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Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the Rings: Highlights and lowlights from a curling season to remember
Curling made some strides over the 2024-25 campaign yet also remained behind the times in other areas, leaving the Roaring Game in a peculiar spot entering the all-important Olympic season. Equipment issues have been a concern in recent months and the sport's archaic rule structure and lack of video review have sparked controversy. The new-look Grand Slam of Curling series had some hits and misses under new ownership. Here's a look at some highlights and lowlights from the previous season with a look ahead at what's to come. BURNING ISSUE The handling of a situation involving an apparent burned rock in a China-Norway playoff game at the world men's championship sparked heated online comments from many top players. It also showed just how far behind curling is compared to other sports. Video footage appeared to show the Chinese sweeper hit the rock with his broom just before it entered the house. Put in a tough position as the non-offending team, Norway's Magnus Ramsfjell felt the stone was burned but agreed to let it remain rather than have it removed. Umpire involvement was minimal since the players decided to play on. 'If we're not going to have umpires or officials there that are actually going to officiate and umpire the game, they shouldn't be there in my opinion,' veteran skip Brad Gushue said in a recent interview. 'And if that's the case and we have cameras, we have streaming services on just about every game now played at the top level, why not utilize that?' A World Curling spokesman noted Norway didn't make a complaint after continuing play. Chinese coach Weidong Tan, who served as interpreter for skip Xiaoming Xu, said the team didn't feel the broom made contact with the rock. World Curling director Jill Officer was made available for an interview at the event but a communications staffer shut down questions on the subject. HOMAN DOMINANT Rachel Homan's Ottawa-based team became the first Canadian women's rink to repeat as world champions since Sandra Schmirler's side did it in 1994. The top-ranked Homan finished with a remarkable 75-9 record over a season that included a fifth career Scotties Tournament of Hearts title along with Grand Slam crowns at the Kioti National and Co-op Canadian Open. Top-ranked Bruce Mouat of Scotland won the men's world title. Italy's Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini took the world mixed doubles crown. HITS AND MISSES The Curling Group tried some new things over its five-event calendar after purchasing the Grand Slam of Curling series last spring. Some things worked and others didn't. More changes — including a new pro league — are on the way next season. A big hit was the decision to provide live streaming of all games at Slam competitions. Curler walkouts — or slideouts in some cases — also proved popular. Misses included the dizziness-inducing 'hat-cam' live camera and a GSOC playoff draft where skips selected pool opponents. The draft's start was delayed, players didn't have their own microphones and graphics weren't used. CLEAN SWEEP Call it what you will — Foamgate or Broomgate 2.0 — but broomhead foam density was a hot topic among athletes in recent months. Many teams believe firmer foam products allow sweepers to have too much control on the ice. World Curling and Goldline Curling mutually agreed to suspend the approval of Goldline's Pursuer foam from competitive play last February. Curlers, manufacturers, federations, the athlete commission and officials have had discussions about equipment in recent months but it's unclear when there might be clarity on the subject. 'The athletes need to know by the beginning of August what sort of broom they're going to have (in) their hand for next (season),' Officer said. 'And I plan (to) keep trying to push that timeline.' HOG-LINE VIOLATIONS In the wake of repeated electronic sensor issues with curling stones, the honour system has been in place for hog-line violations over the last few seasons. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The setup has generally worked although many curlers do not release the rocks in time. Opponent apathy may be to blame. 'There's a line there that has to be abided by and it has to be enforced,' said World Curling Hall of Famer Warren Hansen. 'And to ignore it, to me, is just ridiculous.' A first-hand look from ice level at the recent world men's championship revealed several uncalled violations. A player can still request an umpire to watch the line if desired. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.
STV News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Scotland's curling world champions aiming for Olympic Gold in 2026
Scotland's newly crowned world champions in curling are now turning their attention towards winning gold at next year's Winter Olympics. Bruce Mouat and his team scooped the nation's sixth world title at the championships in Canada last month. They defeated Switzerland in the final match on April 6 with a 5-4 win in Saskatchewan to add World Championship glory to their hat-trick of wins in the first three Grand Slam of Curling events this season. Mouat and his teammates Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, and Hammy McMillan made history by becoming the first team to win the trophy after coming through the quarter-finals, while others went straight into the last four. Scotland beat reigning champions Sweden before overcoming hosts Canada in the semi-finals. And the skip is now looking to go one better than the silver medal they won in Beijing three years ago by going for gold in Italy. He said: 'We've been together for eight years. 'The first meetings that we had, we were planning on winning the Olympic gold together, so there's not much motivation needed. 'It was just that's what we're going to drive towards. And yeah, it's going to be a good build-up to it. And we're going to give it everything we've got.' Next year's Winter Olympics get underway in Milan in just eight months with the opening ceremony scheduled for February 6, 2026. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
NBC Sports
03-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Cory Thiesse, Korey Dropkin clinch 2026 Olympic spot in mixed doubles curling
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin are the first curlers to clinch spots on the 2026 U.S. Olympic team. Thiesse, 30, and Dropkin, 29, won the Olympic Trials in mixed doubles in February, but still had to earn an Olympic quota spot for the U.S. through international competition. They did just that in their first of two chances — at this week's world championship in New Brunswick, Canada. Thiesse and Dropkin, the 2023 World champions, finished fifth at these worlds. That combined with another U.S. team's 10th-place result from the 2024 Worlds were enough to ensure the U.S. gets a spot in the 10-team 2026 Olympic field. 'A huge relief,' Thiesse told the Grand Slam of Curling. 'This has been the goal, the dream for both of us for so long, and we both worked so hard for it.' Had Thiesse and Dropkin not qualified the spot at these worlds, they would have had one more opportunity at a last-chance qualifier in December. They're the third and fourth athletes to clinch a spot on the U.S. Olympic team after snowboarders Chloe Kim and Red Gerard. The U.S. team for the Milan Cortina Games will likely end up including more than 200 athletes across all sports. Thiesse and Dropkin, whose team formed over drinks in their native Duluth, Minnesota, would each make their Olympic competition debut in 2026. Thiesse went to the 2018 PyeongChang Games as an alternate for the women's team but did not see game action. She was also a runner-up at the 2018 Olympic Trials (mixed doubles) and the 2022 Olympic Trials (women's team). Dropkin was on Olympic Trials runner-up men's teams in 2018 and 2022, each time winning the first game of a best-of-three championship series against John Shuster-skipped teams before losing the next two. Mixed doubles debuted at the Olympics in 2018. U.S. teams finished sixth in 2018 (Rebecca Hamilton/Matt Hamilton) and eighth in 2022 (Vicky Persinger, Chris Plys). Olympic Trials for the women's and men's team events will be in November in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The winners will then go to December's last-chance qualifier, where the last two spots will be filled in the 10-team women's and men's Olympic fields. Nick Zaccardi,
Calgary Herald
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Busy curling season takes Canada's Jocelyn Peterman, Brett Gallant to world mixed doubles championship
Time hasn't exactly been on the side of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant in the 2024-25 curling season. Article content Curling every week since late December, it seems, has kept Canada's mixed doubles curling champions extremely busy and often away from each other with team pursuit at the forefront of their schedules. Article content So any added minutes for Peterman and Gallant together were welcome to give the couple quality time to rest up, renew acquaintances and tune up their game ahead of the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship — on now through Saturday at Willie O'Ree Place in Fredericton, N.B. Article content 'Feeling rested now … both physically and mentally,' declared Gallant, who, alongside Peterman, proved that by pushing Canada to perfection on the opening day of worlds. Article content Article content 'You know … we practised, Joce and I, for a bit over the last couple of weeks together, which is kind of nice,' continued Gallant. 'We don't always have the chance to practise exclusively together on mixed doubles, because usually we're kind of practising for our four-person teams, as well. Article content 'So we had a pretty good little stretch there for a couple of weeks.' Article content First and foremost was the rest it offered them, especially for Gallant, since he was on a marathon run of events. Article content Article content There was the Canadian mixed doubles trials victory in January, giving them the right to represent the nation at these worlds and — pending qualification this week — at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy. Article content Article content To follow was a Grand Slam of Curling final appearance at the WFG Masters. Article content Then came their separate runs at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Montana's Brier. Article content Just ahead of Gallant's participation with Brier-winning Team Jacobs at the men's worlds, they curled together in the mixed doubles nationals in Prince Edward Island. Article content And then Gallant was slated to play with Team Jacobs in the AMJ Players' Championship, the GSOC season finale, but was given the week off to return home to prepare for these all-important worlds.
Edmonton Journal
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
What you need to know about 'Rock League', a pro curling venture in the hack for 2026
Article content Those details are still evolving, although The Curling Group promises quite the adventure for a venture long believed to be missing from the sport. 'With curling, there's no professional league yet, so it's the first of its kind there,' said curling legend Brent Laing, a Grand Slam of Curling commentator and competition committee member for The Curling Group. 'There's all sorts of ideas being thrown around all sorts of different formats and stuff. The idea is that you're not going to tune in and watch Team Homan and play Team Paetz the way the teams are right now. 'But at the end of the day, it's going to be mostly traditional curling, and curlers are going to be able to be professionals and get paid not just prize money but a salary, which is pretty awesome.' Finally there's real cash in hand for the curlers, says curling legend John Morris, who is a strategic advisor for The Curling Group. 'Back when they made the grand slams initially — I think in the early 2000s — there was probably from the the elite curlers at the time, I'm pretty sure they had a league in the back of their mind,' Morris said. 'With The Curling Group, this is our best opportunity to ever have this happen for curlers.'
