Power Rankings - W19

#BetweenTheSheets: Power Rankings - Week 19

The Boooo Birds flocked to the ice in St. John's

The birds were out in Newfoundland over the week.

And we are not talking about the birds hovering over the ocean and flying overhead.

No, we are talking about the birds more commonly found in sports arenas.

The Boooo Birds 🐦🐦

If you have ever attended a football game or hockey game or soccer match, you know the #BooooBird sound.

You may have even been a Boooo Bird yourself.

But this weekend at the Kioti National in St. John's, the curling community saw the Boooo Birds hover over the Mary Brown Centre.

Welcome to the new age of curling folks.

And yes, Boooo does need 4 "o"'s to correctly capture the sound.

National Preview

#BetweenTheSheets: The National Preview

The European (Dis-)Advantage?

Are the curling schedule gods plotting against Europe?

If curling were the game of Risk, Europe would be surrounded and at a massive disadvantage right now.

Only a mere days removed from the conclusion of the 2024 European Curling Championships in Finland, the next #GSOC event of the season is taking place in St. John's, NL.

And for 3 women's teams and 6 men's teams, this could be the most difficult event of the season.

Jetlag. What is that?

We have no time for jetlag. We have a slam to compete in.

It's a cruel, cruel winter.

Power Rankings - W18

 #BetweenTheSheets: Power Rankings - Week 18

World Championship Fields Set + Olympic Qualification Update

It has been a hot minute since the #TwineTime blog connected with the curling community.

And A LOT has happened over the past few weeks.

Pan Continental Curling Championships wrapped up in Lacombe with NEW champions crowned.

A #gsoc event took place...with familiar winners standing tall.

And the European Curling Championships concluded this past weekend in Finland with one #DefendTheIce moment followed by the ultimate #TeamUpset celebration.

Plus there may have been a personal vacation trip to Paris 😉

What does it all mean?

Well the 2025 world championship fields have now been set. We at least know the nations heading to Korea (women) and Canada (men).

We also can do a deep dive into what those fields look like towards the 2026 Winter Olympic qualification process.

Plus the #PowerRankings mountain has been watching...and watching...and watching over the past few weeks. The mountain is ready for an update!

There is PLENTY of curling to talk about rock heads.

We better slide out of the hack and get this blog started with our opening rocks.

PCCC2024 Preview

#BetweenTheSheets: Pan Continental Curling Championships Preview

World championship and Olympic hopes on the ice in Lacombe 

The 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships will be historic in many ways.

One, world championship spots will be handed out at the conclusion of the event with the Top 4 nations earning a ticket. Note, Canada (world men's) and Korea (world women's) have already earned world championship tickets as the host nations.

Two, the results next week in Lacombe will factor into 2026 Winter Olympic Games qualification. For nations wanting a direct pass to Italy, the first step is qualifying for the world championships. But even for nations who do not directly qualify, you must compete in your nations respected continental A-Division to earn a ticket to the pre-qualification event.

Three, this will be the 3rd offering of these championships. On the scale of World Curling events, this event is still in its infancy stage. There has been some growth with new nations stepping on the ice. But there has also been some setbacks with nations who competed previously not entered this year.

Four, will previous domination trends continue? Canada has won both men's titles. Japan and Korea have contested both women's finals, with each nation picking up a gold medal win. If these trends are to end, who steps up and takes advantage?

This is going to be a fun week of curling action rock heads.

Power Rankings - W13

 #BetweenTheSheets: Power Rankings - Week 13

#ROCKtober crowns a world champion

#ROCKtober is always a busy month on the curling schedule.

There are more tour events scheduled across all the disciplines of the sport.

Teams are chasing points, money and #GSOC qualification.

But it is not just tour life taking centre ice in our curling house.

We also crown our first world champion of the season.

And we prepare for continental championships, which serve as world championship qualifiers.

This past weekend we also witnessed a back-and-forth battle for a European Curling Championships ticket to Finland.

And how can we forget the off-ice DRAMAAAA in Canadian men's curling with new teammate announcements?!?!

Oh yes, #ROCKtober has brought all the excitement back into the arena for curling fans. 

What more could happen in the final 10 days of the month?

Perhaps the Halloween spooks and scares will continue?