Japan and Italy: young hopes for the future

by Rodger Schmidt

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – From today onward, most spectators will not recall that 12 teams started in this competition, for all eyes and commentary will be on the top four.

With no tiebreakers, there was only one game today, the Norway-Canada Page playoff battle,  to determine who advances straight to  Sunday’s championship final.

Scotland and the United States will wait until Saturday morning to see who will drop directly to the bronze medal game, and who will move on to the semi-final later the same day.

The big question of yesterday’s final round-robin draw was twofold: if the U.S. could hold on to fourth spot, and this they did by defeating Sweden in six ends, and to see if Norway or Scotland would challenge Canada in today’s 1 vs 2 match.

Norway cleared that up by beating Canada to finish number one, and securing last stone advantage in their next two games, and Scotland made it less dramatic by losing their last game to Switzerland, thus handing last stone advantage in the 3 vs 4 playoff to the Americans. Given the way Scotland manages a game, this could be an important factor.

With 12 teams in this competition a lot of games were been played to get to this point. In this system of play, everyone meets everyone else one time to distribute an equal number of victories and defeats. The trick for all is to not collect four or more defeats within the 11 games.

Fans, fans, in the stands...

The team “on the bubble” was Denmark. The Danes had a solid week, defeating pretty much everyone that they should have, but in their head-to-head matchups against the eventual top four, they could only defeat the USA – holding on to an early lead thanks to a score of five on the second end. However, they lost to Canada, Norway, Germany and Scotland, and all were top four contenders at the time that these battles were contested.

One more win against these big boys was required to be ensured, at minimum, a shot at a tiebreaker. Close, but no cigar for Ulrik Schmidt and company, but a much better showing here than at the Vancouver Olympics.

No team in the rest of the field was able to post a winning record, and the biggest surprise within this not-so-magnificent-seven was Germany. Andy Kapp called and executed a terrific game against Canada on Tuesday night, handing Canada their first defeat, and then the next morning the German jet fighters ruled the skies again against Denmark.

But sadly, it was all Hindenburg after that. Germany crashed three straight times to finish with six losses.

Italy has not competed well in world men’s competitions since a solid showing at the Torino Olympics in 2006, and with Joel Retornaz back at the helm – but with very young teammates – they managed only three victories. However, the hosts were very competitive in most of their games and obviously more experience is required in order to manage pressure in key moments. This group has some real talent.

Switzerland had an older and more experienced team in this competition, led by Stefan Karnusian, and at times their style of play looked old. From game to game and from end to end, rarely was an outcome clear. They made brilliant shots to score or to subvert an enemy position… and moments later they would miss when you would least expect it.

On the final day they lost 9-7 in the morning to Japan – the sole victory for the Japanese – and then won 9-7 over playoff-bound Scotland. That, folks, sums it all up.

France: time for a rest, boys

The records of Sweden and France – four wins and three wins for Per Carlsen and Thomas Dufour, respectively – were much more predictable. The French are probably ready to take a break after a long, long Olympic preparation run, and this Swedish team – which  upset the impressive Niklas Edin in the Swedish final – was simply too inconsistent to put a string of victories together.

Both Asian teams – China’s Fengchun Wang/Rui Liu combo and Japan’s Makoto Tsuruga – closed out the bottom of the leader board this week. This may be a surprise to many, following strong showings by Japanese and particularly Chinese teams in the past half-decade… but I am not so surprised. It is easier to climb near the top than it is to stay there.

For all teams: the work you do and the skills you learn, both strategically and technically, need to be adjusted and upgraded all the time. How you won games yesterday will not be the same as how you are going to have to win today, and certainly not tomorrow. Asia will be back on top again, but not until they reinvent themselves and redevelop their systems.

Quick trivia question: without Googling, name the historic international curling event at which Japan’s Tsuruga competed, over a decade ago… and how did he do (generally)?

As I write this, we’re less than an hour away from the start of the second NOR-CAN tilt. Stay tuned to the blog for more later.

Very funny stuff coming out of Norway today, as it looks like the World Curling Federation won’t have to make a decision on Team Norway’s new “Shagadelic” flowered pants when the boys arrive later today or tomorrow in Cortina, Italy for the Capital One World Men’s Championship.

The outrageous pants (see yesterday’s blogpost) have already been banned by the Norwegian curling authorities, which includes national coach Ole Ingvaldsen and national team leader – and 2002 Olympic champion – Pål Trulsen (at left, beside team skip Thomas Ulsrud, in this TCN image from Anil Mungal).

Both Ingevaldson and Trulsen wore the original pants in Vancouver, but they clearly don’t want to wear these ones.

“They will not be used in the Worlds. These (colours) have very little to do with Norway. This is also not a fashion show,” Trulsen told VG Nett.

The same night of the team’s media conference on Tuesday, at which they displayed the new pant designs, the association and national team agreed that the psychedelic green pants could not be used. The manufacturer, Loudmouth Golf, has named the design “Shagadelic” which was a “vulgar” term used in the Austin Powers movies.

Click here for a VG Nett video story on the pants, which features interviews with pants supervisor Christoffer Svae and Ulsrud… and also includes Coach Ole on the telephone, giving his reasons for saying no to the pants. In describing the flowered pattern as “most suitable for curtains in an outhouse”, Coach Ole also added that “I think it’s okay to not play in all the world’s colors, but I think it is stupid when girls have just done it. Basically, I concentrate on the game.

“I think it’s a good decision,” said Ingvaldsen. “The point is that here is a team that travels, and those green pants are not Norwegian colours. As a team, I feel this is important. The clown pants in the Olympics were fine, because after all they were in Norwegian colors.”

“The news conference was a little Christoffer Svae stunt, I think,” said Trulsen. “I had not heard anything about this until the press called yesterday. Christoffer would probably like to use floral pants, but I think the NOK (association) isn’t ready for this yet.

“He is a bit impulsive, and that is no problem in principle, but we need to talk a little more together before this happens.”

What about these, Chris?

So, what else is really funny about this story? Two things.

First, the fact that the impossibly tiny curling fraternity in Norway is having this public, media-fuelled spat over the pants is truly hilarious.

“I’m writing an email to the board (of the NOK) right now to ask why the girls could use the disco pants when we cannot use the new pants,” Svae told VG Nett. “I personally think the green pants are fine. I think it’s a bit stupid.

“I’d like signals from the NOK in advance because it was all right with the (Olympic) clown pants. Basically, it is a good idea to get publicity, but they never do that, so we went there.”

The second hilarious item is that the first Olympic pants, the red, white and blue argyle pattern, were ruined in an unfortunate laundry incident. And Loudmouth Golf sold out of the original clown pants design within days of the start of the Olympic curling competition and is only now shipping new product around the world.

“We would like to use the clown pants from the Olympics, but some guys with bad laundry experience washed them, and they turned pink,” explained Trulsen.

“Torger (Nergard) and I made  fools out of ourselves,” admitted Ingvaldsen. “They must be washed at room temperature, but we washed them at 40-45 degrees, and the colours changed. So we needed new pants.”

Of the two new designs, only the blue and white checkered pants will be won in Cortina, while the other pair of Olympic argyle pants – which are in red, white and gray – will replace the Shagadelics.

Finally, why not vote YEA or NAY for the pants? Head back to the VG Nett story and look at one of the little boxes under the video player, which is a poll asking “How do you like the new clown pants?” (Hvordan liker du curlingguttas nye klovnebukser?)

Here, we’ll help you vote… in Norwegian!

Huff, de ser ikke bra ut (Ugh, they do not look good)
De er kjempefine (They are super fine)

Then click STEM (VOTE) in the little grey box, and watch the results pop up!

Yes, the secret is out. And our eyeballs hurt.

The secret is out!

The latest version of the Norwegian Curling Team Pants is set to hit the ice in gorgeous Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy this Saturday.

The event, of course, is the 2010 Capital One World Men’s Curling Championship. And the originators of the Pants Craze, Thomas Ulsrud‘s Olympic silver medallists from Norway, open their campaign at 14:00 CET against Scotland’s Warwick Smith.

The only question is: will it be the blue and white checkered pattern for Game 1, or the swirling multicoloured… flowers?

“I just follow the fashion police,” is all that skip Ulsrud has to say, nodding to teammate Christoffer Svae. The burly second thrower (second from right in the John Hauge photo at left) is the one who found the pants, made his teammates wear them during the first Olympic practice in Vancouver… and the rest is history.

“I must admit that when I saw 10 cameras following us in that first practice, I thought: ‘This was a good idea then, Christoffer,’ ” Svae told Norway’s Aftenposten.

The blue and white pants were worn by Norway’s junior men’s team at the World Juniors in Champery, Switzerland earlier in March. Norway’s Paralympic wheelchair curlers then followed up with a tealish-blue and white pattern in Vancouver, plus Ulsrud’s original Olympic design, and of course the Norwegian women’s team went full-on bonkers with a wild, spotty “disco” pattern last week in Saskatchewan (photo can be seen here).

As reported a few weeks ago on The Curling News Twitter feed, Team Norway has since inked a sponsorship deal with Loudmouth Golf, the U.S. manufacturers of the pants.

Stay tuned to The Curling News for more info on Team Ulsrud, the Cortina Worlds and so much more in this fantastic 2010 curling season.

It ain’t over yet, folks!

[Aftenposten photo by John Hauge. Click to increase size]

And on the ninth day, Coach Rainer rested. Zzzzzz.

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – Oh Andrea. What are we to do about you?

The CCA/Michael Burns photo at left shows all the medallists who made the 2010 Ford World Curling Championship such a smashing success (click image to increase size). In summary:

• Canada’s Jennifer Jones fought off more playoff disappointment to reach out and grab the bronze medal which eluded her last year, and had some choice words for the media along the way (video here). As one Winnipeg Free Press headline writer noted, JJ wants some R-E-S-P-E-C-T, people.

• Scotland’s Lady Eve Muirhead is more than the curling “it” girl right now: she’s a talented shooter and leader, and will no doubt have her choice of domestic (non-Olympic) teammates for many years to come. One only hopes she doesn’t get too distracted by golf – another sport in which she excels – and chooses to continue testing her curling skills at the highest level.

• There were non-podium stars, too. Latvia made their first appearance, won their first game, and inspired the TSN TV guys to build a wonderful video highlight. Norway’s Linn Githmark wore more crazy pants, shook her thang and captured hearts, as this local blat clearly states. The Swedish girls, who finished fourth, look like an exciting young generation that is basically right here, right now.

And now for the new champions, Germany, and their skip.

Norway's Linn Githmark (NOT Schoepp!)

Andrea Schoepp has had quite the curling season, winning European and now World gold like she did some 22 years ago, back when she was new to the scene and did a fine job of shaking up the staid, reserved world of women’s curling.

Canada’s Marilyn Darte (Bodogh) had first shaken things up a couple of years earlier, in 1986, but she and her gang of gorgeous, kilted ice maidens would soon be ousted in the determination department by this young German.

And she hasn’t changed much. Schoepp glowers. She glares. She growls. She stomps and berates. Her sweeping calls sound like a bobcat meeting a buzz saw.

She’s been kicked out of curling, by her own national federation (for disobedience, as we recall) and had to miss the 2002 Olympics and worlds. After a couple of years away she then returned, declaring her love for the sport and her new attitude, which focuses on fun.

Well.

It was definitely Angry Andrea, the fiery competitor, who showed up in Swift Current after going 3-6 at the Olympics… which, by the way, is an event she would rather not compete in at all. As we noted in the supercharged post-Olympic March issue of The Curling News, Schoepp gave an interview to Germany’s ZDF before Vancouver 2010 that had many shaking their heads. In this rough translation, she said things like:

I wouldn’t mind if all this crap were cancelled… The Olympics are just annoying… I feel zero excitement.

Scotland's Lady Eve (STILL not Schoepp!)

As TV viewers couldn’t help but notice, Schoepp exploded at her team, which features 17-year-old Stella Heiss, rotating lead Corinne Scholz, Canadian-born Melanie Robillard and, of course, “Moni”, the long-suffering Monika Wagner who has been with her skipper through some 17 years of Schoeppdom. The eruption took place after the skip’s last shot of the game, which unfortunately settled into an auto-freeze position, basically turning a guaranteed stolen victory into a combination-runback for Scotland to score one, and force an extra end.

Schoepp continued berating her team until coach and brother Rainer Schoepp – who teamed with his sister and Robillard to win European Mixed gold two years ago – came out and calmed her down. Schoepp reportedly apologized to her teammates, and did so again after throwing her winning shot some 20 minutes later. In fact, Schoepp apologized repeatedly amid the victory hugs.

Schoepp is an enigma. It’s easy to see how it would be a challenge to compete with her, just as much as to compete against her. But Schoepp is also funny and witty. She has a great smile, although she doesn’t share it on the ice. She gives great media quotes about an apparent love/hate relationship with her sport, expressing exasperation that she needs to go out and recruit young girls to try curling and then mould them – almost immediately – into teammates for world play.

Here’s another media zinger from this past week, which was hinted at in that ZDF story above:

I wasn’t looking forward to the Olympics, but the whole season I was looking forward to this event. I know I’m not normal and maybe a little bit crazy and different, but that’s the way I’m feeling.

This event you play just for you. You are the main sport, you are the people where everything is all about (you). The Olympics, as a curler, you are kind of in the background.

However, her 10th end meltdown was enough to send Canadian curling fans into a tizzy, as the Comments section below this online story indicates.

Here she is, Andrea Schoepp. Golden again!

Schoepp definitely struck gold this season, in terms of her teammates. Heiss doesn’t have much experience, but is well-trained in what her skip expects from lead stone. She ranked dead last for leads dueing the round robin, but stepped it up for the playoffs. The addition of Scholz this season was a great move, as she is a priceless curling gem in Germany: a hard-working curling talent who attended WCF camps for years, on her own, in order to improve her game. Schoepp didn’t recruit her: curling did.

The real key was Robillard. The Canadian who actually lives in Belgium and is now reportedly moving to Spain first replaced Wagner at third stone near the tail end of last year’s worlds in Korea… and the results have been spectacular. Wagner’s game as a third had fallen off in recent years, and she replied to the change with stellar play at her new front-end position. Robillard simply offers more to Schoepp as a third shooter, and then sweeps skip stones.

It was a strange final. After playing so well to convincingly beat Canada earlier in the playoffs, both Schoepp and Muirhead – and their teammates – struggled. In the end, the winning skip fired a 67 per cent shooting average, compared to the loser’s 77 per cent.

So many questions. If Schoepp were  male, would people be so quick to judge her temper, her judgement, her intensity? Hey, we’re just asking.

Here’s a quick quote from Robillard, after the victory: “She (Schoepp) is becoming a legend. She’s never going to give up. I have a lot of respect for her.”

So. Andrea… what about you, who seems to rub so many people the wrong way? What are we to do about you?

Today, we can all agree on one word: congratulations!

[All Canadian Curling Association photos by Michael Burns. Click on images to increase size]