A Curling Update

Well, yesterday was simply a disaster for the US curling teams. The men lost to Great Britain, 4-2, and the women...well, the women's team probably wants to just forget the whole day. Lost 9-2 to Canada in the morning and 9-3 to Sweden in the evening. At least the women have a 'bye' today. Both teams are effectively eliminated from medal contention, the men tied for eighth with 2 wins, 5 losses, and the women tied for last, also with 2 wins, 5 losses. Today the men play Canada in the morning (a likely blowout) and China in the evening.

On the men's side, Canada (7-0) and Norway (5-2) are the leaders, with Great Britain, Switzerland, and Sweden still in the hunt. For the women, Canada and Sweden are tied for the lead, both 5-1, and China is 4-2. Look for Canada to potentially sweep, as both teams are very strong.

Now for a story about the phenomenon that is curling fandom: At the start of the Olympic curling matches, Sweaterman and I (and a couple of other friends) would meet up at our local pub to watch the afternoon match and have a pint. Each day we end up explaining the strategy and skills of the game to a few folks around us. And many of them become interested, and have begun joining us each day. By yesterday, the bar was rather crowded with curling fans, cheering and shouting and groaning with each end. The place has become a semi-official curling bar. Needless to say, the pubs owners have become big fans of curling.