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

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by 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.

You are on to something. I don’t know what it entails, but there needs to be a lot more focus preparing for international competitions. If the goal is for Canada to win more of them.

[MRCboicgy]

Figured this should be under yesterday

https://twitter.com/user/status/1494405085459267586

[GirlySports]

This was cool. Jones happy for Japan.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1494353219866492930

And Jones was on the curling show talking about her experience.

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

Figured this should be under yesterday

https://twitter.com/user/status/1494405085459267586

Looks like it was taken down - but it was Katarina Witt on German tv absolutely ripping the people around Valieva, as well as the organizations that enabled it to happen.

[Nyah]

This is what I believe the broadcast was, translated.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1494410820406685698

[calgarygeologist]

When it comes to curling I think there is a bit of delusion about how strong Canada is on the national scale. It just isn't something that we dominate at and national competition has significantly improved over the last 20 years.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

When it comes to curling I think there is a bit of delusion about how strong Canada is on the national scale. It just isn't something that we dominate at and national competition has significantly improved over the last 20 years.

I have read that somewhere between 80 and 90% of the worlds curlers live in Canada.

This is the one sport that Canada could dominate at the international level. It would be like if American Football was in the summer olympics.

Of course the rest of the world has improved but there’s no doubt that the ability to send a great squad is entirely within our control. But really the Canadian curling organization isn’t about developing a handful of elite players the way other sports do. Maybe that’s OK, it’s just awfully disappointing when the Olympics rolls around.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

It just isn't something that we dominate at

That simply isn't true. Absolutely, the competition has improved, but Canada was the favorite for a long time and we shouldn't be discounting them either.