On one hand, the older end version of the sport was marred with no practice time and uncertain ice conditions. Looking at the data disputes my gut reaction, but it was hard to shake the idea the longer version seemed more important. Perhaps this gets skewed by the event itself a Grand Slam game in October versus a Brier draw in March and my own feelings about the history of certain events. If those Brier and Olympic contests were also eight-end games, perhaps my apprehension would disappear.
A single eight-end game may be fair and entertaining, but does a full event of eight-end games determine a worthy champion? Two more ends per game, spread over an entire week, is a potential 25 percent increase in playing time. This is not an insignificant number considering a long, gruelling tournament with the intensity meter cranked up and everything at stake.
The physical and mental impact cannot be underestimated. The anxiety of both teams was felt by the live audience and was tangible within the arena. Two inexplicable mistakes on second stones by each team in the ninth end looked like nerves, perhaps the result of being emotionally pushed to the brink of mental exhaustion after a long week. Sport, particularly those considered Olympic-calibre, is meant to fully test an athlete or team.
It seems logical that an event of end games provides a stiffer obstacle than one filled with eight-end games. Koe has won four titles and lost one final in five trips to the Brier. He has won one Olympic Trials in three attempts. In that same span over the past decade, Koe has won only four Grand Slam crowns out of a potential 53!
There are several factors to these results, but one might be a greater ability to persevere under challenging conditions when the pressure is the highest, and the games are longer. When considering the magnitude of an achievement in sport and deciding if it was earned, it is the opinion of competitors, media, administration and fans that will bring final judgement.
I expect most athletes would agree an Olympic gold medal earned through eight-end team contests would garner the same respect as those won via the end format. Curling Legends. Extra Extra End.
From The Hack. Rock Logic. Toronto Maple Leafs. The Hockey News. Iron Mike Keenan. Gouche Live. Women's Hockey Life. Sami Jo's Podcast. Give a Gift. Customer Support. The team with the most stones closest to the curling bullseye — the button — is awarded points. So if, after 16 stones are thrown, Team A has a stone right on the button, and Team B has a stone a few feet off the button, Team A scores a point.
If Team A had one stone on the button and a stone a few feet off the button, while Team B had a stone on the outer edge of the house, Team A scores two points. The team that fails to score in an end gets the hammer, or the advantage of throwing the last stone, in the next end.
If no stones remain in the house after an end, no points are awarded: the team with the hammer in a scoreless, or blank, end retains the hammer in the subsequent end. The team with the most points after 10 ends wins the match. After a curler throws a stone, his or her teammates will often start sweeping the ice in front the stone as it glides down the ice. Why is sweeping the activity that requires the most exertion in this particular Olympic sport?
The sweeping warms the ice and reduces friction, allowing the stone to travel farther and straighter. A mixed doubles tournament! Mixed doubles curling teams consist of just two players — a woman and a man — instead of the usual four players per team. Matches are eight ends long, not 10, and the two players alternate throwing five stones per end instead of eight: one player throws the first and last stones, while the other throws the second, third, and fourth rocks.
Mixed doubles adds a wrinkle. The team with the hammer decides where the stone is positioned; if the team places its stone as the guard, however, the other team gets to take the last shot of the end. In a perfect world, would curling power plays involve broomstick fighting and a penalty box like they do in hockey, rather than moving rocks around?
But a more genteel game will do just fine. Mixed doubles scoring is the same as the traditional curling game. In general, most curling games last a total of eight or ten ends. Eight end games are the most common amongst local curling clubs, and usually takes about two hours to play. This assumes that an end can be completed in 15 minutes.
As a new curler, you will most likely be playing curling games that last eight ends. For curling clubs that play on arena ice which is not specifically dedicated for curling , it is important to set up the ice quickly so that all eight ends can be fit into the curling club's ice time slot. There are some cases in which eight ends cannot be completed due to timing restrictions. Ten end games are the most common for competitive national and international play, and usually take about two and a half hours to play recall that 15 minutes per end is being budgeted.
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