What was the big curling event of the past weekend? Was it the third leg of the Curling World Cup? How about the provincial qualifiers for the Scotties and the Brier? Maybe the made-for-TV Skins Game? If you’re curling in Canada, the Scotties and the Brier take top priority. To explain this to an AmericanContinue reading “Fixing the curling calendar”
Tag Archives: curling
U.S. men win curling gold — how it happened
If you’re a little tired of curling coverage that tries way too hard to explain the sport without telling you anything that’s actually happening on the ice, this post is for you. This is what happened. If you don’t know the terminology, figure it out. It’s not that hard. Also, my local curling club hasContinue reading “U.S. men win curling gold — how it happened”
Curling: Huge win for U.S. Olympic hopeful
Yes, it’s already curling season. In fact, we’re less than two months away from the Olympic Trials, set for Nov. 11-18. Curling isn’t the most predictable sport in the world, but the four-team (or five, pending an appeal by Todd Birr) men’s competition has a clear favorite. John Shuster has been the skip in the lastContinue reading “Curling: Huge win for U.S. Olympic hopeful”
Curling crowd getting too loud
The easy joke here would be that having more crowd noise would be infinitely preferable to hearing “HARRRRRRRDDDD!!!!” all the time. (Seriously — broadcasters should consider putting a decibel limit on their on-ice microphones, or just mute them when they’re not talking strategy. Some of us are listening on headphones to avoid irritating the restContinue reading “Curling crowd getting too loud”
Belated U.S. Curling championship preview
The U.S. Curling Championships are underway, and though I neglected to do a preview (in part because I was curling myself on Saturday — literally, in one case I think I threw myself farther down the ice than the rock), it’s actually a good time to look at the stats coming into the tournament andContinue reading “Belated U.S. Curling championship preview”
Curling update: Manitoba showdown, Week 2
Craig Brown and John Shuster each picked up three wins to break even at the triple-elimination Canad Inns Men’s Classic in Manitoba. Brown beat Shuster head-to-head, while Shuster picked up a big win over third-ranked Mike McEwen. Pete Fenson and the half-his-age team snagged one win. Arizona’s Mike Siggins was shut out. Brown still slippedContinue reading “Curling update: Manitoba showdown, Week 2”
Curling update: McCormick on the move
Most top U.S. curling teams descended on Minnesota over the weekend for the mostly American St. Paul Cash Spiel, giving us a good opportunity to see how the teams stack up face to face. The answer? Heath McCormick’s new High Performance team is No. 1. McCormick — with HP veteran Chris Plys and recent juniorsContinue reading “Curling update: McCormick on the move”
Desk Potato Sports: Live streams for Sept. 28-Oct. 5
The USOC Sports Scene is finally back after an Olympic/Paralympic break. Highlights from the prior week’s action include Brady Ellison’s fourth Archery World Cup Final victory. Consistency. They don’t have much to offer by way of webcasts this week, though. They’ll have the men’s softball slow-pitch nationals, which is softball but is neither women’s norContinue reading “Desk Potato Sports: Live streams for Sept. 28-Oct. 5”
2016-17 curling preview and power rankings
My vacation is over (great, thanks), just in time for the new curling season. I’m going to track U.S. curlers on a couple of shared spreadsheets this season. But first, a quick offseason roundup: Men’s High Performance shuffling: The High Performance program, which brings together some of the nation’s top curlers to train with national coaches,Continue reading “2016-17 curling preview and power rankings”
Olympic sports writing: 2004-2015
Selected features and interviews, plus coverage from several Olympics: Features Dec. 1, 2015: US college sports are a factory for Olympic medalists – but for how much longer? (The Guardian) Nov. 7, 2015: Speed skating: can the US team shine after the failure of Sochi? (The Guardian) Aug. 30, 2015: Why Serena Williams, not Ronda Rousey, isContinue reading “Olympic sports writing: 2004-2015”
