British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

indiana · Tennis legend

Winter Olympics

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Sheddie wrote:
I covered the curling, two Winter Olympics ago, at the PyeongChang Games, and following it this week is making me reminisce.

A few conclusions:

- It's surprisingly cold in that arena. I was sat rinkside for the best part of 3 weeks and it's icy.

- Curlers are a great bunch. Reassuringly normal and way less egotistical than other Olympic athletes, quite possibly because many of them are doing elite curling on the side of a full-time job (I remember the US skip that year was also a hospital nurse), and they're also older and most worldly. They all made for fascinating interviews. Short-track speed skaters on the other hand (something I discovered through covering a bunch of World Cup events), genuinely think that the world revolves around them, even though even the most ardent fan only really cares about their sport once every four years.

- Olympic curling is an unexpectedly very glamorous sport. Back in Feb 2018, I was newly single after the breakup of a long-term relationship and seeing the number of husband/wife duos in the mixed event, and just how good looking everyone was, I was like, 'Maybe I should quit the apps, go to live somewhere chilly and curl?' in the hope of finding love. But my Canadian friends tell me that what you see at the Olympics, this isn't reflective of the typical rink, so perhaps wisely, I opted against that plan.

- The pressure on the Canadian teams is intense. I had no idea just how brutally competitive it is to qualify to represent team Canada in curling at the Olympics, and the expectations are HIGH, something which I feel creates unhelpful pressure. The Canadian curlers know that this is in all likelihood their one shot at Olympic glory, so the tension is much higher for them than with other teams.

- Finally, after a month writing about it, I felt that I had to try curling for myself, and it's perhaps for the best that I didn't attempt to curl for love. It is incredibly technical and hard - especially that sliding off which they all make look extremely easy. I essentially ended up bowling in the end!

Thanks for that, David. A fascinating insight.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
GB beat Italy 7-4. Well done, did all they could.

And oh my, Sweden do take 3. Still against the hammer in the extra end but ...

USA *6-6 vs Sweden, into extra end.

I was momentairly confused when I read that post, Indy! I think you meant Switzerland, not Sweden... wink

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Sadly, not to be for our girls. The Yankee girls triumph in the extra end! furious

indiana · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
Sadly, not to be for our girls. The Yankee girls triumph in the extra end!

By inches. Was it going to be short? No. Was it going to be long? ( had they overswept it? ), Nooo, it settled.

Well done, GB women, and especially Rebecca Morrison, you found your game over the last few matches. Be proud that when the heat was on you produced.

indiana · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
indiana wrote:
GB beat Italy 7-4. Well done, did all they could.

And oh my, Sweden do take 3. Still against the hammer in the extra end but ...

USA *6-6 vs Sweden, into extra end.
I was momentairly confused when I read that post, Indy! I think you meant Switzerland, not Sweden...

Sorry Sherlock. Corrected. All too exciting.

indiana · Tennis legend

Honestly each to their own, but personally I feel the same as Richard Winton, BBC Sport Scotland, who wrote on the BBC Sport website:

'I don't understand people who don't like sport. Imagine not being moved by that?"

And ultimately we, including the GB curlers, were watching a match not even involving GB.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

YES! The men's curlers nick it agin the Swiss by 7-5 & go through to the gold medal match on Saturday vs Canada or Norway! biggrin

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
YES! The men's curlers nick it agin the Swiss by 7-5 & go through to the gold medal match on Saturday vs Canada or Norway!

Beeb live text commentary:

Switzerland won nine out of nine in the round robin. GB won five of their nine. They needed a Switzerland win this morning to ensure they made it through to the semi-finals. But GB have won the one that mattered.

And there's one more that will really matter - the gold medal final on Saturday evening. Gladiators and Michael McIntyre might have to take a back seat for a couple of hours because we'll all be a bit busy.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
YES! The men's curlers nick it agin the Swiss by 7-5 & go through to the gold medal match on Saturday vs Canada or Norway!

It will be Canada - the Beeb:

Canada win the extra end against Norway, so it is they who will face Great Britain in the men's curling final on Saturday. Canada won the round-robin meeting 9-5, but, as we've discovered already this evening, those round-robin results count for very little now.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yay, tremendous second half of the final by the GB guys with some great shot making by Bruce in the 6th and 7th ends to turn things around.

FWIW it was a 2 shot steal at the last for 8-5 though clearly just any steal won it for them there and then when the Swiss guy couldn't do a 'Rebecca'.

Both our curling teams have stood up when it mattered today. Pity our women started the competition so slowly with the skip thinking they were the best team out there by the end of the RR. Great experience for such an inexperienced team at that level. Much more experienced now and maybe some of them can go to worlds as well and come back to another Olympics and go further.

A day off from GB curling and on Saturday, go GB, go for gold !

Guys, at these Olympics we either win golds or come 4th. You can''t come 4th so ....