OT: 2018 Winter Olympics

esls79 said:

What is this mixed curling you speak of? Only allowing mixed drinks as opposed to beer?

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Darkstone42 said:

Japan's women's hockey team is fast, but that's all they do well, unfortunately for them. They cannot much shoot the puck.

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puckhead said:

whilst I have never curled, I do have family from Manitoba, so am an accredited expert on the subject
The official drink of curling is rye in a flask.


I was the token white dude on an Asian hockey team.
My guess is that your findings are more race related than gender related.
Or at the very least, a 50/50 combo

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puckhead said:

whilst I have never curled, I do have family from Manitoba, so am an accredited expert on the subject
The official drink of curling is rye in a flask.


I was the token white dude on an Asian hockey team.
My guess is that your findings are more race related than gender related.
Or at the very least, a 50/50 combo

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Judge Fudge said:

Canada's Kim Boutin subjected to online threats after winning short-track bronze | News | CBC Olympics | PyeongChang 2018

Gotta feel for Boutin. You Train, race your ass off for 3 or 4 times to get that medal.

Just for some fatass in front of the keyboard who is So much a waste of life that they have time to commit the wishing of the most hardest of sins to her.

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Judge Fudge said:

Canada's Kim Boutin subjected to online threats after winning short-track bronze | News | CBC Olympics | PyeongChang 2018

Gotta feel for Boutin. You Train, race your ass off for 3 or 4 times to get that medal.

Just for some fatass in front of the keyboard who is So much a waste of life that they have time to commit the wishing of the most hardest of sins to her.

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Darkstone42 said:

Oh, no, I was comparing their speed and skill directly to Switzerland. Japan looked like a faster team, but Switzerland could actually do something with the puck and Japan couldn't. I don't think it's surprising Japan had some better raw athletes, but Switzerland had more refined skills. I was actually mostly just impressed with how fast Japan was.

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SlinkyRedfoot said:

I’m going to compete in the Olympics next time at curling with my buddy. It’s right up our alley. Smoke a bunch of weed and play a silly game. Gold medal for Slink, bitches. Book market.

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• The ice is not smooth. Before each game someone sprinkles water drops all over the surface (pebbling).
• This creates a texture to the ice a little like a football.
• The little bumps/pebbles provide the opportunity to make the rock curl (or move laterally) when thrown
• Each sheet of ice is different. Even the one the guys are playing on right next to you.
• How is it different? You can throw the rock the exact same way on two sheets of ice; on one, it will curl 6 feet, on another 6 inches.
• How do you know how much it will curl? Practice throws before the game, trial and error, and watching your opponent (no, they are being creepy pervs when they stand right behind the hot chick from Norway)
• When they throw the rock, the shooter turns the rock in the direction they want it to curl (clockwise or counterclockwise)
  • Unless you have negative ice, then it will go the opposite (that is Graduate level info, skip for now)
• If you dont turn the rock when you throw it, the pebble will help the rock decide which way it will curl. Might as well flip a coin, who knows where it is going
• What does sweeping/brushing do? Two things, it makes the thrown rock travel farther, and reduces the curl
• Why sweep? To modify those two variables
• How does sweeping work? Sweeping creates friction and friction creates heat. Heat melts the ice and makes it more slippery, thus making the rock slide farther. Sweeping also wears down those pesky pebbles and since pebbles make the rock curl, less pebbles means less curl
• How do you know when to sweep? The old guy holding the broom at the end is screaming at you.
• Seriously? Practice. it is a skill that is learned, the best curlers know as they are throwing the rock whether it will get to the desired end target.
• Back to the rock for a second. No two rocks are the same. They weight about the same (not exact, go play in some bonspiel in Powassan and you will see what I mean) but they are manufactured to flatten the bottom. The bottom of the rock is actually hollowed out slightly (necessary to make the rock slide) and that creates a round ring surface on the bottom. In a new rock, the ring is very sharp, but the ring degrades over time, causing the rock to get "flatter" and less likely to curl. Each rock is a box of Forrest Gump's chocolates
• Throwing the rock again. The shooter turns the rock in one direction or the other as they throw it. Most curlers are better turning the rock one direction over the other. Try turning your wrist while sitting at your computer. One feels natural, one not so much. The best curlers know what turn their teammates prefer and devise strategy to accomodate. [Kind of like fades and draws in golf]. The elite curlers can figure out by watching what THEIR OPPONENTS are better at, and devise strategies accordingly.

BGDave said:

I am sure you jest (well, pretty sure, ummm, maybe, uhhh, you are kidding right?) but to provide a quick insight into the complexities of curling for those who have not yet had the pleasure:

Curling is hard. Not physically like weightlifting, moreso mentally. There is a LOT to the game that you just dont see when you watch it on TV. Probably the closest sport to curling in this regard is golf. But I would suggest it is much harder then golf. Why?

Some things you might not know about curling (unless you are from Manitoba)

• The ice is not smooth. Before each game someone sprinkles water drops all over the surface (pebbling).
• This creates a texture to the ice a little like a football.
• The little bumps/pebbles provide the opportunity to make the rock curl (or move laterally) when thrown
• Each sheet of ice is different. Even the one the guys are playing on right next to you.
• How is it different? You can throw the rock the exact same way on two sheets of ice; on one, it will curl 6 feet, on another 6 inches.
• How do you know how much it will curl? Practice throws before the game, trial and error, and watching your opponent (no, they are being creepy pervs when they stand right behind the hot chick from Norway)
• When they throw the rock, the shooter turns the rock in the direction they want it to curl (clockwise or counterclockwise)
  • Unless you have negative ice, then it will go the opposite (that is Graduate level info, skip for now)
• If you dont turn the rock when you throw it, the pebble will help the rock decide which way it will curl. Might as well flip a coin, who knows where it is going
• What does sweeping/brushing do? Two things, it makes the thrown rock travel farther, and reduces the curl
• Why sweep? To modify those two variables
• How does sweeping work? Sweeping creates friction and friction creates heat. Heat melts the ice and makes it more slippery, thus making the rock slide farther. Sweeping also wears down those pesky pebbles and since pebbles make the rock curl, less pebbles means less curl
• How do you know when to sweep? The old guy holding the broom at the end is screaming at you.
• Seriously? Practice. it is a skill that is learned, the best curlers know as they are throwing the rock whether it will get to the desired end target.
• Back to the rock for a second. No two rocks are the same. They weight about the same (not exact, go play in some bonspiel in Powassan and you will see what I mean) but they are manufactured to flatten the bottom. The bottom of the rock is actually hollowed out slightly (necessary to make the rock slide) and that creates a round ring surface on the bottom. In a new rock, the ring is very sharp, but the ring degrades over time, causing the rock to get "flatter" and less likely to curl. Each rock is a box of Forrest Gump's chocolates
• Throwing the rock again. The shooter turns the rock in one direction or the other as they throw it. Most curlers are better turning the rock one direction over the other. Try turning your wrist while sitting at your computer. One feels natural, one not so much. The best curlers know what turn their teammates prefer and devise strategy to accomodate. [Kind of like fades and draws in golf]. The elite curlers can figure out by watching what THEIR OPPONENTS are better at, and devise strategies accordingly.

OK tl;dr. I know. So I will stop. Point is there is a LOT to curling you just dont get while watching it once every 4 years. Can you be a beer-drinking slightly overweight armchair quarterback to compete? Yes you can. But that is selling the game short. There is a lot more then meets the eye here.

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SlinkyRedfoot said:

Fucking awesome! With that info, it’s going to make it sooooo much easier for me to take the gold in 2022. Everything you mentioned plays right to my strengths!

Also, I’m not going to be a beer drinking curler, I’m gonna be a dope smoking curler - that’ll dial me right in.

Slinky Redfoot: 2022 Olympic gold medal curler. Bitches.

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