#BetweenTheSheets: Tour Season Realness
Canada, Japan and Scotland are ready for early tour action
And yes, curling is ready to get into the full swing of things.
Last week offered an appetizer to the curling tour lovers.
This week we get more of a full meal deal with 4 men's events and 4 women's events on the table.
We have only had one weekend of tour action to analyze and already the #PowerRankings mountain saw some movement.
Some teams made a move up the mountain.
Others took a tumble down.
And some made an early season Top 10 debut...at the cost of others who fell back to Earth.
If you missed the first Power Rankings of the new season, check out the blog post HERE.
With many tour events on the schedule this upcoming weekend, we will see more Top 10 teams hit the ice.
Whether they stay in the Top 10 is up to them.
And could we see more debut teams "steal" a spot on the mountain?
No time to waste. Bring on the previews and predictions.
And, as pointed out by the blog last year, can we work on some of these event names?! Seriously!! 🙄
#TourLifePredictions
MEN
Euro Super Series
Stirling, SCO
2022 Champion: Team Retornaz
Format: 20 team RR with 4 pools of 5. Top 8 qualify.
#Fav: Team Mouat
The Champs Are Here!
Could there be a more perfect start to a season for the world champions than hitting the ice in their home country?
As discussed in the Season Preview, the question around the Scottish lads this season is not about whether they can #DefendTheIce because we already know they have the talent.
The real question is how they handle the pressure of being chased rather than being on the hunt like in year's past. Everyone wants to knock off the world champs. Expect the competition to bring their A-game even more than before boys.
The draw gods did not do them any favours either, placing them in Pool A with Scottish rivals Team Waddell, Swiss upstarts Team Stocker and Swedish challengers Team Nyman. Scotland's Team Ross Craik also rounds out the pool.
Waddell and Stocker opened their season last weekend in Baden, with Waddell qualifying for the playoffs.
And Nyman was one of the hottest teams on the Nordic tour last season, entering this season with some momentum and confidence.
This will be a great opening season test for Team Mouat.
#TeamUpset: Team Hostmaelingen / Team Harstad
Ok, so the blog is doubling down on the #TeamUpset pick here by selecting two #NextGen Norwegian teams.
But how does one choose one over the other?
These are both strong young teams who could be poised for breakout seasons...while challenging Team Ramsfjell for the Norwegian crown.
Team Hostmaelingen, currently ranked #32, opened their season last weekend in Baden. They finished with a 1-3 record to miss the playoffs. However, they took losses to champion Team Retornaz and QF Team Waddell. And they knocked off #24 ranked Team Hoesli.
Last season this team finished runner-up at the Norwegian championships, finished 4th at the World Junior Curling Championships and qualified for the playoffs at the Tour Challenge Tier II.
They will be in tough against names like James Craik, Korey Dropkin and Andrin Schnider for the RR but they could surprise a few of those teams and make a playoff push here.
As for Team Harstad, currently ranked #39, this will be their season debut. While they finished 4th at the Norwegian championships last season, they did take home a Nordic Tour title in Sundbyberg.
To make the playoffs here, they will need to go through Team Whyte and Team Brunner. Both of those teams made the playoffs last weekend in Baden.
#W2W4
No returning champ? Nope, Team Retornaz is not entered to play in Stirling.
Not past champ? Nope, inaugural 2021 champ Team Schwaller is also not entered.
No champs, no problem. It means we will crown a first-ever Euro Super Series champion this weekend.
Pool A is a frightening pool, as mentioned above with Team Mouat.
But Pool D is the #PoolOfDeath!
Team Bryce. Team Gosgens. Team Hoesli. Team Ramsfjell.
All 4 of these teams are playoff contenders. But only 2 will survive the RR and reach the playoff bracket.
2 very good teams will be going home early folks. From this one pool alone. Keep your eyes on those Pool D RR games. They should be great to watch.
#PopcornMatch
Team Mouat vs. Team Waddell - Draw 4: If Waddell is going to challenge Mouat this season, here is the perfect early season match up to plant their flag as a #1 challenger.
Team J. Craik vs. Team Dropkin - Draw 4: One team reached the SF last weekend while the other did not qualify. And those results were opposite to what many would have predicted.
Team Brunner vs. Team Whyte - Draw 7: This could decide the winner of the pool.
Team Bryce vs. Team Ramsfjell - Draw 7: Bryce got the better of Ramsfjell last week in the Baden QF.
Qualifiers: Team Mouat, Team Whyte, Team J. Craik, Team Bryce, Team Waddell, Team Brunner, Team Dropkin, Team Ramsfjell
Championship: Team Mouat def. Team J. Craik
Curling Stadium Alberta Tour Kick-Off
Leduc, AB
2022 Champion: Team Sluchinski
Format: 8 team RR with 2 pools of 4. Top 4 qualify.
#Fav: Team Sturmay
After making the Brier last year as the final team in the field, expectations will be high on Team Sturmay this season.
And for good reason.
How they respond is another question.
When you are coming off a season with not only said Brier appearance but also 4 tour titles (and a runner-up at this event), the spotlight will be shining bright...as will the target.
This is a team coming off a ton of momentum and confidence from last year. They will want to build on it quick and get out of the hack fast with a deep playoff run this weekend in their season opener.
They were handed a harder RR pool though, drawing a few new look teams in Team Schneider and Team Kleiter.
Don't be surprised to see them hoisting some hardware on Sunday.
#TeamUpset: Team Libbus
The boys from Okotoks may not get a ton of attention and love in a very strong Alberta province, but do not overlook the potential of this young team.
Last season could be deemed a disappointment after failing to qualify for provincials; however, this is also a team who won a tour event in Leduc and reached 3 other SF, including this event.
The ranking of #71 puts them below many of the teams in this field but that is why we love a #TeamUpset, right?
They reached the SF last year. They could do it again.
Team Sluchinki will be a tough out in the RR but if they can catch young upstart Team Casper (USA) in their opener, they could find a path to the playoffs.
#W2W4
Sturmay vs. Sluchinski. The Rivalry Continues.
These were the two teams fighting it out for the #WC3 Brier spot last season. And they fought all season against one another.
Sluchinski won this event last year, beating Sturmay in the final.
Sturmay ultimately got the last laugh in winning the Golden Wrench at the end of the season to secure the Brier spot.
This is a great Alberta rivalry all curling fans should be watching this season.
Plus, keep your eyes on Catlin Schneider.
#Litterbox returns to the house this season, skipping the defending B.C. champs (formerly known as Team Gauthier).
This will be the first look at Skip Schneider. Lets see how he handles the pressure.
#PopcornMatch
Team Casper vs. Team Libbus - Draw 1: Could decide a SF berth right from the opening rock.
Team Schneider vs. Team Kleiter - Draw 1: Catlin Schneider vs. Rylan Kleiter. Can you tell them apart?
Team Sturmay vs. Team Schneider - Draw 3: Could a playoff berth be on the line in the final RR game?
Qualifiers: Team Sturmay, Team Sluchinski, Team Schneider, Team Libbus
Championship: Team Sturmay def. Team Sluchinski
Summer Series
St-Felicien, QC
2022 Champion: Team Roberge
Format: 13 team RR with 1 pool of 5 and 2 pools of 4. Top 5 qualify.
#Fav: Team Epping
If there was a team looking to have a bounce back season this year it is Team Epping.
Last year was not one they will look back on with the greatest memories.
Sure there were some high's, winning 2 tour events, but also some low's, namely missing out the Brier after a 3rd place finish at the Ontario Tankard.
This will be a slightly different Team Epping this season. John remains in the house with Mathew Camm at vice, Patrick Janssen at second and welcoming Jason Camm at lead.
They are placed in the pool of 5, meaning they will play the other 4 teams in their pool. This differs from the other 2 pools who actually play their 4 RR games against the teams in the other pool rather than their own.
Epping should be favoured to not only advance to the playoffs but anything short of a deep playoff run to the final will be considered a disappointing start to the season.
#TeamUpset: Team Raju
The team from India will make their tour debut.
Last season we saw the team compete at the Pan Continental Curling Championships, finishing with a silver medal in the B-Division.
This season, the team is ready to up the stakes and make a play for A-Division promotion.
They learned alot from coach Darren Moulding while competing in Calgary. They will learn more during the season by entering tour events and competing against higher ranked teams.
And while they may not reach the playoffs (or maybe they will), each game is a lesson learned and opportunity to improve.
It all leads up to PCCC 2023 in October after all.
#W2W4
With Pool A playing among themselves, eyes may be on Pool B vs. Pool C in the RR.
Will one pool emerge stronger than the other? In theory, one pool could go undefeated while the other winless.
It likely will not happen of course, but it could. Imagine what that would do for playoff qualification.
I have never been a fan implementing a pool system where the teams do not play one another in the RR. It can be a huge risk for playoff qualification. And it just doesn't seem "right".
This is a Quebec spiel so we should pay attention to how the home province teams fare.
Team Tremblay is mostly made up of the defending champions here, formerly known as Team Roberge.
Team Desjardins reached the final last season and would like to go one step further this year.
And keep your eyes on young Owen Purcell and his new look team from Nova Scotia. They could surprise this weekend.
#PopcornMatch
Team Epping vs. Team Goodkey - Draw 5: Goodkey could be a surprise playoff challenger.
Team Purcell vs. Team Raju - Draw 9: A great test for the Indian national team against a sneaky #TeamUpset contender of its own.
Team Purcell vs. Team Mooibroek - Draw 14: The final RR game could decide playoff positions...or pose as a de facto elimination game.
Qualifiers: Team Epping, Team Mooibroek, Team Purcell, Team Goodkey, Team Desjardins
Championship: Team Epping def. Team Purcell
ADVICS Cup
Tokoro, JPN
2022 Champion: Team Aoki
Format: 12 team triple knockout with 6 qualifiers.
#Fav: Team Morozumi
Tough to bet against a team currently riding a double championship winning streak.
After opening the season in Sapporo with a 1-3 record and missing the playoffs, Morozumi has gone 10-1 in their last 2 events, both ending with tour titles around their waists.
The team now sits #34 in the world rankings and continues to climb. Their ranking also gives them a bye to the A-side SF, meaning they are only 2 wins away from the playoffs right out of the gate.
#TeamUpset: Team Hirata
Ranked #61 in the world? You wouldn't tell by their results thus far this season.
A tour title in Sapporo to start the season at the beginning of August.
Reaching the final of the tour event in Kitami last weekend.
The team from Kitami already sports a strong 10-5 record on the season, including victories over higher ranked Japanese teams like Morozumi and Team Sato.
They could draw Morozumi in an A-qualifier. They are 2-2 against one another already this year.
This might be the Japanese rivalry to really watch all season?
#W2W4
Speaking of rivalry, how about Team Abe vs. Team Morozumi?
Already early into the season, these two skips are building on an established rivalry.
Skips Yusuke Morozumi and Shinya Abe are now strangers to one another, having been regular opposition since 2013.
Morozumi holds the overall H2H advantage 13-9, but they have split the season H2H thus far.
Bring on the 3rd match in the championship final?
#PopcornMatch
Team Hirata vs. Team Morozumi - A-qualifier: Let this developing rivalry continue please
Team Abe vs. Team Morozumi - Playoffs: It would be a final not to be missed.
Qualifiers: Team Morozumi, Team Abe, Team Hirata, Team Sato, Team Maeda
Championship: Team Morozumi def. Team Hirata
WOMEN
Curling Stadium Alberta Tour Kick-Off
Leduc, AB
2022 Champion: Team Gim
Format: 8 team RR with 2 pools of 4. Top 4 qualify.
#Fav: Team Skrlik
The AB Champs are ready to make their season debut. And what better place to do so then right on Alberta ice.
And in Leduc where they had success last season, competing in 2 tour events and reaching the playoffs both times. One was a QF result in September, the other a SF finish in December.
All that is left now is that finals appearance in Leduc this season?
Ranked #21 heading into the weekend, Skrlik should have high expectations on their shoulders, from themselves but also the fans.
And perhaps their competition?
When you enter the event as the highest ranked team, plus a defending provincial champion to boot and competing on home province ice against some provincial rivals, the target could not be any bigger on their backs.
As has been a theme with a few teams already in this week's blog preview, Skrlik will now learn to live life as the hunted and no longer the hunter.
This is the season to truly show what they are made of. And it all starts in Leduc!
#TeamUpset: Team Marks
Keep your eyes on Abby Marks this season as she transitions back to full-time skipping duties.
Having finished runner-up at the 2020 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, Marks competed with Team Selena Sturmay.
She is now back in the house this season, teaming up with fellow former skip Elysa Crough.
Crough made some noise of her own last season, including a SF run at an event in Leduc last October.
The Marks/Crough combination (with Marks being added to 3/4 of the Crough team) has the new team sitting #44 on the rankings and they could be primed to make some noise this weekend.
#W2W4
Nancy Martin will have a slightly new look to her team this season with Madison Kleiter replacing Jennifer Armstrong.
As we speak of the new Marks/Crough combo, what about Crough's former vice Quinn Prodaniuk? She is now vice with Team Wytrychowski.
And of course all eyes, and hearts, will be with Team Galusha. With the recent wildfire evacuation in Yellowknife, competing at a curling event might be emotional.
Perhaps those who were evacuated to Edmonton can make the short jump down to Leduc (just south of Edmonton) and cheer on their own NWT champions.
Maybe bringing people together through sport and fun can be healing...even for the short-term.
#PopcornMatch
Team Galusha vs. Team Martin - Draw 3: 2 of the top teams in the field going at it right before playoffs.
Team Skrlik vs. Team Marks - Draw 3: Could decide top spot in the pool heading into the playoffs.
Qualifiers: Team Skrlik, Team Martin, Team Marks, Team Galusha
Championship: Team Skrlik def. Team Martin
Summer Series
St-Felicien, QC
2022 Champion: Team Tirinzoni
Format: 13 team RR with 1 pool of 5 and 2 pools of 4. Top 6 qualify.
#Fav: Team Black
The House of Black is ready to loom over the curling arena once again this season.
And curling fans should be living for it.
Christina Black and her Nova Scotia foursome will once again be a force on tour. Last season they won 4 tour events, can they go 5 Alive in 2023/24?
Of course not to mention their NS Scotties title, 4th place at the Scotties and another tour runner-up result.
The ice may be white. The rocks may be yellow and red. But everything could be coming up Black.
#TeamUpset: Team St-Georges
Ok, this may feel like a cop out considering how well known Laurie St-Georges and her team are but this is also a team who finished last year ranked #83 in the world and struggled.
They failed to qualify at any tour event last season and had it not been for their Quebec Scotties title, last season would have been a complete disappointment.
Enter the new season, new team, who dis mentality?
Jamie Sinclair will curl with the team this season.
Marie-France Larouche will also be joining the team as an alternate.
Those are two top notch curling names added to the roster so expectations should be high.
But can the results on paper translate to actual results on the ice?
This is the week we get a glimpse of that answer.
Plus skip Laurie St-Georges did just celebrate a birthday on Wednesday so Happy Birthday Vibes for good luck on the weekend perhaps?
#W2W4
This is quite a different field in comparison to last year.
Last season this event had Tirinzoni, Jones, Grandy, Duncan and Jentsch.
None of those teams return this season. This year's edition will have no repeat champion. In fact, no repeat playoff appearances at all.
But that also translates to a knocking on the door for the 13 teams who are registered to compete this year.
An opportunity to start the season with a strong result, a playoff result, even perhaps a tour title?
With the door knocking, the question is which team(s) will answer?
#PopcornMatch
Team Ladouceur vs. Team St-Georges - Draw 12: A #NextGen battle with playoff implications?
Team Black vs. Team Inglis - Draw 13: The final RR game for both could decide a SF bye.
Qualifiers: Team Ladouceur, Team Black, Team Inglis, Team St-Georges, Team Mann, Team Adams
Championship: Team Black def. Team Ladouceur
Icebreaker Challenge
Morris, MB
2022 Champion: Not Held (Last Champion: Team Fleury - 2019)
Format: 8 team RR with 2 pools of 4. Top 4 qualify.
#Fav: Team Strouse
When a team calls you out on X, formerly known as twitter, by saying they should have been considered a preseason #TeamUpset contender and then goes out and wins their opening event of the season...well what are you left to do?
Strouse will have a huge advantage this weekend at the Icebreaker, namely this will be their second event of the season compared to their competition starting their season.
And they walk into Morris with a title already around their brooms.
This is one dangerous contender folks. Can they ride the momentum to another title?
#TeamUpset: Team Anderson
The team who did take a spot on the preseason #TeamUpset Top 5, instead of Team Strouse, is now drawn against them at an early season event.
This could be a great USA rivalry to watch all season between Anderson and Strouse as both attempt to chase down Team Peterson for Stars and Stripes bagging rights.
The blog still believes in the Anderson sisters. They can also make some noise here.
Imagine if the playoff gods shine down and we end up with an Anderson vs. Strouse playoff game??
#W2W4
Canada vs. USA! The classic Can-Am Battle will be contested in Morris.
We have 4 Canadian teams. We have 4 American teams.
Which nation will earn bragging rights?
Plus we get first looks at Kate Cameron skipping her new team this season.
We saw the success of Meghan Walter last year when she skipped her own team. And we already know what Cameron and Taylor McDonald can do together.
All eyes will be on Team Cameron.
And with a smaller field and only 3 RR games to be played per team, there really is no room for error if you want to book a ticket to the playoffs.
As an aside, Welcome back to the tour schedule Icebreaker! We missed you...and your classic tour event name.
#PopcornMatch
Team Strouse vs. Team Workin - Draw 2: An interesting all-USA battle could have playoff importance.
Team Cameron vs. Team Anderson - Draw 3: Final RR game could have major playoff implications.
Team Strouse vs. Team Watling - Draw 3: Same as above, final RR game with playoff significance?
Qualifiers: Team Cameron, Team Strouse, Team Anderson, Team Watling
Championship: Team Strouse def. Team Anderson
ADVICS Cup
Tokoro, JPN
2022 Champion: Team Fujisawa
Format: 11 team triple knockout with 6 qualifiers.
#Fav: Team Fujisawa
The ADVICS Cup has been held twice before: 2019 and 2022.
The champion in both editions: Team Fujisawa.
Should we really bet against them at this event?
Can they #3peat?
We could say the risk is high as it would be their season opener compared to their opposition playing in their second, or in some cases third, event of the season already.
But we would have said the same thing in the past and there they were, standing atop the podium anyway.
Team Fujisawa continues to be the best in Japanese curling and until someone steps up to beat the best, they are just the rest.
#TeamUpset: Team Tabata
With strong Japanese teams like Fujisawa, Yoshimura and Kitazawa, the average curling fan might forget there are more than just 3 strong teams coming from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Familiar with the name Momoha Tabata? What about Sae Yamamoto?
These are some #NextGen Japanese curling names you may want to get familiar with now.
Yamamoto won the 2022 World Junior Curling Championship.
Tabata won bronze at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.
And both came together to win bronze at the 2022 Japanese Curling Championships.
They slipped up a bit at the 2023 Japanese Curling Championships, finishing 5th overall, but do not underestimate this team.
Ranked #75 in the world, we have seen them compete once already this season, reaching the final in Sapporo. They knocked off Kitazawa in the SF before falling to Yoshimura in the final.
We may want to start considering a "Big 4" in Japan and add Tabata to the list of emerging talents and tour event threats.
#W2W4
Can Yoshimura continue their winnings ways?
They are undefeated this season. 2 events played. 2 championships won. A perfect 11-0 record.
Impressed? You should be.
The argument may be made that the competition level has not been the highest. They have not seen Fujisawa, who have not started their season yet.
And they avoided facing Kitazawa in Sapporo.
But rankings and details be gone...whenever a team can start a season undefeated with back-to-back tour titles, we should start taking notice.
Hmmm, those Power Rankings may want to sit up and take notice as well, no?!?
#PopcornMatch
Team Tabata vs. Team Sasaki - Draw 1: Brutal start for two teams who have reached tour finals already this season and should be considered playoff challengers at this event.
Team Yoshimura vs. Team Fujisawa - Draw 6: What an A-qualifier game this could be, assuming both win their opening matches of course.
Qualifiers: Team Fujisawa, Team Kitazawa, Team Yoshimura, Team Tabata, Team Sasaki, Team Nakamura
Championship: Team Fujisawa def. Team Yoshimura
#StayTuned
With so many rocks hitting houses around the globe this weekend, how will the results impact the Power Rankings mountain?
The blog will return early next week to sort out where the teams land.
And another reminder to stay safe. Wild fires continue to wreck havoc in Canada. Sending thoughts and prayers to everyone in NWT and B.C. to be safe and stay healthy.
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