves to have to shoulder that load at 15.


Edit: and I'm sure she'll be made a martyr back home moreso - "Look how the Americans treat a girl just to win a team gold!"

[Strange Brew]

Gushue's rink showed up to play in that game. Edin's hit and roll in the 10th was a great shot.

Still obviously disappointing that in three curling competitions, we could only finish top 4 once in the round robin.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Gushue's rink showed up to play in that game. Edin's hit and roll in the 10th was a great shot.

Still obviously disappointing that in three curling competitions, we could only finish top 4 once in the round robin.

It is disappointing. They all had 5-4 records. Gushue was just fortunate Switzerland choked and lost to Italy and China and then the bottom feeders beat up each other. He also had a slightly better DSC.

Jones's DSC was dead last. She lost the tiebreaker to GB and Japan, who were 8th and 9th. That hurts. You see the draw 9 Canada 6.5 and 8.4? They do anything resembling that all week and they're in.

https://olympics.com/beijing-2022/ol...----------.pdf

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

REDEMPTION FOR CANADA!!!

O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN!!!

CAPTAIN CANADA DOES IT AGAIN!!!!

Marie-Philip Poulin.

It's a 3-2 tournament.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It is disappointing. They all had 5-4 records. Gushue was just fortunate Switzerland choked and lost to Italy and China and then the bottom feeders beat up each other. He also had a slightly better DSC.

Jones's DSC was dead last. She lost the tiebreaker to GB and Japan, who were 8th and 9th. That hurts. You see the draw 9 Canada 6.5 and 8.4? They do anything resembling that all week and they're in.

https://olympics.com/beijing-2022/ol...----------.pdf

Looking back, Homan and Morris might have played the best of the Canadian rinks. I don't remember them badly missing shots.

Jones had a really tough tournament but I remember several games where they were behind the 8 ball once it got to skip stones.

It's funny, Canada has 4 or 5 rinks that are in Edin's class IMO. Yet there was never any doubt that he would make the final 4 whereas Gushue was tooth and nail just to get there.

You could not have sent three more battle tested, accomplished teams really. So it's not that.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

You could not have sent three more battle tested, accomplished teams really. So it's not that.

Yeah, it's a valid point. Maybe the schedule leading up to the Olympics was too busy for the Canadian teams? I don't know how much they played right before the Olympics. Maybe the media pressure really getting to them? I'm sure it's ramped up a huge amount from what they would see at the Scotties or Brier.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Yeah, it's a valid point. Maybe the schedule leading up to the Olympics was too busy for the Canadian teams? I don't know how much they played right before the Olympics. Maybe the media pressure really getting to them? I'm sure it's ramped up a huge amount from what they would see at the Scotties or Brier.

The pressure is certainly part of it, you could really see it with Jones in particular. She just seemed different.

But she has dealt with it before too.

[kobasew19]

Maybe Curling Canada should consider a sports psychologist for big events like the Olympics.

[sleepingmoose]

I'd actually be surprised if there isn't one already - there would certainly be support like that for the larger Canadian Olympic Team.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Yeah, it's a valid point. Maybe the schedule leading up to the Olympics was too busy for the Canadian teams? I don't know how much they played right before the Olympics. Maybe the media pressure really getting to them? I'm sure it's ramped up a huge amount from what they would see at the Scotties or Brier.

I think in a regular olympic year the team that's going would have to do a lot of promotional stuff outside curling but I don't think that's the case in this COVID year where the teams were just isolating to avoid getting sick. So if anything it was maybe a lack of practice while isolated.

I think Canada treats curling in its own bubble, we are the best and we play by our rules. For example, they also have a draw to the button to determine last rock but why is it not the same at the international DSC?



Also, i think the provincial requirements have to be looked at. Does continuing the tradition of the Scotties and Brier and provincials work anymore? If you continue to send your World rep from a tournament where less than half the teams are competitive, you're not going to get the best team. Then you have this once every four years Olympic Trails where the teams don't have to be provincial but they already are.



What would happen if today, one team said the hell with it, we're going to put together a super team that only competes in grand slams and olympics, hell with provincials. Is that even allowed? Would they even be allowed to play in grand slams or get the required qualification points?

[Derek Sutton]

I feel the issue is that the teams spent so much time preparing to qualify for the Olympics and little time preparing for the actual Olympics. They will spend three years trying to qualify and peak for the qualifier and then within weeks they’re off to play in the Olympics. Curling Canada needs to qualify the teams earlier so they can spend more time focusing on the Olympics; playing on questionable ice, time zones away, international competition.

[MRCboicgy]

Well, there's also peaking at the right time - and we could still argue that top-to-bottom winning the Canadian Curling trials is the hardest curling tourney in the world. To get out of there, you need to peak that week - almost everyone else needs to only peak once at the Olympics.

[nieuwy-89]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Looking back, Homan and Morris might have played the best of the Canadian rinks. I don't remember them badly missing shots.

Jones had a really tough tournament but I remember several games where they were behind the 8 ball once it got to skip stones.

It's funny, Canada has 4 or 5 rinks that are in Edin's class IMO. Yet there was never any doubt that he would make the final 4 whereas Gushue was tooth and nail just to get there.

You could not have sent three more battle tested, accomplished teams really. So it's not that.

I thought Morris missed some key shots. Homan seemed more dialed-in. The issue I had with them is that they didn’t seem to be on the same page on shot-calling.

I agree we have so many great curlers and teams that it is disappointing to come away without a gold. Will be cheering hard for the Gushue boys tonight!

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

Well, there's also peaking at the right time - and we could still argue that top-to-bottom winning the Canadian Curling trials is the hardest curling tourney in the world. To get out of there, you need to peak that week - almost everyone else needs to only peak once at the Olympics.

It’s curling. Peaking more than once really should be manageable.