TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . ABOUT US . CONTACT . CHAT  
Bomis   Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
Curling

The TVClubHouse: General Discussion ARCHIVES: 2006 Mar. ~ 2006 May: Winter Olympics: Curling users admin

  Thread Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post
Archive through February 14, 2006Marysafan25 02-14-06  9:29 am
  ClosedClosed: New threads not accepted on this page        

Author Message
Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 9:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Awww...I missed it. If you can, try watching the Canadian coverage. It's much better. I've noticed in the past that American coverage seems a bit like an outsider's coverage, rather than being directed to those who care about the sport. I find it sort of mocks the sport. I felt this when NBC covered the US curling nationals.

Marysafan
Member

08-07-2000

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 9:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Marysafan a private message Print Post    
Well...Hubby says it would take a pretty big attenna to get Canadian tv here in the farmhouse in Iowa...Lord Knows I would if I could!

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 10:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
LOL Mary! Normally, I'd be inclined to agree that the Canadian commentators are the experts on curling. However, from Mary's description, it does sound like the American commentator is entertaining. I'll probably switch over and have a listen just to see.

Heyltslori
Moderator

09-15-2001

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 10:10 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Heyltslori a private message Print Post    
I was watching the CAN and SWE curling match a little while ago. Very entertaining! I did learn that no matter how much I yell at my tv...it doesn't help.

Marysafan
Member

08-07-2000

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 10:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Marysafan a private message Print Post    
The coverage is American, however I believe the commentator is Canadian. He speaks with a definite Canadian accent which was highly amusing this morning as he was getting a kick out of the New Zealand Accent...so we had a Canadian trying to do a New Zealand accent for an American audience. It was quite comical.

I didn't catch his name, but he is very knowledgeable, personable, and highly entertaining. He is very good at explaining the finer points of the strategy to novices like me.

Dipo
Member

04-23-2002

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 11:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dipo a private message Print Post    
I really enjoyed watching the curling this morning before coming in to work, but I missed the end of the Canada Sweden match so I don't know the results!! Help!!! Thanks.

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 11:15 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lumbele a private message Print Post    
<imagines HeyItsLori yelling herself hoarse. HARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD!!!!!!!!!!! Those neighbours must be puzzled.>

Heyltslori
Moderator

09-15-2001

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 11:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Heyltslori a private message Print Post    
LOL Lumbele! I think my neighbors are puzzled on a daily basis. :-)

Dipo...click below.
Spoiler
Click below to view spoiler
It was very close...but Sweden won.


Dipo
Member

04-23-2002

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 5:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dipo a private message Print Post    
Bummer, thanks lori!!

Jan
Moderator

08-01-2000

Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 8:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jan a private message Print Post    
from Yahoo today:

Cinderella sport gains record Italy audience

PINEROLO, Italy (Reuters) - Curling has gained a record television audience in Italy at the Turin Winter Olympics sweeping even figure skating aside.

Nearly five million Italians tuned in to watch Italy's unranked men pull off a shocker on Wednesday evening, winning their second straight game and upsetting highly rated United States 6-5 before a stand full of roaring fans.

"Curling had a bigger audience than figure skating," Franco Zumofen, Italy's ice sports federation vice president told Reuters on Thursday barely able to hide his astonishment.

Turin Olympics Organizing Committee were similarly amazed by a 23 percent audience share for a sport with nothing in common with football, Italian's traditional sporting pursuit.

"Almost five million viewers for curling, in a country like Italy where football is the favorite sport, is completely unexpected," Giuseppe Gattino, a Turin organizing committee spokesman told a news conference.

But it is not the first time curling, where players slide a 19.9-kg stone across an ice sheet, has been a surprise hit.

After the Salt Lake City Games, the sport's only second time in Olympic competition, registrations at U.S. curling rinks surged. In Britain, Scottish housewife Rhona Martin became a national celebrity when she won gold in a dramatic final.

With only 500 curlers in Italy, and most of those hailing from northeastern ski town Cortina D'Ampezzo, Zumofen he would be making of the public interest to get more people involved.

"It's a once in 50 years chance," he said.

Saggkl
Member

07-17-2002

Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 4:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saggkl a private message Print Post    
I have been a curling fan since the last winter Olympics. Does anyone know if it is televised anytime except the Olympics? For instance isn't it played a lot in Canada?

Jan
Moderator

08-01-2000

Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 4:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jan a private message Print Post    
yes Saggkl, it is televised in Canada quite often - not just the nationals and the worlds but also tournaments and skins games as well. Do you get Canadian sports channels like TSN or Rogers??

Ginger1218
Member

08-31-2001

Monday, February 20, 2006 - 8:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ginger1218 a private message Print Post    
I have been watching it sporadically, and I cannot for the life of me figure it out

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Monday, February 20, 2006 - 9:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Here’s a bit of a long winded explanation …..

Each team takes a turn sliding their rocks down the ice. The rocks are made of granite and are very heavy (over 40 pounds).

The object of the game is to get your rocks (the things they slide) nearer the centre of the circle (called “the house”) inside of the other team's rocks. You only score the rocks that are closer to the centre than one of your opponent’s rocks.

So your opponent could have five rocks sitting inside the rings and you only have one rock in the rings, but as long as your one rock is closer to the centre than any of their five rocks, you would get one point and they would get nothing. Or you could have two rocks closer to the centre, then your opponent has one rock slightly farther out in the rings and then you have two more rocks slightly outside of your opponent’s rock. You have four rocks in the rings but the only rocks that score are the ones inside of your opponent’s so you would get two points.

The team that shoots last has a big advantage. They describe that as having "the hammer". But the key to shooting last is not to score just one point (because that is expected). You want to score more than one because as soon as you score a point, in the next end your opponent gets to shoot last. That is why sometimes when it gets down to the end and the last team shooting has a chance to get one point or knock everything out of the rings, they always opt to knock everything out if they can. That way no one gets any points and they keep the hammer to try again (this is called blanking the end).

If you don't have the hammer (last shot) and you manage to score, then that is called stealing. The idea if you don’t have the last shot is to try to steal a point (or more if you can). If you can’t steal a point you want to try to get your rocks close to the centre and behind other rocks so that it forces your opponent to take one point to prevent you from scoring so that you get the hammer back.

As I mentioned earlier, when they release the rock they put a spin on it (called a turn). That causes the rock to curl (move to the left or the right) as it goes down the ice.

The sweepers (the people with the brushes) brush the ice in front of the rock as it moves down the ice. Brushing the ice causes two things to happen. It makes the rock go farther and it makes it curl less. The idea is to put rocks in front (called guards) and then throw your rocks so they curl around the rocks in front to make it hard for your opponent to hit them.

The better the player, the later you shoot. The people who make all the decisions (after consulting with their team) are called the Skips. They shoot last and they also help the other people aim, yell at the sweepers how hard to sweep and decide the strategy.

Hope that helps! It's a surprisingly entertaining game with a lot of strategy and quite fun to watch once you know what is going on.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Monday, February 20, 2006 - 9:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
You want to get as many of your color rocks closest to the middle.

However, if the other team's rock "interrupts" your rocks by being closer than some of them, then only the closest rocks of the same color (without having the other color closer) count for one point each.

So let's say you have two red RIGHT on the centre, then a yellow one sits in the red circle, then you have a ton of other reds around the outside rings. You would score TWO points, because the yellow one in the red circle NEGATES the other reds that are further than it.

Hard to explain without a picture. LOL

NBC SITE

Or go here, and click on SPORTS EXPLAINER on the lower part of the page:
http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/sports/curling/

Jan
Moderator

08-01-2000

Monday, February 20, 2006 - 10:45 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jan a private message Print Post    
Apparently it is somewhat like Shuffleboard if you have ever tried that (but with NO bank shots. Hit the bank and your rock is out)

I also understand that sweeping is a really, really important part of the game as the proper sweep can make the path a rock takes "curl" to the right or the left as required - ie it is like steering - which is why the "rock thrower" yells so much - he is trying to tell the sweepers how hard to sweep - sometimes you will hear them say "clean" or "clean only" that means just brush light enough to get any dirt off the rink (dirt will change the path of a rock greatly) but do not brush hard enough to melt a thin layer of the ice thus causing the curl. When they yell No or OFF they mean don't sweep at all.


Sweeping will also allow the rock to travel further - it is all about traction and the tiny melting of the ice caused by the sweep , I think .

That is why you will sometimes notice that once a rock gets into or over the bulls eye the OTHER team will start to sweep it. They are trying to make it go further so it gets far away from the centre.

I hope that makes sense.

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Monday, February 20, 2006 - 4:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
My husband and friend have been watching curling like crazy. I always know when it's on because of the yelling. It is the strangest sounding sport I know of. It sounds more like a nature program than a sporting event. I've enjoyed the little bit I've been able to watch, but I can't help but laugh when they sound alternately like birds, monkeys, and pirates! Hard sounds like Aaarrrggghh!

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Friday, February 24, 2006 - 11:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Woooooooo Hooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gushue is heavy on a draw, to ONLY score 6, in the 6th end. Going up 10-3!!!

GOLD MEDAL!!!! WOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Shadoe
Member

11-04-2004

Friday, February 24, 2006 - 5:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Shadoe a private message Print Post    
Eeyore, I think I saw the score was 3-2 for CAN in the 4th when I got into the gym.

Is it over and Canada won? Please say yes!

Jan
Moderator

08-01-2000

Friday, February 24, 2006 - 6:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jan a private message Print Post    
yep they won in a big way Shadoe - they scored 6 points in the 6th end alone. I think the final score was something like 10-4

Shadoe
Member

11-04-2004

Friday, February 24, 2006 - 6:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Shadoe a private message Print Post    
YES! I just saw the final news on TV. 10-4!
Now we wait for Sat finals for our next Canadian medal in the bobsleds I think.

What a year Canada is having this time!

Jan
Moderator

08-01-2000

Friday, February 24, 2006 - 6:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jan a private message Print Post    
Yes and isn't it great that the women account for 14 of the 20 medals!!! Women's sports has come a long way!

Shadoe
Member

11-04-2004

Friday, February 24, 2006 - 6:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Shadoe a private message Print Post    
Especially when it seems that the women have to work harder for everything.
That's OK; it just makes every victory that much sweeter.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Friday, February 24, 2006 - 7:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I wouldn't go as far to say that Gushue WON, as Finland LOST. Although he WAS generating some nice steals early on.

Glad thy won though. Especially for Russ Howard. If anyone in the curling upper echelon should receive a gold, it's Russ. Especially considering I am not sure how much further he'll go.

Now the question becomes: Do they ditch Mike Adam completely, and keep Russ for cashspiels? If I were Mike Adam, I might consider looking for a new team. But there's not much talent coming out of Nfld., so he may have to be happy being an alternate for anything other than league curling playdowns, and the Brier.

Beachcomber
Member

08-26-2003

Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 9:43 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Beachcomber a private message Print Post    
Did anyone see the streaker during the USA-GB match? Congrats to the Canucks for the Gold!

Marysafan
Member

08-07-2000

Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 10:43 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Marysafan a private message Print Post    
Ummm...didn't exactly "see" him. But the announcers were quite amused about a "disturbance". So I "assumed".

Jan
Moderator

08-01-2000

Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 12:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jan a private message Print Post    
if anyone is interested, TSN (canada) has a Tournament of Hearts Special on right now - it is looking at the competitors in this years competition which starts today I think?? ( for those who don't know - this is the Canadian National Curling title I think?? like the briers for men???

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 12:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
The Tournament of Hearts starts today? Who is televising it? How much will we get to see?

I'd make a comment about how they have screwed up the televising of these events the last couple of years but since I have nothing nice to say about it, I'll refrain.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 12:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
OMG I was so into Olympic curling, that I forgot the STOH starts today!! Woo hoooooo!!!!

I am also VERY happy that I have completed ALL of my assignments, and I am free to lounge this week, and watch the ladies!! Wooo hooo!!!

Jimmer, don't even get me started on the CBC getting the broadcast rights. It's so nice to hear Linda, Ray & Vic again!! Like music to my ears!!

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 1:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Oh this is great. And it's back on TV in a proper way (I promise not to get you
started Eeyore ).

I was unhappy about the Olympics ending, but this sure helps!

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 1:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Seriously Jimmer, the 10 days that the STOH and Brier run, I become an ineffective LUMP on my couch (or bed for change of scenery). They used to run all three draws on TV, with only about an hour between the end of one game, and the start of another. I'd use that hour to get food, run any necessary errands, etc. Then I'd go back to the couch. It's a good solid 10 hours a day watching curling.

After the final, I return to society.