Rocks Across the Pond

The 2022 World Junior B Curling Championships, which determine the final entrants for World Juniors, was canceled on Jan. 6 after an outbreak of COVID-19 among the competitors. We are joined not only by our usual co-host, Jonathan Havercroft, but by all of Team England: Joe Sugden, Felix Price, Archer Woods and Harry Pinnell. They tell us about their experience at the tournament, their reaction to...

What a couple of weeks it’s been in the curling world. For the Olympic qualifier, we cover Australia’s mixed doubles triumph, the start of the men’s and women’s events and the EasyToys sponsorship resolution. Next, we discuss upcoming events that have already been canceled and the status of others. Finally, Jonathan puts the breakup of Team Bottcher in historical context an...

We go around the world as curling teams start earning spots at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. We cover the USA Curling Olympic Trials, Canadian Olympic Trials, European Championships and the upcoming mixed doubles Olympic Qualification Event. In addition to the action on the ice, we talk about the hoops we’ve had to jump through to actually watch the games. Hear about what’s going right...

In this episode: Recapping the World Wheelchair Curling Championships Updates from the Canadian pre-trials & US mixed doubles trials The Scottish women’s team is selected for Euros (but not Olympic qualifying) A recent event looking at why young women are dropping out of youth curling in Scotland Looking ahead to international events and Olympic trials

In this episode we discuss the fragmented state of curling live streams and how it mirrors the world of streaming overall. What will the future hold for live streaming of curling events, both on tour and at the national and world level? Also in this episode: Olympic qualifiers Canadian Pre-Trials British Curling’s team selections World Wheelchair Curling Championships USA Curling’s upd...

Lots of excited news from around the curling news to discuss. We start in the US where the Southern California Curling Center hosted Team USA and the Late Late Show with James Corden. We also have news from curling center that either just opened or will soon across the US in San Francisco, Austin, Nashville and suburban Denver. Internationally, we talk about the Pre-Olympic Qualification Event and...

Jonathan and Ryan discuss the news out of the World Curling Federation’s Annual General Assembly. First, the rule changes that will be tested at the 2022 World Curling Championships. Does the version of the game we see on TV need to match what we experience at curling centers? Are we over-complicating things for potential first-time viewers? Next, the new Pan-Continental Curling Championship...

There is a thriving community of Brazilian curlers playing in leagues in the Vancouver area. First and foremost, these curlers enjoy the sport and the camaraderie it provides. And curlers from these leagues have represented Brazil internationally. But now, with the opening of a dedicated curling and ice facility in São Paulo, Brazilian curling has an opportunity to grow both at home and abroad. Ís...

Some of us might be getting access to practice ice for the first time in 18 months. So how do we make the most of this time before the curling season starts? Our own Professor of Peel, Jonathan Havercroft, is here to let us club curlers know how to organize an efficient curling practice that makes an impact on our game. Among the topics we cover: What drills translate to in-game success? How can t...

James Runge ( @twinetime14 on Twitter) has been to just about every curling event you can name. So he knows what advantages curling has as a spectator sport. He tells us what each of the major events he’s been to does best when it comes to catering to the fans. We also discuss how these events can improve. Not necessarily on the ice, but in terms of helping curling’s growth and diversi...

Born in Mongolia, Bat-Oyun “Oyuna” Uranchimeg had her life changed forever after a car accident while visiting the United States in 2000. Oyuna shares the incredibly story of how she went through rehabilitation, immigrated to the US, was reunited with her son and eventually discovered the sport of curling. Now a member of Team USA, this fall she and her teammates will attempt to qualif...

You may not be familiar with Belgium’s international curling representatives. And that’s perfectly fine. What you need to be aware of is curling is growing in Belgium thanks to a focus on making it a fun, social experience. We talked with Gery Hermans of Curling Club Zemst about the growth of the sport in Belgium. He also tells us about the obstacles they overcame to fund and build the...

Australia has a vibrant curling community despite several road blocks. There are no dedicated curling facilities and very few ice rinks. It’s a large country whose population centers are spread out. So how is Australia growing the sport and making the semifinals at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships? We spoke to native Australian and federation secretary Lyn Gill to find out. We s...

Ryan came prepared to talk about curling. Jonathan came prepared to talk about dinosaurs. The compromise is an episode where we assign a curler to each of the Top 10 most popular dinosaurs. It is peak summertime content. Plus news from the curling world, including the cancelation of the World Mixed Curling Championship.

Fort Wayne Curling Club has had an interesting history. The club in northeast Indiana starting curling on skating ice in 2010. Since then, they’ve moved not once, but twice to two different dedicated curling rinks. How did this club go from arena ice to a three-sheet dedicated facility to another four-sheet facility? We asked president Craig Fischer about the club’s journey and about t...

Jonathan and Ryan give their wishlist for the 2021-22 curling season and beyond. We look at our own curling experience, the podcast and competitive curling and give you our ideas that we hope happen. Plus, recent curling news from Sweden to Kansas City. Let us know what’s on your curling wishlist: Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram

First up we review women’s worlds, the slams and men’s worlds and learn why Jonathan has started calling Russia “Team VPN.” This leads to debates about live streams, Olympic expansion and rugby codes. Then we give quick previews of mixed doubles worlds and US nationals. Finally, we have curling news from Lithuania to LA and points in between.

Get ready for the 2021 World Women’s Curling Championship with our in-depth preview. We go team-by-team and give you what to watch for during the tournament. Plus, we get to know three of the teams thanks to interviews with China’s coach, Marco Mariani, Japan’s coach, Connor Njegovan, and Korea’s coach, Lim Myung-sup. Estonian Curling with Fred Randver of Curling Tallinn Da...

And now for something completely different. We dive into Canadian curling champion Ed Lukowich’s sci-fi novel, The Trillionist and Ed’s Trillion Theory . Joining us to explore the concepts in the novel is Andrew Heaton. Heaton is a comedian, author, political satirist and host of the sci-fi podcast “ Alienating the Audience .” Trillion Theory Andrew Heaton Andrew on Twitter

“Run it Back” is our continuing series looking at important games from curling’s Olympic age. In this edition, we talk to Actual Scotsman Kerr Alexander about the 2009 men’s Worlds final between David Murdoch and Kevin Martin. This game includes the most infamous strategic decision in curling history. Other Topics: Scottish sporting shortcomings, acoustic guitar bros, Moncton. Full game repl...

We have all you need to know for the 2021 World Men’s Curling Championship. First, we preview each team, including an interview with China’s coach, Sören Grahn. Then, we break the teams down into tiers and discuss the possible scenarios that will impact qualification for the 2022 Olympic Games. As many as six teams will punch their ticket to the Olympics so there is a lot on the line i...

Bottcher Time is here. Plus: Did this Brier give us a look at the future? Who’s now (or still) the favorite to represent Canada at the Olympics. 3rd End Saskatchewan vs. Wild Card 2

We proudly bring you the story of the 1991 USA Curling women’s national champions from Houston, Texas. All four team members help take us through their journey from a mall skating rink to the world championships. YouTube playlist of footage from 1991

We preview a wide-open, veteran-heavy Bubble Brier. Which teams will be most impacted by the shortened season? Which teams are going to pull upsets? Is it Bottcher Time? Plus, info on how to watch the Brier in the United States and other podcasts you might enjoy.

We are excited to welcome Amanda Gates, the lead from Northern Ontario, to take us inside the Calgary Curling Bubble. Amanda describes her team’s preparation before entering the bubble and the moment she knew this was unlike any curling tournament she’d played in before. We also learn about why it’s special to represent Northern Ontario and learn all about Gates Day.