#WQE2022 Preview

#BetweenTheSheets: "Lake City" Becomes An "IceBubble"

Final world championship berths to be decided in Lohja, Finland

Lohja, Finland is becoming a curling hot spot.

The city, located in the southwest Finland, is only an hour outside Helsinki. Lohja has a population just shy of 46,000 and is known as a garden city on the lake.

The "Lake City" freezes over in the winter months and becomes the house of curling.

Lohja hosted the World Qualification Event in 2020 as well as the World Wheelchair B-Curling Championship in April 2021.

The city has played host to 4 World Junior-B Championships over the years as well and was slated to host the same event once again a few weeks ago but the event was cancelled due to rising COVID concerns.

For #WQE2022, the event will take place inside a COVID-secure bubble.

Welcome to the #IceBubble in Lake City!

The World Qualification Event is relatively new to the curling world. 2022 will mark only the 3rd iteration of this event.

Having begun in 2019, the event serves as the last-chance qualifier for nations to earn their spot in the upcoming world championship. It has become an annual men's and women's event, minus 2021 of course when the world was put on pause due to COVID-19.

The first event in 2019 was held in Naseby, New Zealand with the 2020 and 2022 events being held at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja.

Last chance qualifier events are always exciting for fans but perhaps extra stressful for athletes.

And the question remains, is this event a good idea?

From a #growthesport perspective, most definitely.

This event provides an opportunity for nations from all continents in the world to come together and battle it out for the final 2 world championship tickets.

The America's Challenger, Pacific-Asia Curling Championships and European Curling Championships serve as qualifiers for the world championships and, as such, also serve as "qualifiers" for the World Qualification Event.

Falter at those continental championship events? No problem, you still have a second sliding path to go down and earn your spot on the world championship ice.

But how have nations who survive the #WQE actually performed once reaching the world championships?

In 2019, South Korea and Netherlands were the emerging men's nations while China and Finland survived the women's tournament.

How did they do at the 2019 world championships?

South Korea finished last with a 1-11 record at the 2019 World Men's Curling Championship while Netherlands finished 10th with a 4-8 record.

China, however, reached the playoff round at the 2019 World Women's Curling Championship with a 7-5 RR record. The team would lose the qualification game to eventual world champions Switzerland.

Finland finished with a 3-9 record, good enough for 12th place overall.

At the 2020 World Qualification Event, China and Russia qualified from the men's competition while South Korea and Italy punched their world championship tickets for the women.

Unfortunately the 2020 World Men's Curling Championship and 2020 World Women's Curling Championship were both cancelled due to COVID-19 so we will never know how those 4 teams would have finished.

Of course there was no 2021 World Qualification Event as the 2021 world championships were expanded to 14 nations to accommodate the 2020 cancellation.

In the short history of the event, only one nation has fought through the last chance qualifier and turned it into a playoff spot at the world championship.

But do we really have enough data to say this event is not needed or cannot produce a world championship challenger?

No, not at all.

2019 was the only year this event actually produced world championship contenders so we really need to see what this event can do over the next few years to determine if this event is indeed a welcome addition to the curling calendar.

There are some strong teams entered in the 2022 field though and we should not be surprised to see those who survive also challenge for world championship playoff spots.

Not to mention two teams competing in Finland will also be stepping on the ice in Beijing at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

This should be fun.

Before we dive into the predictions, one special note. The Brazilian men's team and Kazakhstan women's team did qualify for this tournament through the America's Challenge and PACC respectfully but were unable to make it to Finland due to travel complications so they will not be competing.

#WQE2022 Predictions

Lohja, Finland

Format: 7-nation RR with Top 3 qualify. 1st vs. 2nd for one world championship ticket. 3rd vs. 1/2 L for final world championship ticket.

WOMEN

Nations Entered: Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Latvia, Norway

#FAV

All eyes will be on Denmark's Team Dupont in Finland. The Danes were the #TeamUpset surprise at the 2021 world championships, reaching the playoff round and securing a spot for the nation at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

This is that very Winter Olympic team competing just weeks before their opening Olympic game.

Best tune-up event ever? Possibly.

But the pressure will be on as well. Falter in Finland could be Bad for Beijing.

On the positive side, can skip Madeleine Dupont even feel pressure on the ice anymore? She has done it all and competed at every major event possible. And she is tuning up for her 3rd trip to the Winter Olympics (2010, 2018).

#TeamUpset

Big opportunity for growing member association Hong Kong. Can skip Ling-Yue Hung guide Hong Kong to the playoffs and to a 1st ever world championship appearance?

It won't be easy and they will come into the competition as a major underdog against strong European contenders. 

Hung has built international experience under her slider over the past few years. She has skipped every Hong Kong women's team at the #PACC since 2016, finishing 4th in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

She has also competed at the 2017, 2018 and 2019 World Mixed Curling Championships and the 2018 and 2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships.

And she is no stranger to this event either. 2022 will mark her 2nd appearance at the World Qualification Event. She has qualified for EVERY iteration of this event in its brief history, although the team decided to skip the 2020 event due to uneasy COVID concerns with travel. 

In 2019 she finished 6th with a record of 2-5. Can she improve on her record in 2022?

#W2W4

There is a trifecta of European nations looking to secure the final ticket to Prince George.

If Denmark is the overwhelming favourite and Hong Kong/Brazil are the underdog #TeamUpset challengers, the trio of Czech Republic, Latvia and Norway should be considered the main contenders.

Latvia's Team Barone is having quite the season. They had a disappointing 12th place finish at #ECC2021 but the result was bookended by impressive Olympic qualification results. 

They won the Pre-Olympic Qualification Event in Turkey in October to qualify for the Olympic Qualification Event in Netherlands in December.

At #OQE2021, Barone surprised many by finishing 4th in the RR and securing the final playoff spot. Unfortunately she would come up short trying to secure the final ticket to Beijing, losing to Korea.

What will be interesting to watch with Barone is how she rebounds from the tough loss and how she responds to curling back with the same team she competed at ECC with, which is a different team she curled with for the two Olympic qualification events.

Speaking of nations sending an altered line-up, how will the Czech Republic respond in Finland?

Alzbeta Baudysova will take over the skipping duties, previously playing under skip Anna Kubeskova.

Kubeskova will not be in Lohja as Baudysova will head the house in trying to qualify for her 7th world championship. At the 2021 world championship, the Czech's finished in 12th spot. At the 2021 ECC, they finished in 9th. The team also competed at the OQE, again struggling in a last place finish (9th).

How will the team rebound from the disappointment and with a new, yet still familiar, skip in the house?

If experience is going to be a wildcard factor, perhaps we need not overlook Marianne Rorvik from Norway.

Rorvik has competed at 4 world championships (last being 2011) and 11 European championships (last being 2021, B-divison). She was also on the Norway Olympic team in 2006.

Rorvik played vice for Norway at the 2021 ECC where the team, skipped by 2022 MD Olympian Kristin Skaslien, won the B-division to earn promotion to A-division for 2022.

She has also won 1 silver (2004) and 1 bronze (2005) at the world's and 2 bronze (2002, 2004) at European's.

And for those who want a sentimental team to cheer for, Rorvik is also the partner of popular fellow Norwegian curler Torger Nergard.

Projected Standings: 1. Denmark  2. Latvia  3. Norway  4. Czech Republic  5. Hong Kong  6. Finland  7. Brazil

Qualifiers: Denmark, Latvia, Norway

Qualification Game 1 (1st vs. 2nd): Denmark (Team Dupont) def. Latvia (Team Barone)

Qualification Game 2 (3rd vs. 1/2 L): Latvia (Team Barone) def. Norway (Team Rorvik)

MEN

Nations Entered: Chinese Taipei, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, RCF, Spain, Turkey

#FAV

Similar to the women's competition, a 2022 Winter Olympic team will hit the ice in Finland looking to fight their way back to the world championships and tune-up for an Olympic podium push in a few weeks.

ROC's Team Glukhov should be the overwhelming favourite in the men's competition.

And you may be wondering, how could a team who reached the playoff round at the 2021 world championship be competing for a 2022 world championship spot?

The answer is quite simple my rockhead friend. World championship qualification is based on results at continental events. ROC did not compete at the 2021 ECC A-division due to being relegated to the B-division in 2020.

Of course the team would win silver at the #ECC2021 B-division to earn promotion back to A-division for 2023 but their work is not done yet.

And take note, this is the 2nd WQE appearance for this team. They were previously in this exact same position in 2020. What was the result back then? They won the final qualification game to earn the last ticket to the world championship (which were of course cancelled due to COVID).

#TeamUpset

Lets give props to Chinese Taipei. 2022 marks the first time the Chinese Taipei men have qualified for the World Qualification Event.

The team won the bronze medal at #PACC2021 to earn their spot in this field.

Will they be considered a playoff contender or threat for a world championship spot? Probably not.

But all nations, and all athletes, take the baby steps to growth and this is a huge baby step in the right direction for Chinese Taipei.

Win or lose, being here is a win. Now can they shock a few of the other nations and secure a few W's along the way?

If you are looking for that dark horse team who may push for a surprise playoff spot, perhaps cheer on Spain's Team Vez.

Sergio Vez has been slowly moving up the Euro rankings since 2015. Just look at these final placements over the past 5 years: 22nd, 14th, 18th, 15th, 13th.

The team won the bronze medal at #ECC2021 B-division, falling one win short of earning A-division promotion. But also coming within one win of earning Spain promotion for the 1st time. Glass half full over glass half empty folks.

#W2W4

ROC may be the favourite but do not overlook Turkey's Team Karagoz.

Remember the note above about ROC winning silver at #ECC2021 B-division? Well guess who beat them for gold? Yup, Turkey's Team Karagoz.

The result earned the Turkish men promotion to the Euro A-division for 2022, joining the women in the top flight of European curling. Turkey has quickly promoted itself to perhaps the title of "Most Improved Nation of the Year".

What will be very interesting to watch is how those two B-division promotion nations, Turkey and ROC, compete against the two A-division relegated nations, Netherlands and Finland.

The Dutch have a ton of world championship experience, having competed at the past 4 world championships. But they have struggled at the world championships as well with results of 11th, 10th, 10th and 12th.

#TeamOranje have been here before, having competed at the inaugural event in 2019. They ended up with the final playoff spot and won the final qualification game vs. England to book their ticket to the 2020 world championship. Can they do it again?

Host nation Finland should put up a fight as well. Kalle Kiiskinen and his squad struggled at #ECC2021, finishing in last place with a 1-8 record and earning Finland relegation for 2023. With the event being played within an #IceBubble setting, Team Kiiskinen will not have home fan support to cheer them on either, which is disappointing as home nation.

Both Netherlands and Finland competed at the Olympic Qualification Event as well, missing the playoffs with a 5th and 7th place finish respectively.

And keep your eyes out for Japan. Takumi Maeda and his squad are a surprise entry here, having won the right to represent Japan at this event. They may be a bit of an unknown to their competitors but should not be underestimated either.

This is the 2nd time Japan has competed at this event, after previously falling just short in 2020 with Team Matsumura. Can they get it done in 2022?

Projected Standings: 1. ROC  2. Netherlands  3. Turkey  4. Finland  5. Japan  6. Spain  7. Chinese Taipei

Qualifiers: ROC, Netherlands, Turkey

Qualification Game 1 (1st vs. 2nd): ROC (Team Glukov) def. Netherlands (Team Gosgens)

Qualification Game 2 (3rd vs. 1/2 L): Turkey (Team Karagoz) def. Netherlands (Team Gosgens)

What say you rockheads? Agree? Disagree?

Who do YOU think will advance to the world championships from this event? Will we see some surprises?

Remember to follow along with the results on the WCF website HERE.

#StayTuned

The winter months are still here, which is never fun given the cold weather and snow and ice and short days with long dark nights.

BUT, we also can get excited for a heck of a lot of curling hitting our houses. We have the Scotties. The Brier. The world championships. And lets cross our fingers hoping all of these events can still take place given the pandemic environment we still have around us.

PLUS we have the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China!!!!

Interested in joining the #TwineTime 2022 Winter Olympics 50/50 Pool?

The pool will be a 50/50 pool with half of the proceeds going to the pool medal winners and the other half being donated to Kids Up Front Calgary.

Entry will be $20 and the deadline to submit an entry will be Friday February 4, 2022.

The format will be simple. Pick the winners of each game within the men's and women's competition. Project the Final Standings after the RR, including the playoff teams. And predict the playoff bracket towards the final podium finishers.

Seems simple enough, right?

As a throwback reminder, it will be the same pool format used for the 2018 Winter Olympics 50/50 pool. HERE is a reminder.

Connect with me via social media for any questions and/or interest.

More details to follow THIS WEEK!!

To those athletes competing in Finland, good luck and good curling.

And to EVERYONE, stay healthy!