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southerncurler
Swing Artist
Registered: Jan 2015
Location:
Posts: 234 |
Olympic Trials
Trials start on Friday.
On the women’s side I think it will be one of the Christensen, Peterson or Sinclair rinks. I think it will very likely be Tabitah headed to Beijing.
All Olympic dreams on the mens side have to run through Shuster. My guess is John drops 2 games in RR but goes 2-0 against dropkin in the playoffs.
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11-10-21 01:10PM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
I’m here in Omaha watching the early draws before I have to head home tomorrow.
This morning I watched the Bear vs Sinclair match that Bear won big. It all turned hard in the 4th when Sinclair was going for a straightforward hit to score 1, when her shooter took a sudden hard right at the end and missed everything for a steal of 3. Me and a socially distanced seatmate could only think it must have picked on something, it was so steep a turn.
On the feature sheet, Delaney Strouse played really well and at least took Peterson all the way to the 10th, but they ere just too much for them.
Christensen va Rhmye was in the farthest sheet away, and by the time I finally looked over there they were already jumping fists at a 9-1 Christenen victory.
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11-13-21 01:34PM |
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nelski
Super Rockchucker
Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Twin Snowbanks
Posts: 2068 |
quote: Originally posted by Observer
This morning I watched the Bear vs Sinclair match that Bear won big. It all turned hard in the 4th when Sinclair was going for a straightforward hit to score 1, when her shooter took a sudden hard right at the end and missed everything for a steal of 3. Me and a socially distanced seatmate could only think it must have picked on something, it was so steep a turn.
Thanks for that background. I was surprised at the outcome. We'll see how it goes from here, forward.
Sinclair Christensen game starting now. Would love to be a fly on the wall.
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Lots of major youth (<21) events. Nice for Murdoch... and us :-D.
Last edited by nelski on 11-13-21 at 08:17PM
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11-13-21 04:54PM |
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biterbar
Drawmaster
Registered: Mar 2009
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Strange start on the women's side. Sinclair 0-2 and struggling. Peterson losing to Rhyme.
Winners seem to be those figuring out what looks like inconsistent ice.
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11-13-21 11:19PM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
Sinclair was missing by just a little early in the game, then that became by a lot as the game went on. There was a key hit-and -stick that would’ve given them 3 and tied the game, but instead she rolled out and only got 2. Later there was a draw against 3 that she came up very short on, and that was about it.
Meanwhile, the Rhyme vs Peterson game was going on right in front of me, and Kim Rhyme just couldn’t seem to miss. Her draw shots were exceptional, particularly in the 9th where there was a very cluttered house and only one tiny path to get a second counter on the button, and she made it look easy, and took a 6-5 lead with that. Meanwhile, Peterson had got very low on their time clock, with only 2:30 left to play the whole 10th. They got down to a final decision of playing a tap or going for a double with not enough time to really think it through, and they went for the double with just 9 seconds left as Tabitha threw. She still damn near made it, but the final spin of their shooter took it just that bit too far and Rhyme stole the final point and won.
I have to drive home tomorrow. From now on anything I see will be on a stream or TV.
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11-13-21 11:29PM |
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guido
Super Rockchucker
Registered: Feb 2011
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 1418 |
How are teams decided in America? Play with who you want? Or, play with who curling USA puts you with?
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11-14-21 04:37PM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
In the high performance program, it’s mostly down to who they put you with. They do still have some open slots for other self-built teams to play their way in, and I think a couple of these in the trials are formed that way, but they receive no program funding.
On another topic…
Yesterday I noticed with interest that Madison Bear played both of her games wearing a face mask, when no one else on the ice did. I got home today in time to watch the feature game just concluded between Bear and Rhyme. And at the start of this game, Madison wasn’t there, and the remaining players were playing as three without her, and all three were masked. The commentators said she was out due to Covid-19 protocols. But then, after the fifth end break, Bear was back, masked, apparently healthy, and they played the rest of the way as their normal four. They ended up losing 8-4.
No further information was forthcoming on the webcast stream.
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11-14-21 05:50PM |
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nelski
Super Rockchucker
Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Twin Snowbanks
Posts: 2068 |
Thanks for the play by play, and the background info Observer. It is greatly appreciated. So, it is a double round robin. That is grueling, but it does give the slow starters a chance to grapple back. Rhymes seems to be in it to win it. Sinclair is off the edge. I am pulling for Christensen because of the CathyO connection, but always like to see newer teams percolate to the top too.
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Lots of major youth (<21) events. Nice for Murdoch... and us :-D.
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11-15-21 12:02PM |
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southerncurler
Swing Artist
Registered: Jan 2015
Location:
Posts: 234 |
Peterson with an absolutely incredible open corner freeze in the 10th end to manufacture a skips deuce and give Sinclair their 3rd loss.
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11-15-21 12:36PM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
For US residents, you can stream the games live on the NBCSN app, and I gather the main NBCSN TV channel will be showing the playoff games on the weekend.
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11-15-21 02:57PM |
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biterbar
Drawmaster
Registered: Mar 2009
Location:
Posts: 695 |
quote: Originally posted by nelski
Thanks for the play by play, and the background info Observer. It is greatly appreciated. So, it is a double round robin. That is grueling, but it does give the slow starters a chance to grapple back. Rhymes seems to be in it to win it. Sinclair is off the edge. I am pulling for Christensen because of the CathyO connection, but always like to see newer teams percolate to the top too.
It is a single round robin.
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"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire"-Winston Churchill
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11-15-21 03:38PM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
No, it's a double round robin. All teams play each other twice.
The top two advance to a best-of-3 playoff series, with game 1 on Friday Nov. 19, game 2 on Saturday Nov. 20, and if game 3 is necessary, that's on Sunday Nov. 21.
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11-15-21 04:33PM |
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biterbar
Drawmaster
Registered: Mar 2009
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quote: Originally posted by Observer
No, it's a double round robin. All teams play each other twice.
The top two advance to a best-of-3 playoff series, with game 1 on Friday Nov. 19, game 2 on Saturday Nov. 20, and if game 3 is necessary, that's on Sunday Nov. 21.
I stand corrected!
Thanks!
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"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire"-Winston Churchill
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11-15-21 04:54PM |
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southerncurler
Swing Artist
Registered: Jan 2015
Location:
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Shuster making mince meat of the field while the women’s side is jammed at the top. Sinclair is making a run up the standings which is good to see.
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11-16-21 05:42PM |
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guido
Super Rockchucker
Registered: Feb 2011
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 1418 |
I wonder if Team Sinclair is one of those hand picked?? Jamie is America’s best curler. Put the Peterson’s and the Anderson’s with her and they probably don’t lose a game.
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11-17-21 01:18AM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
Jamie and her team certainly didn't play like America's best curlers last night in their loss to junior team Delaney Strouse. Every time they started to gain some momentum, someone in the line-up would miss a key shot so badly it was like they didn't throw at all. This includes _two_ hogged stones in the last two ends, one from the lead and one from Jamie herself.
As for the line-up, well, there seems to have been some drama there. The coaches initially tried building a team of Sinclair-Christensen-and the Andersons. They played like that for a season, and then at the end of it, the other three pulled off some sort of palace coup and got Jamie removed so that Christensen could return to skipping. That left Jamie teamless, and the team she's got now was reformed in the wake of that, and this was all happening as Covid was shutting down the last season. This is their first sustained season playing together, and it started out pretty well for them on tour, but in this event they just seem to keep misreading the ice and/or their rocks at bad times. One key deficiency I noted in last night's match was how they just kept leaving guards in play and didn't try to tick them, and the one time I saw them try, they failed to execute it, which is probably why they weren't trying that much.
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11-17-21 09:03AM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
As of noon Central, Thurs. Nov. 18:
The women's playoffs are now set. Tabitha Peterson's team has locked up the top seed, and Cory Christensen's team has locked up the second spot. They will start their best-of-3 playoff series tomorrow night at 7pm, with further games also at 7pm Saturday and Sunday (if needed). There is still one more round robin draw tonight, but those results won't have any effect on this.
The men's playoffs have one round robin draw left. John Shuster's team has the top seed locked up. The second spot will belong to either Korey Dropkin or Rich Ruohonen. If Dropkin wins their last game, the spot is theirs. If they lose AND if Ruohonen's team win, they will finish tied and a tiebreaker game will be played. The men's playoffs start Friday at 5pm, also best-of-3, continuing at 5pm on Saturday and Sunday (if needed).
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11-18-21 12:58PM |
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biterbar
Drawmaster
Registered: Mar 2009
Location:
Posts: 695 |
quote: Originally posted by Observer
As of noon Central, Thurs. Nov. 18:
The women's playoffs are now set. Tabitha Peterson's team has locked up the top seed, and Cory Christensen's team has locked up the second spot. They will start their best-of-3 playoff series tomorrow night at 7pm, with further games also at 7pm Saturday and Sunday (if needed). There is still one more round robin draw tonight, but those results won't have any effect on this.
The men's playoffs have one round robin draw left. John Shuster's team has the top seed locked up. The second spot will belong to either Korey Dropkin or Rich Ruohonen. If Dropkin wins their last game, the spot is theirs. If they lose AND if Ruohonen's team win, they will finish tied and a tiebreaker game will be played. The men's playoffs start Friday at 5pm, also best-of-3, continuing at 5pm on Saturday and Sunday (if needed).
Best of three at 5:00 and 7:00 each night? Seems odd to overlap games?
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"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire"-Winston Churchill
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11-18-21 01:45PM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
Sorry, my mistake. The women's games are all at 8pm.
(7pm was the regular time during the round robin.)
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11-18-21 01:52PM |
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southerncurler
Swing Artist
Registered: Jan 2015
Location:
Posts: 234 |
Not a surprising round robin results. Should be some excellent playoff games!
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11-18-21 11:08PM |
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Observer
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2016
Location: River Falls, WI, USA
Posts: 445 |
Sinclair crossroads?
The way the US trials have turned out for Jamie Sinclair combined with all the recent pandemic shut downs has created an interesting career crossroads decision point for her.
There’s been speculation here in years past about whether or not she might leave Team USA and try forging a curling career back in Canada. I had always thought this unlikely because of the limits placed on athletes in the governing bodies to prevent them hopping countries easily.
Those limits, which I’ve been looking up on Curling Canada and the WCF, all state that the athlete in question must not have competed for another nation in a WCF event for two years prior to their competing for another country. Between the shutdown and travel restrictions, you have to go back to 2019 to find a WCF-sanctioned competition where Sinclair competed under the USA banner. If that continues for the rest of this season, then I think she would be eligible to hop back to Canada and compete in Ontario, where her residence is, and be fully eligible to compete there for the Scotties and ultimately even the Worlds and, in four years, the Olympics.
That’s a key though: it has to continue that way for the rest of this season. If she were to enter and win the US nationals in January with an eye at the Worlds, or if she were to accept a spot as an alternate on the Olympic team (if it were offered), I think this option would close to her.
I guess it ultimately comes down to her deciding whether staying in the US program and trying to use it to build a new team to climb over the teams she fell to this week, Tabitha Peterson’s chief among them, is better or worse than moving back to her home in Ontario where her family and boyfriend and house are and trying to build a team there capable of beating the likes of Rachel Homan’s team. Given the inevitable blowing-up of Canadian teams that’s about to happen after or even during the meat of the current season, now would be the time to try it if ever there was one.
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11-18-21 11:27PM |
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southerncurler
Swing Artist
Registered: Jan 2015
Location:
Posts: 234 |
Congrats to the Peterson rink! Well deserving representative for the USA
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11-21-21 12:47AM |
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hoggedrock
Harvey Hacksmasher
Registered: Nov 2021
Location:
Posts: 17 |
As a Canadian, I would love to see Jamie come back and curl out of Ontario. I would be very, very surprised if the current iteration of the Rachel Homan team is intact next year. It would be a great opportunity for Jamie to team up with some great Ontario curlers and make waves on the Canadian side.
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11-21-21 10:08AM |
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decade
Super Rockchucker
Registered: Jan 2011
Location:
Posts: 1962 |
Sinclair never seemed to be content playing for Homan before escaping to the US. Some people eventually admit that they aren't skip material but Sinclair never has.
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11-21-21 12:06PM |
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