#BetweenTheSheets: Mixed Doubles Relegation?
Historic 48 nations competing this year but change is coming
Easter weekend is upon us. April is almost over. May is right around the corner. Can you believe it rock heads? Our curling season is actually coming to a close.
The final world championships of the year will take place this week in Stavanger, Norway when the World Mixed Doubles and World Senior Curling Championships hit the ice. The season began in August and here we are late April preparing to crown our final world champions.
I'm not crying....you are crying. Lets get to it...
At some points of the season we start thinking the season is too long. The world championships are so far away. Why is it so damn cold out for weeks and weeks on end? The sport can be tough, taking place during the darkest and coldest times of the year. But on the plus it can also act as a savior to get us through some horrible weather moments.
The world championship season kind of sneaks up on us too. We go from heavy World Curling Tour action into provincial and national playdowns and then *knock, knock, knock* the world championships come calling. And in a span of two months we basically wrap up a majority of world championship events from women to men to mixed doubles to seniors. Here one day, gone the next.
This will be a celebratory world championship event but also a bit somber. We celebrate a record number of member associations entering teams into the mixed doubles field. 2019 will welcome 48 nations. 48!! This will also be the first world curling championship event to have representation from every continent on our great planet. North America. South America. Europe. Asia. Oceania. Africa. Wow....imagine thinking this 10 or 15 years ago folks. This is a great #growthesport moment.
But growth also needs to bring change. 2019 will also mark the final year the world mixed doubles championship acts as an open entry. Up until and including this year any member association could enter a team into the competition. It did not matter about previous international experience or continental results or qualification events. If you wanted to send a team, you sign up and they are registered to compete.
The expansion to 48 nations this year does put restrictions on logistics and host locations however. Where can this event take place if it continues to grow? What venue can accommodate this many teams? What kind of draw do we want to see where a team can play one morning but not have another game until tomorrow evening?
As you all know I am all for the #growthesport mentality. I love the world mixed doubles championship. I attended the event in Lethbridge in 2017 and loved getting to meet and engage with curlers from so many different nations. It was excellent! It was also great to see some fans in the stands holding up flags from so many different, non-traditional, curling nations. Who doesn't love that?
But I also concede the logistics argument. It is hard on the players. It is hard on the host committee. It is hard on WCF to try and find host venues. Growth is great but a system does need to be put in place to harness the growth.
Starting next year this event will be limited to 20 nations. The 16 nations who qualify for the playoffs this year will earn a direct entry into next year's championship. The final 4 teams will be awarded through a new World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event. Basically the same system in place for the world men's and women's championships now.
The big question mark will be what do those developing nations do? Will they still support sending mixed doubles representation to a world qualification event? And, should they qualify, then sending them to a world championship? This could now cost member associations double the cost for their mixed doubles team. This year we saw nations withdraw from the world qualification event due to funding cuts and high travel costs. Will this new system, in turn, relegate some of these new nations right out of the building?
Maybe curling needs to adopt a similar international promotion/relegation system we see with international hockey and the IIHF. Do we start grouping nations into A, B and C-divisions and host different competitions for nations to earn promotion or risk relegation? Heck Europe already does this for their European Championship. This blog has suggested going down this path before as well. Mixed doubles would be the perfect discipline to try it out.
While the qualification event is great in that it is only one event and each member association choosing to enter has equal shot to earn a ticket to the world championship. The downside is, will this help or hinder growing the sport in a number of nations around the world? We already saw some high-profile nations refuse to sent representation to the world men's and women's qualification event this year in New Zealand. With member associations still invest in the mixed doubles discipline?
Through a promotion/relegation system, at least those B and C-division competitions can be have rotating hosts. WCF can try hosting the competitions in different locations around the world. This can help not only from a competition standpoint but you can also do some grassroots marketing in those host nations. Arrive a week early and go to local schools or community centres or wherever families/kids/people are gathering and do some Rocks & Rings type of hype event and help elevate the sport on the local level.
Perhaps if a member association, even if they are sitting between the B/C-division system, knew they would a host for a division championship they would continue to feel invested in the sport. Nations will move up. Nations will move down. UEFA does it. IIHF does it. European Curling does it. It might be time for the WCF to do it on an international level and mixed doubles is THE best discipline to debut the system.
Cut down the world championship field, understandable. But adding a qualification event sounds like we are already sliding down the A/B-division pathway. Why not just make it official and move forward? So now we get 20 teams in A and 28-30 teams in B. What "B nation" is hosting that or even has the facilities to do so?
Perhaps change is still a coming on the international mixed doubles front folks. Maybe the best answer right now is a simple "StayTuned"?
Before we head into the #TourLifePredictions for the final world championship of the season, you know we need to get out those pencils and notebooks for the last time. In fine #TwineTime tradition, welcome to your curling #HistoryLesson:
#HistoryLesson
- Building Tradition - 2019 will mark the 12th running of the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. The event began in 2008, taking place in Vierumaki, Finland. Switzerland's Irene Schori/Toni Muller claimed the inaugural title defeating hosts Finland in the final. Switzerland would create history early in the tournament when they scored the perfect end (6 points) TWICE in ONE game (vs. Wales). A remarkable feat yet to be outdone on the world stage.
- #HoppSchwiiz - The Swiss duo actually won the first two world championships, as they successfully #DefendTheIce the following year in Cortina, Italy. In total Switzerland has claimed 7 of the 11 world championships thus far. To say they have dominated the competition would be an understatement. Worth nothing however, they have 7 gold medals but no medals of any other color. It literally has been gold or bust for the Alps nation. If they reach the SF, pencil them in for gold?
- #GrowTheSport - Mixed doubles has truly helped the sport of curling develop in new markets. Each year we see new nations enter the mixed doubles house and, for many, mixed doubles is the open door needed to help introduce curling to sports fans back home. This year 5 nations will make their debut, more on each of them in the preview below. And, for the first time, 2019 marks the debut of curling in Africa! We truly are becoming a full international sport rock heads.
- Powerhouse Nations? - Building off the #growthesport theme, the world championships have also allowed some non-traditional powerhouse curling nations to find great success on the international ice. While Canada, Scotland and Sweden are often considered main powerhouse nations all three have struggled to find the podium at these world championships. Collectively they own 8 of a possible 33 medals awarded thus far, buoyed by Sweden's 4 straight silver medals. None have won gold and Scotland has failed to even medal. And in case you are wondering, USA has only reached the Final Four once with a best result being 4th place in 2012.
- New Faces - While the perceived powerhouse nations have faltered, new nations have emerged. Hungary is the perfect example. The mid-sized European nation has won two gold medals (2013, 2015) and will be represented by the same world championship duo again this year. Hungary also won a silver medal in 2009. We have also seen New Zealand pick up a silver medal (2010). And what about some of our bronze medal winners? France (2011), Austria (2012), Czech Republic (2013) and Spain (2014) all had major international curling breakthroughs at this event.
- Podium Power - Only three nations have claimed top spot on the podium in the 11-year history of the event. Switzerland (7), Hungary (2) and Russia (2) are the only nations to taste gold. 7 nations have won silver, led by Sweden's 4. 9 nations have claimed bronze, led by Canada and China each taking home 3rd place twice. Overall 14 different nations have landed on the podium at least once. Scotland (2016) and South Korea (2018) have come close with recent 4th place finishers. The remaining 9 4th place spots have gone to one of the 14 medal nations.
- Host Curse? - Only once has the host team hoisted the world championship trophy at the end of the competition. Russia accomplished the feat in 2010 when they defeated New Zealand in the final. Other host nations to come close include Finland (2008) and Canada (2017) winning silver. In the other 8 years of this event the host team failed to reach the SF or better. Norway will be led by their 2018 Winter Olympic bronze medal winners this year. Can they break the curse?
Speaking of breaking the curse, Olympic medal winners, new faces in the crowd and #growthesport, consider history class over for the season. Now we can slide out of the hack with the final world championship preview of the year. Bring on those #TourLifePredictions:
#TourLifePredictions
World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
Stavanger, Norway
2018 Champion: Switzerland (Michele Jaggi / Sven Michel)
Format: 48 nation RR with 6 pools of 8 teams. Top 16 qualify for single-elimination playoff bracket.
Group A
#TheFav
Hello Group of Death?!?
When you look at the names competing in this group can you really name only one favourite here? Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman will represent Canada. Anna Hasselborg and Oskar Eriksson will represent Sweden. Satsuki Fujisawa and Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi will represent Japan. All with high-level international experience. All champions in one form or another. All successful with their men's and women's teams. Does one have the advantage though?
Canada's duo certainly has had the most success this season. They won a mixed doubles tour event in Battleford early in the season and finished runner-up at the new event in Banff to open 2019. This is a strong duo. But don't underestimate Sweden or Japan either just because they are not regular competitors on the mixed doubles circuit. With the resumes of all 4 individual players, we know they can make the big shots when it counts. Can we just name all three co-favs?
#TeamUpset
Hey Ukraine, come to our house party and join the curling ice. Ukraine will make their curling debut this week as we continue to #growthesport globally. A threat to contend? Probably not. But hey who knows in mixed doubles. When the theme is #NoLeadIsSafe anything could happen right?
Ok but on a serious note, the real upset contender in this group is Hong Kong. Ling-Yue Hung and Jason Chang made their debut last year, finishing a respectful 2-5. With an extra year under the belts and no longer being a rookie team, could they become the dangerous middle of the pack team in this grouping? Always be weary of those under the radar nations not expected to make noise against the big contenders. When you are playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain, you sometimes strike gold. Expect a better result out of the sophomore duo this year. Maybe not playoff bound yet but taking great slides forward for Hong Kong curling.
#W2W4
It is possible one of the Big 3 in this group fail to reach the playoffs folks. It could happen. We know two teams, at least, will reach the playoff round from a strong Group A but which two? Historically Sweden has put together the best results at this world championship, collecting four straight silver medals from 2012 - 2015. But they have not hit the podium since.
Canada has been the strongest recently out of the Big 3, winning bronze last year and silver the year prior. And while Japan has yet to really stake their claim on the mixed doubles circuit, the Fujisawa/Yamaguchi pairing could be the time.
It will be fun to see these teams battle it out. Canada vs. Sweden on Tuesday. Sweden vs. Japan on Wednesday. Canada vs. Japan on Thursday. What a way to close out the RR!
But keep an eye on those other competing nations, namely Denmark and Hong Kong. If either (or both) are able to surprise a few of the contenders this group could get very interesting.
Projected Standing: 1. Canada 2. Sweden 3. Japan 4. Hong Kong 5. Denmark 6. Belarus 7. Romania 8. Ukraine
Group B
#TheFav
A two-time world champion headlines this group. Hungary's Dorottya Palancsa and Zsolt Kiss won the 2013 and 2015 world mixed doubles title and will be looking to collect title #3 in Norway. Since their 2015 title they have hit a small rough patch at this event mind you. In 2016 they went undefeated in the RR before losing their opening playoff game. 2017 they went 5-2 in the RR but again an opening round playoff loss. Last year they did not represent Hungary at the world championship. They may be coming into the event looking to not only reclaim glory but also feeling they have something to prove to the world.
But the past resume is not the only reason to consider them a favourites. They have had a solid MD tour season. They won a tour event in Slovakia only a few months ago and are fresh off runner-up and SF finishes at tour events in Hungary and Scotland. They also have a few other Top 4 finishes earlier in the season at events in Tallinn, Estonia and Lodz, Poland. We know they will be strong in the RR but can they finally get over those opening playoff round jitters and make a run towards another world title?
#TeamUpset
Two nations from the America's region. In the same group. And not named Canada or USA. Whhaaaa? Well Brazil and Guyana are back folks and once again find themselves battling it out in the same group. Last year, when Guyana made their debut, they drew America's rival Brazil in Group E. Both nations finished 3-4, good enough to finish T4 in the group (with Germany as well) but failed to reach the playoffs. It is worth noting Guyana did beat Brazil in the RR though.
Fast forward to this year's tournament and Guyana may be the dark horse contender in this grouping. They are facing an up-hill battle against experienced MD teams from Hungary, Switzerland and Turkey but again we have a nation with little expectation to make a playoff run yet the talent to do so. Just think about the #growthesport story coming out of Norway if Farzana and Rayad Husain can guide Guyana to a 4-3 or even 5-2 record and fight for a playoff spot? It is not that far off from realistic probability either.
#W2W4
What does Switzerland do? Without question the Swiss have been the most successful MD nation at the world championships. The nation has 7 world titles and comes to Norway as the two-time defending champ. However this is also not unfamiliar territory for them. They have been the two-time defending champs twice before and both times seeking the #3peat they failed to reach the Final Four (T5 2010, 2013). Can they continue to #DefendTheIce?
For those unfamiliar with the mixed doubles tour you may not be as familiar with the names on the back of the Swiss jackets this week. Daniela Rupp and Kevin Wunderlin will carry the hopes of #HoppSchwiiz on their shoulders and are quite capable of making another deep playoff run for their home nation. The duo has SF finishes at tour events in Oberstdorf, Tallinn and Kitzbuehel earlier in the season. Many curling fans might be surprised to not see Jenny Perret/Martin Rios competing but they failed to win the Swiss championship and earn their place in this field. Swiss mixed doubles is highly competitive folks with a number of strong teams emerging. It will be interesting to see how Rupp/Wunderlin handle the weighted pressure of expectation.
Projected Standing: 1. Hungary 2. Switzerland 3. Turkey 4. Guyana 5. Brazil 6. Austria 7. Chinese Taipei 8. Netherlands
Group C
#TheFav
C is for Czech Republic...the favourite of this group and the #TwineTime dark horse pick for the gold medal. Zuzana Paulova and Tomas Paul may not be familiar names with casual curling fans but if you follow mixed doubles you are VERY familiar with how strong of a duo this team is. They are the 2013 bronze medal winners and finished 4th in 2017.
Paulova/Paul have one tour title this season, coming in Zeotermeer, Netherlands. They were runner's up at the early event in Oberstdorf but also at the final tune-up event last weekend in Riga. They also have a bronze medal win at the tour event in Gavle, Sweden. They have played a full MD tour season this year and have strung together some solid results.
But the real advantage to this team and why they are a gold medal dark horse is the draw they were given. Look at their group competition. With respect to the other nations competing in Group C, the Czech duo could not have asked for a better RR draw. They should cruise to a 7-0 record, booking a ticket into the playoffs where they could find themselves as a #1 or #2 seed. Sure the competition will get stronger in the playoff round but this duo will also bring forward momentum and confidence. Last year they finished 3rd in the pool and drew a tough Canada in the opening playoff round. A strong RR result could be the ticket they need to make a deep run this year.
#TeamUpset
This will be historic! Not only will Nigeria make their curling debut BUT they will also become the first nation from Africa to compete on the curling ice. Is this not the true #growthesport story of the event? Honestly regardless of how they do this week the fact Africa, the last continent to embrace the sport, is now competing truly speaks volume to how the sport continues to grow internationally. Do we expect them to win a game? Probably not. Do we expect the games to be close? Probably not. Should we open our houses and embrace the team? Heck yes! Plus, if you are not already following Nigeria Curling on twitter, toss them a follow now! #Broomzilla
Now if we look at the upset contender from this group I would be very weary of Australia. Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt have strong momentum on their side coming into this world championship. At the final tune-up event in Riga last weekend they reached the SF. We have not seen much out of Australia on the world MD ice but this could be their breakout year.
#W2W4
This is a wide open pool. We have many nations with an opportunity to produce national best results here. Yes the Czech Republic is going to be a favourite. Yes China should also be considered a playoff contender considering they won the tune-up event in Riga before coming to Norway. But a possible third playoff contender could emerge from this group.
Italy will bring Amos Mosaner to the ice, fresh off a Euro bronze and world championship 6th place finish with the Italian men's squad. Australia is already tagged as the #TeamUpset contender in this pool. And what about Wales or Croatia? Both nations have struggled in past appearances and both are looking for that break through result. Could this be the year?
Projected Standing: 1. Czech Republic 2. China 3. Australia 4. Italy 5. France 6. Wales 7. Croatia 8. Nigeria
Group D
#TheFav
The 2018 Olympic bronze medal winners and one of the hottest MD teams of the season highlight Group D. Norway's duo of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten might just be considered the gold medal favourites heading into the tournament.
And why not? Look at the resume this season: Curling World Cup Leg 2 Gold, WCT Title (Saskatoon), 2 runner-up finishes (Tallinn, Curling World Cup Leg 3), 2 SF finishes. This is one of the strongest and most consistent duo's not only in this competition but in the world right now. They have used the semi-controversial Olympic ending, losing bronze but winning bronze due to Russia's doping, to push them towards a world title run this season. This will be the 6th year they have represented Norway at the world championship (2013 - 2017) with their best finish being a bronze medal in 2013. They also have a Top 5 finish in four of their five appearances (minus the 9th place finish in 2016). Do not be surprised to see this team on the podium come closing weekend. And they are the home nation so a strong showing this week could help continue to #growthesport in Norway.
#TeamUpset
Another debut. Another America's representative. Welcome Mexico! Remember the days when Canada and USA were the only America's representatives on the curling scene. Then Brazil entered the house. Last year Guyana made their debut. This year Mexico joins the party. This is actually not too bad of a group for Mexico. Sure they draw powerhouse nations like Norway, Scotland, Estonia and Germany but they also draw developing nations like Belgium and Lithuania. It will be a good test for them.
#W2W4
This could be labelled Group of Death 2.0. Group A is stacked with big names and big competitors but Group D is also stacked with not only playoff contenders but podium challengers. We know Norway is going to be a powerhouse threat. But what about Estonia and Scotland?
Estonia's Marie Turmann and Harri Lill will make their 3rd world's appearance after finishing 6th in 2016 and T13 last year. In both years they did make the playoffs though and last year actually won their group with a perfect 7-0 record. The Estonians have been strong on tour this season as well, finishing runner-up at a tour event on home ice a few months ago along with a SF result at a tune-up event two weeks ago in Riga. A strong RR team who just needs to find their footing in the playoffs to really be a contender.
And Scotland's Gina Aitken is back at the world championship, now competing with Scott Andrews. You may remember Aitken used to compete with Bruce Mouat (we even discussed this in our #BetweenTheSheets interview with Mouat) but due to Mouat focusing on his growing success in the men's game, Aitken had to find a new partner and has found success with 2014 Olympic silver medal winner Andrews. The Scottish champs won the big tour event in Sochi earlier this season and have a runner-up finish in Kitzbuehel. They also have a pair of third place finishes at major tour events in Bern and Regina.
Group D is a Group of Death with experienced mixed doubles teams all fully capable of not only winning this group but winning this world championship. This will be a fun group to watch!
Projected Standing: 1. Norway 2. Estonia 3. Scotland 4. Germany 5. Slovakia 6. Lithuania 7. Belgium 8. Mexico
Group E
#TheFav
This could finally be the big breakthrough for England's Fowler siblings. Anna and Ben Fowler have been here before. When they made their debut at this event back in 2013 they finished 0-8, tied for last overall. When they returned in 2016 they finished 5-1, second in their pool, and reached the QF and finished 8th overall. In 2017 they just missed the playoffs with a 4-3 pool record and last year Anna competed with Tom Jaeggi and finished 3-4.
But this season has been a successful one for the family duo. They reached a tour final in Italy along with 3rd place finishes in Sochi and recently in Dunfries, Scotland. They will be one of the most experienced teams in this group (alongside fellow Fam Jam duo Bridget and Sean Becker from New Zealand). Anything short of a playoff appearance out of this group would be a disappointment.
#TeamUpset
There are MANY #TeamUpset contenders lurking in this grouping. Saudi Arabia will be making their #WCF debut. Qatar will field their first mixed doubles duo. Ireland is looking to improve on a winless campaign last season with a new duo.
But the ultimate upset contender may just come from Kazakhstan. The duo, Sitora Alliyarova and Abylaikhan Zhuzbay, will make their second straight world championship appearance. Last year in Sweden they surprised many with their 3-4 RR record, tying for the final playoff spot but falling short due to TB procedures. This was a best-ever showing for the nation. The question is can they continue building on the momentum and #growthesport back home with a playoff showing this year?
#W2W4
A classic Euro vs. PACC intercontinental battle will be brewing in Group E. We have 4 European nations (England, Finland, Ireland, Kazakhstan). We have 4 #PACC nations (South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, New Zealand). Which region will reign supreme?
Outside of the obvious regional division, Group E may be the most wide-open group in the competition. This is the true Group of Opportunity for all 8 nations. None of them are defined as mixed doubles power nations. This could be where the ultimate #TeamUpset emerges too. The winner of this pool will enter the playoffs as a Top 6 seed. Could that be an advantage for them or an advantage for a lower seed from a stronger group?
Projected Standing: 1. England 2. New Zealand 3. South Korea 4. Finland 5. Kazakhstan 6. Ireland 7. Saudi Arabia 8. Qatar
Group F
Nations: Greece, Kosovo, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, USA
#TheFav
All eyes will be on Olympic champion John Shuster and partner Cory Christensen representing USA but the true favourite from this group comes from Russia.
Anastasia Moskaleva and Alexander Eremin have been one of the top mixed doubles teams on tour this season. They have 3 tour titles (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia) and a finals appearance in Switzerland. Add in SF finishes in two other events and they have strung together a consistent season of playing deep into every event they enter. Russia has a strong history at this world championship too. Russia has two world titles (2010,2016) and two runner-up finishes (2011, 2018). This duo is a legit threat to the gold medal and should not be underestimated.
And if you don't follow Eremin on IG, toss the guy a follow. I don't speak Russian and don't always know what he says or what is going on but he is worth the follow nonetheless. Plus he actually responds to comments and messages, which is great from a fan perspective. Toss him a follow and good luck message. Also, total #MenOfCurling wildcard entry folks. Dude is shredded!
#TeamUpset
Welcome Kosovo to the curling ice folks. Welcome Greece to their first world event. Again we have another group with two debut nations. How will these teams fair in their first championship? Can they shock the world and pick up a few wins? Regardless of final results it is great to see these two European nations slide out of the hack and into the house.
But if you are looking for true upset potential here, Spain is where you should be focusing those eyes. Did you know Spain has competed in every world mixed doubles championship? When you think of curling nations Spain does not immediately come to mind...but should it now? Remember Spain did win the silver medal at the world mixed championship to start the international season of champions. And they do have a bronze medal here (2014) and 4th place finish (2010).
This will be a new look for Spain however. Oihane Otaegi and Mikel Unanue will don the Spanish coat of arms this week, taking over from long-time Spain reps Irantzu and Gontzal Garcia. This is a bit of a wild card team to be honest. But Spanish history dictates we should not underestimate them.
#W2W4
With only two guaranteed playoff spots coming from this group, with the possibility of a third, the top heavy side of the grouping should be fun to watch. Russia, USA and Spain should all be in contention for those playoff spots. Be weary of a strong and experienced Latvian duo as well. Santa Blumberga and Ritvars Gulbis were here last year, finishing 3-4 and missing the playoffs.
With the bottom part of the group being fairly inexperienced or completely new to the competition, the top teams cannot afford a slip-up in those games. The battle for top spot could come down to the final RR game Thursday night between Russia and USA. A classic Russia vs. USA battle folks.
Projected Standing: 1. Russia 2. USA 3. Latvia 4. Spain 5. Poland 6. Slovenia 7. Greece 8. Kosovo
Qualifiers: Canada, Hungary, Czech Republic, Norway, England, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, China, Estonia, New Zealand, USA, Japan, Turkey, Scotland, Latvia
#WMDCC2019 Bronze Medal: Czech Republic (Paulova/Paul) def. Canada (Peterman/Gallant)
#WMDCC2019 GOLD MEDAL: Norway (Skaslien/Nedregotten) def. Russia (Moskaleva/Eremin)
What say you rock heads? Agree? Disagree? Who are your playoff qualifiers? Who do you think will emerge as world champion next weekend? Share your thoughts via social media and remember to use the hashtag #WMDCC2019.
#StayTuned
Don't forget you can catch all the action LIVE from Norway with the World Curling Federation YouTube channel. The full broadcast schedule can be found HERE.
TSN also has you covered for select Canada RR games and the playoffs. The full TSN broadcast schedule can be found HERE.
And do not forget the World Senior Men's and World Senior Women's Curling Championships are also going on at the same time as the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Stavanger, Norway. Canada is the defending champion for both senior titles and will try to #DefendTheIce represented by 2018 world senior champ Team Sherry Anderson from Saskatchewan and Team Bryan Cochrane from Ontario.
The women's competition will feature a 16-team two pool RR with the top six advancing to the playoff bracket and pool winners earning a bye to the SF. For the men, it will be a 27-team field with 3 pools of 7 and one pool of 6 with 12 nations qualifying for the playoffs and the top four earning byes into the QF.
And finally, ICYMI the #PowerRankings were updated this week following #gsoc results at the Players' Championship. The #1 women's team for the season is locked on while we saw a shakeup atop the men's mountain. PLUS the blog weighs in on the recent controversial topic of blogging in sport and asks the question, "To blog or not to blog..."
So much curling.....and HOPPY EASTER to all!
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