#STOH2020 Midterm Grades

#BetweenTheSheets: Midterm Report Card Revealed

Who is making the grade and who is coming up short in Moose Jaw?

Has it been a year already since Big Red jumped out of my Canada backpack and reared its judgement on the curling ice?

Reading week is around the corner for many students across the country. Students are looking at their midterm grades to see how much work they need to put in for the second half of the term.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is no different. Tuesday afternoon's draw marks the midway mark of the event. All 16 teams are still on the ice. Some are already eliminated. Some are in great shape to reach the coveted Championship Pool. And some are fighting for their championship lives.

Which teams are making the grade thus far and who has some work to do?

The blog published the annual Scotties Tournament of Hearts preview post before the rocks hit the ice in Moose Jaw this past weekend. ICYMI, HERE is the preview with predictions.

We have now arrived at Moving Day for the opening round robin. Tuesday is the day where teams jostle for position and make their move up the standings to try and qualify for the Championship Pool. Teams also may find themselves moving but in the reverse direction, on the outside looking up.

We know Wednesday is the final day of RR action. In essence, Wednesday becomes Elimination Day. Teams either are in must-win positions or are playing out the schedule still needing to avoid those losses because we all know the RR record carries over into the Championship Pool.

If teams want to be in Championship Pool, and ultimately playoff, contention they need to be on the high side of the grade report. A team cannot expect to produce C grade results and expect to hoist the trophy on Sunday. Or can they?

The blog brings back the handing out of the midterm grades tradition. Welcome back the return of Big Red. The midterm grades are ready to be revealed.

#STOH2020 Midterm Report Card

A

A for EInarson - The #BuffaloHunt is on. But unlike the Manitoba provincial championship where Team Einarson was chasing the title, now they are the team being chased. Einarson's team has been firing on all cylinders heading into Moving Day. Sure the loss to New Brunswick (more on that below) was a setback but nobody expected any team to go undefeated against this field. Going into their Tuesday afternoon game they were the #2 team on overall team percentage and the top +/- team at +3, meaning they are not only winning their games but outcurling their competition by 5% or more. Impressive!

#CurlOn - Team Homan has been on the money thus far at this event too. It almost seemed unfair to not give them an A grade as well. While Manitoba is sitting #2, guess who is the top team? Yup, Team Homan. The preview made mention of this being a bit of a redemption event for Team Homan after last year's final collapse, so far they look dialed in for another run to the championship final. Tough to see anyone stopping them.

B

#TeamGreen - The host team is giving the fans lots to cheer about thus far. Team Silvernagle steps on the ice for Moving Day with only one loss and looking in a prime position to reach the Championship Pool for the second straight year....in their second Scotties appearance. Sure the loss earlier in the event to Canada was a tough one. The team had two options following the loss: Hang out head and feel sad or use it as motivation for a playoff run. The team appears to have selected Option B...smart move. They won bronze last year. They are curling on home ice with the fans cheering on every shot. Do not underestimate another playoff run for this team as they continue to end the Scotties drought for Sasky curling fans (2011, Amber Holland).

#TheIslanders - Speaking of teams embracing the colour green, how about PEI's Team Birt? What a run they are having once again. Didn't we see this last year? Birt must be a huge fan of this new format because she comes to play in the RR portion. Heading into the evening draw on Moving Day, PEI was siting 3-2 with their final two games against the two territory teams (NWT, Yukon). PEI is looking at a possible 5-2 record going into the Championship Pool, right in the playoff hunt. Skipper Suzanne Birt is also sitting #2 on the skip position, curling 83% overall. They struggles in the Championship Pool last year. If they can keep the momentum going and learn from last year's run, they could find themselves stepping onto playoff ice on Saturday.

C

The Rookie Revolution - Alberta's Team Walker and B.C.'s Team Brown came into this Scotties competition full of excitement, nerves and the unknown. Both have had great tour seasons. Both looked great at their provincial championships, Walker even went undefeated to win the Alberta title. But you never know how teams will perform once on the big ice. Athletes are chasing this dream. Would it get the best of them? Both #ABStrong and #TeamPacific are right in the Championship Pool conversation heading into Tuesday night. But consistency is plaguing them a bit. Alberta started the competition 3-0 but has lost their last 2. B.C. won their opening 2 games then lost 2 and won their Tuesday morning game (vs. Yukon) to right the ship. Now sure both teams combined 4 losses have been to the big contenders (Sask, Canada, Wildcard, Ontario), but you need to knock off some of those big teams if you expect to make the playoffs. To Alberta skip Laura Crocker's credit, she is the #1 overall skip heading into Tuesday night action (84%). Both have two games remaining. They will start to feel like elimination games at this point. The "C" grade is not saying both teams are playing bad but the jury is still out on whether one (or both) are ready to make the big move to the next stage of this event. Time will tell what the final grade will be for these teams.

#TeamArctic - Last year Nunavut recorded their first Scotties victory when they knocked off Team Quebec. One year ago the blog gave the northern territory a "D" midterm grade. Fast forward to #STOH2020 and the team, skipped by Lori Eddy, has once again picked up a W but still sit with only 1 win overall. So why the raised grade? Well have you watched them play? This is a much more competitive team, the most competitive Nunavut team we have seen on Scotties ice. Yes the wins are not coming but they are giving the more experienced teams a fight game in and game out. The overall numbers for all four players and the team as a whole have improved. Plus their win was against Northern Ontario's Team McCarville, a team many (this blog included) feel are legit playoff contenders. Last year they beat winless Quebec. This year they have knocked off a Championship Pool contender and they still have Quebec on their schedule in their final draw. It is very possible to see this team finish 2-5 this week. How is that for a true north #growthesport moment?

D

#Labelleprovince - Quebec's Team Verreault started their rookie Scotties appearance against Manitoba, Alberta, Canada, Northern Ontario, Saskatchewan. Yikes!! Look even some of the best teams in Canada could easily go 0-5 or 1-4 against that daunting lineup. Quebec started rough, being dominated in those opening two games. But they have come on strong in their last three, challenging their more experienced foes and putting some scares into their sliders. The team is improving. But the results are still not coming. Looking back to last year, where Quebec went 0-7, the province is now a collective 0-12 in the past two years. Quebec's last Scotties victory was January 30, 2018 when Team Gagne defeated #TheRock Team Curtis en route to a final 3-4 record, missing a possible TB for the Championship Pool by one game. This year's edition of #Labelleprovince has two games remaining, vs. New Brunswick and Nunavut, to try and right the ship and give the province some momentum heading into next year's Scotties. But right now, the province is looking mighty blue!

F

Carey Comments - The blog was not there. I saw the incident on live TV like the rest of the nation. It was a bad moment. A lapse in judgement? Sure. An apology was made? Great. Should it ever have happened in the first place given the storied resume from Team Canada's coach Dan Carey? Nope. Carey knows better. He apologized to the umpire. He made a public statement. His statement was acceptable minus the section adding his own discontent with the rule itself. Look, you made a mistake. Just own it, apologize for it and move on. Save the "excuse" part for another statement, another interview and another time. I am sure it is an incident everyone wants to put behind them. And Carey is correct in stating his incident should not be directly tied to the players on the ice. They had no involvement. It was not their issue. Leave the players alone in this discussion. I have been a volunteer referee and umpire for numerous sports. I have had both ends of the spectrum with competitors, from sportsmanship to unsportsmanlike comments. And I get in the heat of competition emotions can run high. But that does not give athletes and/or coaches a free pass for being disrespectful to those doing their job. The comment gets an "F" grade here. Hopefully everyone does move on and Carey learns his lesson.

Hon. Mention

7th Heaven - New Brunswick's Team Crawford may not make the Championship Pool but they may have put together the best end of the week. In the preview the blog talked about Andrea Crawford playing a full in game-style where she can score big ends but risk giving up the big end. Well Tuesday afternoon playing undefeated Manitoba, #TeamAcadia chalked up a BIG 7 on the scoreboard. Not too often you see a 7. Heck how often do you even see a 5 or 6? 5 is becoming a bit more common with the five rock rule but a score of 7? The crowd loved it. Sure it was created due to a miss on Kerri Einarson's last rock but a 7 is a 7. Nicely done New Brunswick!

There you have it rock heads. Are you ready for the final RR games on Wednesday? A day otherwise known as Elimination Day. Who do you think will advance? The race is close with a handful of teams still chasing spots. Some good teams are about to go home early.

#StayTuned

Don't forget the World Junior Curling Championships are underway in Russia....Siberia to be exact. ICYMI the blog preview can be found HERE. Both the men's and women's pools are tight at the top. And remember, with China not competing this year but host next year, 4 nations will be relegated this year. With 4 making playoffs and 4 being relegated, it almost is make the playoffs or face relegation.

Good luck and good curling to all the teams competing in Moose Jaw and Russia.