Maybe I’m the lone guy in this, but I’m not one who thinks the world of curling changed when Bingyu Wang won yesterday’s (today’s) women’s world championship.
Yes, it’s marvelous that China grabbed its first global crown. And it’s stunning just how quickly this team became world-class. And yes, it’s great that the final was beamed into China on state-run television.
But wake me up when China has more than a few dozen curlers.
For some reason, I’m skeptical that this win will open the floodgates for the sport in Mao’s old home as some are suggesting. First, there’s still no curling culture in China so even if people were watching, so how many viewers had a clue as to what was going on?
Second, there are no facilities to speak of in China for folks to go and try things out. These gals live, train and curl in Canada. Why? Because we have the facilities. Nothing is going to change until they start building curling rinks in China and this win might help that a bit, but I don’t see six-sheeters springing up like daisies any time soon.
Here’s what I compare this to: remember when Myriam Bedard won a gold in the biathlon? There wasn’t a sudden rush of folks to that sport. Now it’s not a fair comparison because you don’t go out Friday night for some mixed biathlon. But to the Chinese, curling is nothing more than an obscure sport which they’ll never play nor have any desire to play.
My point is for curling to grow in any way, shape or form in China, there has to be more grass roots development. Maybe this will be the start of a long road towards that goal, but I have my doubts.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The World is Changing. . . or changed
I don’t know why I’m still surprised whenever Canada loses in a world curling championship, but I am.
So when Jennifer Jones lost to Anette Norberg yesterday (or is it today?), in the 3-vs-4 game, it was news. I’m still living in the last century when Canada always seemed to win the worlds. Of course, it didn’t back then either, but it sure seemed like it.
Some day soon, we in Canada are going to realize that when a team like China, comes to Canada, spends six days a week, eight hours a day training and practicing, they are eventually going to catch up and pass our top players who have to put in long hours at the salt mine before they get to go and throw rocks. Actually, they’ve already done the catching up part and the passing will come soon at this rate.
***
By the way, I know it’s great to take the world championships all over the place and expose curling to new folks, but when no one bothers to show up what’s the point? Looking at James Bisson’s piece from Korea makes you wonder who in the WCF got the smart idea that one of curling’s biggest events should be held in a country where the sport is virtually unknown.
I mean, is the point of all this so some folks can stand up at the next WCF meeting and say, “Aren’t we great? We held a world championship in Korea.” Then they can all hold hands and sing “We Are The World.”
So when Jennifer Jones lost to Anette Norberg yesterday (or is it today?), in the 3-vs-4 game, it was news. I’m still living in the last century when Canada always seemed to win the worlds. Of course, it didn’t back then either, but it sure seemed like it.
Some day soon, we in Canada are going to realize that when a team like China, comes to Canada, spends six days a week, eight hours a day training and practicing, they are eventually going to catch up and pass our top players who have to put in long hours at the salt mine before they get to go and throw rocks. Actually, they’ve already done the catching up part and the passing will come soon at this rate.
***
By the way, I know it’s great to take the world championships all over the place and expose curling to new folks, but when no one bothers to show up what’s the point? Looking at James Bisson’s piece from Korea makes you wonder who in the WCF got the smart idea that one of curling’s biggest events should be held in a country where the sport is virtually unknown.
I mean, is the point of all this so some folks can stand up at the next WCF meeting and say, “Aren’t we great? We held a world championship in Korea.” Then they can all hold hands and sing “We Are The World.”
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Capital One steps up again
Recession? What recession? Capital One steps up again and sponsors the world championships. This further legitimizes the Ontario Curling Report’s listing of Ian Cunningham has the most influential guy in curling. Capital One now has deals with the Grand Slam, CCA and WCF – they practically own the sport.
Zug, Switzerland, 25 March 2009 - Infront Sports & Media, exclusive media and marketing partner of the World Curling Federation (WCF) has secured Capital One Canada as an Official Partner of the WCF. As a result, the Canadian financial services company will be the Presenting Sponsor of the Mount Titlis World's Women Curling Championship in Korea in 2009 and the Title Sponsor of the Men’s and Women’s World Championships beginning in 2010.
Capital One Canada is committed to the sport of curling and is the Title Sponsor of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling, which features eight annual men’s and women’s events. Capital One is also an Official Partner to the Canadian Curling Association.
A new direct relationship
Capital One will take on the Official Title Sponsor role beginning in 2010, including naming rights (“Capital One World (Women’s/Men’s) Curling Championship”). This will be supported by in-ice advertising, perimeter board and team uniform advertising, website integration and promotional spots on television.
As part of Infront’s new marketing programme, Capital One will be joined by three other long-term Official Partners of the WCF. The new programme connects partners directly with the WCF, who is curling’s governing body and an Olympic sport federation.
Ian Cunningham, Chief Marketing Officer of Capital One Canada said: “We have built our commitment to curling over the last few years with great success and this new partnership with the WCF gives us a platform to reach even more curling fans. Capital One is excited to be a presenting sponsor at this year’s world championship event and we look forward to taking it to the next level in 2010 as title sponsor.”
WCF President Les Harrison added: “Capital One is an ideal partner for the World Curling Federation. The company is active in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada – all important curling countries – and experienced in activating curling as a sponsorship platform. For us, it’s an ideal relationship.”
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
22 Minutes goes to the Brier
A very funny take on the Brier from the gang at 22 Minutes K-Mart has the best come-back.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Brier TV numbers
I was able to get some viewership numbers for the Brier final weekend:
The tiebreaker between Quebec and Manitoba: 271,000
The 1 vs. 2 game between Ontario and Alberta: 587,000 (1,000 more than the game between the same teams the night before)
The Brier final (drum roll please): 873,000
Interesting to note that the Scotties final outdrew the Brier final.
The tiebreaker between Quebec and Manitoba: 271,000
The 1 vs. 2 game between Ontario and Alberta: 587,000 (1,000 more than the game between the same teams the night before)
The Brier final (drum roll please): 873,000
Interesting to note that the Scotties final outdrew the Brier final.
Brier final -- thanks for coming out
Now wasn’t that too bad?
After a great week filled with some amazing shotmaking, some absolutely engaging playoff games, the final turns into a blowout. Pretty much all said and done after the fourth, really. Sad, especially for TSN which was showing its first final.
I thought the TSN gang did a great job building up the game. The preview show was well done although what was with the guy doing the voice over on the Koe profile? He sounded very weird, as if he was some sort of villain in a Batman movie. I’m also not sure the five minutes on the Territories was warranted considering this was the Brier final.
The opening tease with Russ Howard doing the voice over was excellent, the build-up with Ray, Linda and Vic well done. I thought Cathy Gauthier’s comment that “This has been the best Brier ice in the history of curling” might have been a little over the top though. All in all, not a bad job for a first stab at the big game.
* I’ve never given much credibility to the shooting stats they put out at the Brier because I’ve seen the people who do the marking, but. . . it was interesting to note that Steve Gould was listed at 100 per cent for the game. But if you think that’s amazing, Kevin Martin was marked at 97 per cent. For a skip, that is just off the charts.
* Is it possible that Jeff Stoughton will be the last of the toe-sliders in the Brier? They are definitely a rarity these days and not that many youngsters feature that style.
* A noted difference between Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard: K-Mart is much better at bringing the heat.
* Can’t remember the last time I read a reference to “the bouquet from a glass of Montcharet 1978” in the lede of a curling story. But you can read it here. Oh and just a clarification: Marc Kennedy is actually the Alberta second.
* In my Globe column on Saturday that dealt with possible changes to the Brier format that would allow for separate entries for each of the Territories and add a Team Canada, one idea was to keep the number of teams at 12 and have a relegation system where the bottom two teams would drop down into a challenge against those not in. So if that was in place for this year, would there need to be a playoff at the bottom because three teams tied at 2-9 (N.S., PEI and Territories)?
* While you were watching the Brier, Canada was finishing second in both World junior finals. Scotland won the women’s crown and Denmark – Denmark, for crying out loud! – won the men’s.
After a great week filled with some amazing shotmaking, some absolutely engaging playoff games, the final turns into a blowout. Pretty much all said and done after the fourth, really. Sad, especially for TSN which was showing its first final.
I thought the TSN gang did a great job building up the game. The preview show was well done although what was with the guy doing the voice over on the Koe profile? He sounded very weird, as if he was some sort of villain in a Batman movie. I’m also not sure the five minutes on the Territories was warranted considering this was the Brier final.
The opening tease with Russ Howard doing the voice over was excellent, the build-up with Ray, Linda and Vic well done. I thought Cathy Gauthier’s comment that “This has been the best Brier ice in the history of curling” might have been a little over the top though. All in all, not a bad job for a first stab at the big game.
* I’ve never given much credibility to the shooting stats they put out at the Brier because I’ve seen the people who do the marking, but. . . it was interesting to note that Steve Gould was listed at 100 per cent for the game. But if you think that’s amazing, Kevin Martin was marked at 97 per cent. For a skip, that is just off the charts.
* Is it possible that Jeff Stoughton will be the last of the toe-sliders in the Brier? They are definitely a rarity these days and not that many youngsters feature that style.
* A noted difference between Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard: K-Mart is much better at bringing the heat.
* Can’t remember the last time I read a reference to “the bouquet from a glass of Montcharet 1978” in the lede of a curling story. But you can read it here. Oh and just a clarification: Marc Kennedy is actually the Alberta second.
* In my Globe column on Saturday that dealt with possible changes to the Brier format that would allow for separate entries for each of the Territories and add a Team Canada, one idea was to keep the number of teams at 12 and have a relegation system where the bottom two teams would drop down into a challenge against those not in. So if that was in place for this year, would there need to be a playoff at the bottom because three teams tied at 2-9 (N.S., PEI and Territories)?
* While you were watching the Brier, Canada was finishing second in both World junior finals. Scotland won the women’s crown and Denmark – Denmark, for crying out loud! – won the men’s.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Semi-final notes
* The difference between good ice and crappy ice was in full view last night. Take nothing away from the Manitoba team but it was sad to see the performance of the two squads compared to the previous two previous games. Can’t think back to a time when there were so many glaring misses, especially by the skips.
It wasn’t as much fun to watch, although in a weird kind of way I was intrigued to see how bad it could get. Seeing Jeff Stoughton miss three open shots for extra points was stunning. Seeing the Ontario team wreck on guard after guard was equally shocking. But at least the Manitoba skipper made his last rock to win – always like to see that.
* I have little knowledge of icemaking, so it’s unfair to criticize the work of the team, but how does a sheet go from almost perfect, all week and into the playoffs, to what we saw last night? I'm confused.
* Funny how Stoughton was almost overlooked coming into this Brier with so much focus on Howard and Martin. I think he was a little ticked at that and rightly so. He’s a world-class player with a world-class team. It’s not a surprise that he’s in the final, not by a long shot.
* As far as I know, Kevin Park is the only curler to ever visit the media’s hospitality suite (or as we call it, the hostility suite) at a Brier. It happened years ago late, late at night. K-Park, who was a different person back then, showed up as we were still carrying on, stunning most of us, since he was still in the running for the Tankard. But he knew that with the bars closed, we would probably still give him a beer. We did and joined right in with the rest of us. That was then and I’m exceptionally happy that Kevin’s been sober for three years now – he is truly one of the great people in this game and I'm glad he's on the right path.
* Great work by the TSN crew to dig up the stat that the only time Glenn Howard had lost three consecutive games in a Brier was in 1991 when he was playing for his brother. But they missed the next obvious link in that stat – that it was Martin who won the ’91 event.
* Speaking of TSN, they’ll do the Brier’s first pre-game show today before the big finale.
* I’m thinking that Alberta wins the game tonight, but I’m hoping that the ice allows these two talented teams to play their best.
It wasn’t as much fun to watch, although in a weird kind of way I was intrigued to see how bad it could get. Seeing Jeff Stoughton miss three open shots for extra points was stunning. Seeing the Ontario team wreck on guard after guard was equally shocking. But at least the Manitoba skipper made his last rock to win – always like to see that.
* I have little knowledge of icemaking, so it’s unfair to criticize the work of the team, but how does a sheet go from almost perfect, all week and into the playoffs, to what we saw last night? I'm confused.
* Funny how Stoughton was almost overlooked coming into this Brier with so much focus on Howard and Martin. I think he was a little ticked at that and rightly so. He’s a world-class player with a world-class team. It’s not a surprise that he’s in the final, not by a long shot.
* As far as I know, Kevin Park is the only curler to ever visit the media’s hospitality suite (or as we call it, the hostility suite) at a Brier. It happened years ago late, late at night. K-Park, who was a different person back then, showed up as we were still carrying on, stunning most of us, since he was still in the running for the Tankard. But he knew that with the bars closed, we would probably still give him a beer. We did and joined right in with the rest of us. That was then and I’m exceptionally happy that Kevin’s been sober for three years now – he is truly one of the great people in this game and I'm glad he's on the right path.
* Great work by the TSN crew to dig up the stat that the only time Glenn Howard had lost three consecutive games in a Brier was in 1991 when he was playing for his brother. But they missed the next obvious link in that stat – that it was Martin who won the ’91 event.
* Speaking of TSN, they’ll do the Brier’s first pre-game show today before the big finale.
* I’m thinking that Alberta wins the game tonight, but I’m hoping that the ice allows these two talented teams to play their best.
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