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Old 02-14-2018, 12:45 PM   #41
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Mixed doubles is so much more enjoyable to watch.

Regular curling is a snooze-fest in comparison.... but once you get into the medal rounds it's just as exciting, but longer of a match. Not as fun to watch.
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Old 02-14-2018, 12:46 PM   #42
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Will we be seeing more mixed doubles or is it for the Olympics only?
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Old 02-14-2018, 12:51 PM   #43
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Will we be seeing more mixed doubles or is it for the Olympics only?
It'll be very interesting to see what happens. There already is an annual world championship in mixed doubles so that will certainly stick around. What I'm curious about is how much it'll catch on at various levels - will more clubs start running doubles leagues? will there be more bonspiels, both "professional" and recreational? will top curlers start specializing in doubles? I really don't know what the future of it is, but I do think it's been a huge success at the Olympics.
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Old 02-14-2018, 12:54 PM   #44
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Will we be seeing more mixed doubles or is it for the Olympics only?
The Canadian Championships will be in Leduc in March: http://www.curling.ca/2018mixeddoubles/
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Old 02-14-2018, 01:38 PM   #45
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It'll be very interesting to see what happens. There already is an annual world championship in mixed doubles so that will certainly stick around. What I'm curious about is how much it'll catch on at various levels - will more clubs start running doubles leagues? will there be more bonspiels, both "professional" and recreational? will top curlers start specializing in doubles? I really don't know what the future of it is, but I do think it's been a huge success at the Olympics.
They will have to have a points system to get into the Olympic trials, that'll be the carrot to get the best playing it.

Could there be a mixed doubles Grand Slam circuit?
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Old 02-14-2018, 01:52 PM   #46
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One of the cool parts is seeing some of the big name players together. Tennis has doubles, but Federer and Serena don't play together.

Obviously these curlers aren't on the same fame level, but I like seeing the players from the big name teams playing together in this format. I would prefer that vs. curlers that specialize in this format.
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Old 02-14-2018, 02:04 PM   #47
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Morris and Lawes were on SC with Jay & Dan this morning and he said that mixed doubles is already quite popular in other parts of the world. There is a pro tour of some sort in the works in Asia and Europe. If that gets going, he said he'd be interested in participating.

Last year's World Championships in Lethbridge had 39 nations competing, including such traditional curling power houses as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Turkey, and Israel: http://www.worldcurling.org/wmdcc2017


Now that it's had Olympic exposure, it will likely gain popularity quite quickly across Canada.




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Old 02-14-2018, 02:50 PM   #48
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As many have pointed out, mixed doubles has been popular at the world level for some time. The biggest issue in Canada has been that there aren't many events to attend. Many of the recent ones were created just to give the Canadian curlers a chance to get some games in. Virtually anyone that is good enough to do well in Canada at the doubles level is on a team that's competing for the regular Olympic team. The big exceptions are Charley Thomas and Kalynn Park. Although they've both been on competitive four person teams, they've spent a ton of time playing doubles. At the 2015 world mixed doubles championships they won their pool at 8-1, but then lost the semi final game to Sweden and the bronze game to Norway. They were runner up in the 2014 Canadian championships and won the 2015 Canadians.

If Canada wants to grow the doubles game they have to offer tour events and support to the players that want to compete in it. I currently compete on the men's world curling tour. I could be convinced to go onto the doubles circuit. The game is super fun. You're still always going to have the curlers who played on four person teams meeting up and entering after their Olympic dreams have been eliminated. Doubles is still about making shots and missing less than the other team. Although the rules are different, every shot you are attempting is still a curling shot. That's why Lawes and Morris won. They are both tremendous shot makers, sweepers, and strategists. Whether it's doubles or four person, it's still shot making that matters. If you were dominating the doubles tour, you're likely getting an invitation to join a four person team, and then you can do both, schedules permitting.
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Old 02-14-2018, 10:31 PM   #49
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I've been following John Morris since he was curling in juniors. He is one of the best clutch curlers in the world. I would bet he could win even with Simmons on his team. I love mixed doubles. Simmons probably is just jealous we have athletes than can pick up a game quicker than he can. Ha. Ha. Ha.
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Old 02-14-2018, 10:53 PM   #50
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This was the first time Morris and Lawes have played together (starting at the Olympic trials), but it's not the first time they've played the game.

Both of them have previously competed in the Canadian Mixed Double championships, just with different partners. Last year, Morris finished second in the Canadian championships, while partnered with Rachel Homan.

He was going to partner with Homan again for the Olympic trials, but when she won the Roar of the Rings, he had to find a new partner, and chose Lawes.
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Old 02-15-2018, 08:31 AM   #51
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This was the first time Morris and Lawes have played together (starting at the Olympic trials), but it's not the first time they've played the game.
For what it's worth Morris and Lawes played together in the Mixed Doubles during the 2015 Continental Cup beating Muirhead/Murdoch and during the 2013 Continental Cup beating Edin/Bertrup.
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Old 02-15-2018, 11:37 AM   #52
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Playing devils advocate because I think I see what Simmons is trying to get at but he isn't choosing his words carefully.

I think what he's trying to imply is that it feels rather gimmicky.

Couldn't they do doubles curling? Two men or two women leagues? In my mind, that would make sense and would coincide with some of the benefits that the curlers would cite for this new league. It's just with this format, it has to be a male & female pairing.

With an explosive exposure of women participating into sports, boosted by recent gender equality movements, I can see why this is taking off. People in general are interested seeing women playing side by side with men as equals. Win Win for everybody including the IOC who gets more advertising $$ in their pockets

I get why it was created. Sometimes you can't get a whole team together and perhaps the creators intended this for couples who wanted some bonding time in a beer league

But here's the thing, you could turn any sport in to a mixed gender/co ed variation and have a separate league for it. Mixed doubles speed skating, Mixed gender Hockey, Mixed gender bobsled. Yes I know there's already mixed figure skating but if we're incorporating gender combination teams, why not have same gender figure skating? Two men pairings leagues and two women pairings leagues.

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Old 02-15-2018, 11:50 AM   #53
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There are many mixed event in world championships but not in the Olympics.

The Tokyo Games will introduce the following

mixed relay triathalon
track mixed 4x400m relay
swimming mixed 4x100m relay
table tennis mixed doubles

they still won't add the mixed diving event which is weird.

as for your same gender question, some sports like Luge/Bobsled and Rowing/Kayak/Canoe have same pairs events but not mixed pairs.

so it's all messed up!
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Old 02-15-2018, 01:05 PM   #54
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Couldn't they do doubles curling? Two men or two women leagues? In my mind, that would make sense and would coincide with some of the benefits that the curlers would cite for this new league. It's just with this format, it has to be a male & female pairing.
The World Curling Federation, or one of the other bodies, asked for mixed curling (2 men and 2 women) to be included in the Olympics. The IOC said no, as it was too similar to the men's and women's events. That's when the push to get the doubles event was made.

The doubles game really helps grow the game. You only need two people. In countries/towns where there aren't a lot of curlers, this helps out. In order to play a regular game you need 8 people. In order to play a doubles game you only need 4.

Here are some teams that were at the 2017 mixed doubles event: Bulgaria, Spain, Ireland, Romania, Kazakhstan, Latvia. I would be shocked if these countries had curling rinks. Now, they are able to send teams to the world championships. That is exciting, and how the game is grown. Some of these may end up curling in four person events.
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Old 02-15-2018, 01:18 PM   #55
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I like it not just because of mixing genders but that the game is different. I like that part of it just as much.
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Old 02-16-2018, 08:21 AM   #56
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The World Curling Federation, or one of the other bodies, asked for mixed curling (2 men and 2 women) to be included in the Olympics. The IOC said no, as it was too similar to the men's and women's events. That's when the push to get the doubles event was made.

The doubles game really helps grow the game. You only need two people. In countries/towns where there aren't a lot of curlers, this helps out. In order to play a regular game you need 8 people. In order to play a doubles game you only need 4.

Here are some teams that were at the 2017 mixed doubles event: Bulgaria, Spain, Ireland, Romania, Kazakhstan, Latvia. I would be shocked if these countries had curling rinks. Now, they are able to send teams to the world championships. That is exciting, and how the game is grown. Some of these may end up curling in four person events.
I think you missed my point. A doubles format is great. It's the fact that it has to be Mixed where one must to be a male and the other must be a female. That requirement makes it feel gimmicky
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Old 02-16-2018, 09:33 AM   #57
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It's probably because the games are on so late and I'm tired, but I have found the traditional curling games very slow paced.

The Canada Denmark women's game was tough to watch. I love curling and the traditional format, so I'm surprised to feel this way. Besides the late hour, it might also be the rather poor quality of play.
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Old 02-16-2018, 11:09 AM   #58
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I think you missed my point. A doubles format is great. It's the fact that it has to be Mixed where one must to be a male and the other must be a female. That requirement makes it feel gimmicky
I understand the point you are trying to make. I don't understand why. I don't understand why having one female and one male makes it gimmicky. If you make it any gender then every team at the Olympics would be male/male. If you make two medal events, one for women and one for men, you are increasing the number of games, time, etc. The mixed doubles already started before the opening ceremonies. Unless they increase the number of sheets, I don't know where you find the time to have another event, unless you take away teams from all the events. That just allows the traditional powerhouses to get more powerful, and hurts the next tier of countries.

You wouldn't have the interest of curlers if it was the same gender that you do with mixed. The mixed season traditionally follows the completion of the men's and women's seasons. Adding the mixed doubles in gives us something else to do, that is still curling. After playing six months with the guys, we have no interest in doing a doubles circuit with the same guys. If the doubles circuit ran concurrently with the regular curling season, you'd get low interest, or interest from people not good enough to compete on the regular tour. This isn't a way to grow interest from the game, whether it's the players or the fans.
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