Draw 5 - Norway - Germany, Final Ends

END #10: If I had not seen the Korea-Norway match I would never have believed we would be here now! Actually, I did not believe it and I had seen that match. NO put up a guard and GE chip but leave their rock out front. NO put up a long center guard. GE peel their own rock. NO come to the top of the house behind the guard. GE peel that guard. NO replace the guard. GE peel it. NO replace. GE peel. NO guard. GE hit teh NO rock in the house and sit at the top of the twelve. Skip rocks. Ulsrud draws to the four-foot, somewhat exposed. GE taps it back and sits open in the four. Ulsrud calls for the coach and the clock is stopped at 2:44. Ulsrud hits and rolls slightly under cover. Kapp just hits and moves it enough to win.
GE 9 - NO 8


END #9: Skip curling percentage difference is down to 6 points after Kapp's miss. After some guarding and hitting NO have a rock in the four foot behind two GE guards. NO angle a rock in front of the guards to prevent runbacks. GE attempt on that rock misses badly and merely moves one of their guards over. Ulsrud puts a rock right on his rock in the four. Kapp wants to get at them. He gets one. Ulsrud comes to the four, covered. (A comment from Doc makes me note that NO have big time pressure on them.) Kapp goes very slightly long on his draw and NO steals one.
GE 8 - NO 8

END #8: After seven ends the difference in skip curling percentages is now 18 points. NO making most of its early shots and GE has a small miss. NO have a rock in the front four foot under cover of a NO center guard. NO guard (the rock in the house is partly exposed), GE peel. Guard replaced. Peeled. Guard attempt comes too deep and GE peel the front guard. Two GE rocks in the twelve on the T partially under cover and two NO rocks on the center line in front of the T (well in front). NO put up a guard. GE run the front guard back but only manage to move the front NO stone over to the GE rocks in the twelve. Ulsrud puts a NO rock in the twelve in front of his in the four. Kapp comes up way short and NO steals three!
GE 8 - NO 7

Hurry! Hurry!

I thought I heard it yesterday. And I thought it was from the sheet featuring Denmark during a Danish shot.
So, with my attention freed from the Scotland-Korea game, I decided to watch the sheet with Denmark.
It took a few shots but I can confirm that he does use 'Hurry' as an exhortation to his sweepers.
This may actually be consistent with my earlier observations, as he is the oldest competitor on the ice this week.

Draw #4 : Korea - Scotland

The habit here of playing the national anthem of the country whose team is team of the day makes for a nice respite from having to listen to 'O Canada' in every draw.

UPDATE 2 : Korea play to the bitter end, 9-6 Scotland

UPDATE: Korea was working its way back with steals (after all from yesterday they know it can happen), but Scotland take two in the eighth, making it 9-4. They have decided to play on.

END #4: Another series of missed freezes by KO as SC make theirs, and missd shots by Lee, leave Brewster a draw for five. I'll be back if fortunes change.
SC 7 - KO 1.

END #3: A series of KO missed freezes, and even a hit, force a draw for one.
SC 2 - KO 1

END #2: The whole end so far has been around the second SC rock which came to the button angled against a KO rock behind the SC first rock, a front guard. Basically, as in the first end, that rock on the button gets surrounded by KO and SC rocks, to the point where it iss hard to move it or find a path to the button. Lee's first rock is an in-off not quite as planned but it juggles rocks a bit. SC guard their shot rock touching the button. Lee considers runback of a front SC guard. Instead he clears away all the front guards. The SC guard attempt overcurls. Lee calls the coach out. Lee's in-off attempt misses again. I cannot fault them for considering and trying hard shots; in the first several ends againsr Norway that worked. And then it didn't. SC steal one.
SC 2 - KO 0

I am hoping the Korean team is less dispirited than they seemed in their second match.
Scotland have the initial hammer.

END #1: KO seems ot be having trouble early finding the line - two freeze attempts that bumped and a wrong-way roll on a hit. This allows SC to get some rocks behind cover. A SC whiff gives KO a play but Lee misses his attempt to raise into the center. Brewster puts up a guard. Lee wrecks on hte front guard. Brewster takes one. Given that Lee's shooting percentage right now is 0%, KO dodge a bullet.
SC 1 - KO 0.

Draw #2: Canada vs. Denmark, First Half

There aren't quite as many people here tonight as there were this afternoon for the opening ceremonies and opening draw, but it is still a pretty full house for Draw #2. After the first two ends, Canada seemed to be in control of the game, taking two in the first end, with the hammer, and maintaining pressure on Denmark in the second, forcing them to take one. Canada's curling percentages through 2 ends were very good (about 88% overall) and Denmark's were horrid at under 50%!

But, my how things changed in the third end as Canada missed a LOT of their shots and gave up a steal of three to Denmark. What started as Canadian dominance became a Denmark two-rock lead. In the fourth, Canada got lucky as the Danes hit and rolled out a couple of times after having set up quite a challenging house, so Stoughton was able to blank the end. In the fifth end, Denmark played well again, splitting the rings and forcing Stoughton to draw for 1.
After five ends, Denmark 4, Canada 3.

Sidelights

Some fun observations from our first day at the 2011 Men's World Curling Championship:

• Right after the media interviewed Ulsrud (Skip, Norway), Christoffer Svae walked by and said, "It was much easier winning last year without him," referring to the fact that Thomas Urlsud had not curled with the Norwegian team at last year's tournament, having left for family reasons.
• There seems to be a LOT of popcorn being sold here.
• Also, there as several ice cream stands here, and despite the cool temperatures inside the Brandt Arena and despite the snow outside, 8-(, lots of people are buying ice cream cones and dishes of ice cream. Maybe that just means folks in Saskatchewan are tough?
• The souvenir/apparel shop is already sold out of some sizes of their apparel. Just after one draw! But they expect large shipments of more gear in the next day or so.
• The media room doesn't provide beer here, as they did in London, Ontario, at The Brier. I never had any there, and I doubt if I'd have any here, but the difference is interesting.
• Jorg Leuenberger of the Swiss Curling Federation is our benchmate here. He says that the attendance at the Swiss championship tournament was about 500. And earlier Andy Kapp said the attendance at the German championship was only 100 or so. That's quite a difference from Canada.
  

Cell Phones at the Worlds: if a cell phone rings in a crowd, will a curler hear it?

Long-time readers of this blog may remember how incensed I was five years ago at the Scott Tournament of Hearts when the emcee for the event, before each draw, asked fans to turn off the ringers on their cell phones, supposedly because they might disturb the curlers.

What kind of nonsense is that??? I know it's trivial and petty of me, but this request smacks of control-freakiness to the nth degree.

Anyone who has ever attended a curling tournament will recognize the silliness of the request. There are cheers, applause, cowbells, chants, even loud electronic noise-makers going on all the time. If a cell phone rings, no one on the ice will even notice it. And even if they do notice it, it will be far less disruptive than the cowbells, vuvuzelas, bicycle horns, etc.

To the organizers: I know this is a minor request, but could you please, PLEASE ask the emcee to drop that ridiculously insulting part of his opening remarks?

[update: To see what I wrote about this idiotic request over five years ago, click here. It was a bit tamer than this post, but as Alan says, I'm exasperated because it has gone on for so long.]

Draw #1: Canada vs. Switzerland, Second Half

After Canada stole three in the fifth, they forced Switzerland to take only one with the hammer in the sixth as Stoughton placed his last shot behind a corner guard, leaving Schwaller (SUI skip) with only a draw to salvage one. There was a sense that the momentum changed after the fifth end.

In the 7th end, Canada seemed to be out-strategizing the Swiss for most of the end, but Schwaller made a superb draw around the centre guard, and Stoughton couldn't remove it, so the Swiss stole one. And, of course, the momentum swung again.... and Canada barely scored one with the hammer in the 8th end.

But in the 9th end, Stoughton made an absolutely amazing double, splitting two Swiss rocks around a Canadian rock. As a result of that shot and some missed shots by the Swiss, Canada stole two more and the Swiss shook hands. Canada 8, Switzerland 4.

Draw #1: Canada vs. Switzerland

In the very first end, Switzerland drew to the Canada rock, Stoughton drew for what he thought might be two, but then it turned out the measurement for second shot was indeterminate. So Canada scored only one with the hammer. An interesting beginning, for sure!

Through the first four ends, Switzerland looked to be out-curling Canada (for once, I haven't checked the stats to verify this!). Switzerland blanked one end, scored two in the other end when they had the hammer; and when Canada had the hammer, the Swiss forced Canada to take only one each time.

In the fifth end, Canada managed to clog up the house pretty well. Stoughton's first rock was a beauty hit and roll that took away the opportunity for Switzerland to tap their own rock up, so they had to try to draw around guard to the 4'. But they were a tad light, wrecked on the guard, and gave up a steal of three. Canada 5, Switzerland 2 after five ends.

Draw #1 : Norway-Korea Early Ends

I'll be little sparser now.

END #5: Ulsrud's last rock is against thee KO rocks in the house. He doubles, leaving a draw for two. Duly made.
KO 5 - NOR 3.

This is proving a lot more interesting than I expected.

END #4: An initial NO guard led to a number of shots coming up short, piling up what became guards in front of the house. After NO finally got a biter, KO hit and rolled too far. NO hit that and rolled behind cover. KO peeled and we have a KO rock offset in front of a NO rock, guarding a NO rock in the eight. NO draw to the button but exposed. KO peel the front NO rock taking the covered NO rock with it and rolling out. NO put up a front biter as cover and an obstacle to the front KO rock. KO peel it and replace it. NO guard next to that KO rock. KO peel the NO rock and double out the rock in the house, the shooter sticking. NO draw to the button. KO miss the draw and NO steal one.
KO 3 - NO 3

END #3: KO put an initial rock on the button and NO guarded. After wrecking on the guard a couple of times, NO finally get behind corner guard cover. KO put a second center guard up to protect their rock on the button. NO wreck on the guard in a draw (freze) attempt and roll the the twelve-foot on the other side from the buried NO rock. KO succeed on that draw and now lie two. NO hit one of the KO rocks out but roll open. KO poke that rock out and roll toward cover. Ulsrud double the KO rocks and scores two. Fantastic shot!
KO 3 - NO 2.



END #2: NO try a long center guard. KO come in behind it. NO hit that out and stick. KO hit and remove that and roll behind the guard. NO remove that and roll to the twelve-foot in front of the T. KO hit and stick. NO hit and stick. KO hit and roll not quite behind covver. NO hit and roll out. KO draw and it looks nicely covered on the button. NO brush the guard and roll beside it on the side with the guard. KO draw behind cover right in front of their other rock. NO peels the covering guard. Norway are in trouble. KO guard. NO discuss this shot for quite a while. No run one of their guards into the KO rock on the button and both spill. KO can draw for two or try to slpit the front guard for three. They do the latter. These guys are no pushovers.
KO 3 - NO 0.

Korea has the initial hammer.

END #1: NO center guard, KO try but do not get behind it. NO hit nd roll wide. KO hit and stay. NO hit and roll out. KO peel. NO inot the front four-foot. KO hit and roll to the side. NO hit and roll out. KO into the twelve-foot, T-line. NO hit and roll over into the four-foot. KO hit and roll to the twelve-foot. NO hit and stick. KO hit and roll out. NO to the front twelvside with shot rock. KO blank. Korea is looking pretty good.

Big Crowd for the Opening Draw

The opening draw appears to be a near sell-out:

Wearing Down the Pebble

After the opening ceremonies at the 2011 Men's World Curling Championship in Regina, the ice crew went to work on the four sheets of ice. .... chamois-ing, repebbling, clipping, and then something I had not seen before (I don't recall having seen it at The Brier last month, but I wasn't able to attend as much of that as I might have wished). This last touch involved putting all eight stones of one colour into a wooden framed and dragging it up and down the ice several times.


The process was repeated on each sheet. Our guess is that they were wearing down the pebble just a bit to make the sheets a bit more consistent from the beginning of each game. Does that make sense?

Who Would You Like?

No promises, but on the blog we might be able to cover in more detail some of the games that are not being televised on TSN in Canada. If you have any requests, let us know.

The New Pants have been Previewed!

Doc and I missed the opening day banquet, so we missed what The Curling News (@curling) kindly tweeted this morning. You can check the new pants out here.

A little less the Harlequins, a little more the nationalists.

Another Media Handout on TV and WebTV Coverage

This was handed out today and contains some surprises.

Not so surprising is that Eurosport is planning 16 rounds of coverage. Many are delayed but there is eight hours difference to CET.

Also not surprising is the Eurosport player. I read a recent interview with Thomas Ulsrud in which he mentioned seeing the Brier online; this may have been the means. They offer several draws a day.

TSN is covering only Canada's matches and the playoffs.

NBC Universal Sports is covering only a couple of matches, the Gold Medal game, and something described as 'Championship Game TBD'.

China's CCTV5 will provide 'extensive coverage'.

But here's what got me. GLOBO-SPORTV, available only in Brazil, will cover the semi-final and final! Brazil. Who'd have thunk it? Mind you, Brazil is a member of the WCF.

And Mike Harris Calls It

His predictions sound not too far off ours.

The only serious challengers to Team Canada are Norway's Thomas Ulsrud and Sweden's Niklas Edin. There are a couple of other teams with the potential to make the playoffs, but anyone other than Canada, Norway or Sweden winning this championship would be a huge upset.
In a rebuilding year for most of the top teams in the world, Stoughton has had the best season of anyone and was very deserving of the Brier title he captured nearly a month ago by beating Glenn Howard in the final in London, Ont.

Predictions

I cannot say I have learned much from watching the practice sessions.
My own guess is Ulsrud and Stoughton; Ulsrud seems to think so too.

Ulsrud said he was glued to the online Brier broadcast from his home in Oslo. He was impressed with Stoughton's shotmaking, and also breathed a sigh of relief that Alberta's Kevin Martin wouldn't be competing at the world championship this year.
It was Canada's Martin who defeated Ulsrud to win the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
"I'm actually glad (Martin) isn't here," Ulsrud said with a laugh. "Jeff still is the big favourite, for sure. There was something about Martin when he was on his game, he was very tough to deal with.
"I'm not saying Jeff is going to be easy. Not at all. Jeff looked solid. He looked solid all week (at the Brier). There's a reason why he's here. He's very good and he'll be the guy to beat."

Can Team Edin finally rock the house with more than personality?
We don't mention the Swiss but they beat Edin at the Olympics and have had some good teams.
Just for fun I will pick Norway. I suspect this means Jon Mead might have to have one less than completely amazing game.

A Nice Touch

Walking around the facility I noticed these posters hanging in the main entrance area. I am not sure whether this is a WCF tradition or the initiative of the local organizers but it struck me as cute and welcoming.

I assume there are four others I have not yet seen, for completeness.

( I always worry about these gestures as it is easy to get something in another language horribly wrong.)

The Pants are Back

Norwegians, as is their wont, are leading the way in fashion.
The skip has promised an attempt to introduce some new styles later in the tournament.

Occupations at the Men's World Championship

Following up on my observations at the Brier, I have been reading through the biographical material provided to the media, and I see something I did NOT see at the Brier!
Many of the players list their occupation as 'Curler'. I was not surprised by this being true of all members of the Chinese team, with China's focus on Olympic success. I was more surprised to see it true of all members of the Korean team; I guess I just don't know how much Olympic success is important to the Korean government.
It was a bit more of a surprise to see that the Swedish team are all curlers or icemakers or curling instructors, employed by the Swedish Olympic Committee. I did not think of them as so serious about sporting performance.
I was astonished to see it listed for one of the French team, but maybe he's a student; well, except he is 40 and does not seem to have curled in many championships. Maybe he is a tycoon.
One of the Norwegians is a Curling Instructor.
(On the other hand Uslrud owns a tanning salon; I imagine it could do some pretty good business in Norway, except for the four-day summer in July, which I experienced once.)
I suspect one reason we do not see this in Canada is that there is too much talent for any sporting bureaucracy to arbitrarily pick four (or five) players to be the country's professional curlers.

Settling in at the Ford Worlds 2011

Doc is still at work but I am settling in watching the team practices and surrounding activities (the joys of relative retirment) at the Ford Word Men's Curling Championships.
Practice 1 is caught below:

At that point it was Canada on sheet A (to the left), the Swiss on sheet B, the USA on sheet C, and Denmark on sheet D. Members of the Swedish team were up scouting beside the Media Bench.