Swedish Tactics a “Horrible Violation of the Spirit of Curling”

Ah, the Winter Olympics.

That magical time when everybody I know who does not even remotely care about curling for the other 3.99 years of the quadrennial years suddenly becomes conversationally fluent in the game, and feels compelled to weigh in.

And oh! What an opportunity this is! We are in the midst of the dumbest, most asinine scandal I can remember in the sport.

Let’s call it “touchgate.” Wait, that sounds vaguely sexual.

“Fingergate?” No, that’s worse.

“Poke-ageddon”? Too violent.

“The flick heard ’round the world?” Too long.

“It wasn’t a pick – it was a scratch” (for the Seinfeld fans). Too obscure.

“Just-the-tip-gate?” Maybe?

 “Canada gives Sweden the finger?” I like it.

I’m open to other suggestions. But for now, let’s just call it what it is: an affront to what is supposed to be a classy sport played by “gentlemen.”

In case you missed it, defending gold medallists Sweden (02_ were (0-2) were playing Canada (2-0) and Canada was winning. Sweden then pulled the “you are cheaters!” card. They accused Canadian third Marc Kennedy of touching the back of the rock after he let it go.

I have been curling at a competitive level for a very long time. I have never heard anybody accuse anyone of this. I have seen many players accuse others of many violations: illegal sweeping, dumping on a rock (trying to sweep debris in front of a moving stone), hogline violations, blocking out a sweeper, distracting the other team… but this is a new one. There is no way you could actually improve the stone by touching the back of it after you have let go of the handle, so why does anyone even care?

Then, strangely, the Swedes seem to have employed some mysterious Zapruder-like figure in the spectator seats to take shoot reasonably high-resolution side-view video of Kennedy’s release. 

As if it actually proves that he is cheating. All I see in the video is that his hand/finger is really close to the back of the rock. Is it touching? I have no idea. Does it matter? Not in the least.

I would define cheating as trying to gain advantage by an act that is against the rules. There is no way on earth that inadvertently touching the rock after release improves the shot – or provides any advantage. So to be 100% clear, this is not cheating.

For Swedish third Oskar Eriksson to call this out while losing at the Olympics is, to me, a horrible violation of the spirit of the game. It was a petty move, and quite frankly beneath a player of his pedigree. He has made the game worse, while it was on its biggest stage. Shame on you.

You do not accuse somebody like Marc Kennedy of cheating. Let alone on television. At the Olympics. YOU JUST DON’T DO THAT. And Oskar, if you can’t see why you should not have done that, you do not deserve the glory and fame that our game has provided you.

I am generally not the biggest fan of Canada’s Team Jacobs in normal times. I cringed when Jacobs poked at the U.S. team for “premature celebration” in their game earlier this round. But I have to side with them on this one. I also would have reacted the same way if someone accused me of cheating.   

A quick story: Oskar Eriksson also accused me of cheating. 

We were playing Edin in a cashspiel about 10 years ago during the Broomgate era. And, coincidentally, we were beating the crap out of them. He straight up called me a liar and a cheat during the game, to my face, as if I could not possibly be beating him unless I was cheating. 

And I reacted in much the same way Marc did. Thankfully there were no microphones or cameras around that game.

I understand that everyone is a competitor, and everyone wants to win. But above all else, we are always stewards of the game. Curling has given me so much in my life, I am grateful for the sport and I love the culture and community. I feel like I OWE a debt to the game. 

Somehow, some of the athletes at the highest level, who benefit the most from it, seem to have forgotten that. Shame on them.

To make it worse, we have now put officials in the position where they feel they need to act. Rachel Homan became the victim of this when an official ridiculously pulled her first stone of the game against Switzerland for a phantom touch the official “saw.”

It just happened again, this morning, to Great Britain second Bobby Lammie.

In terms of how we can grow and improve the game, I guarantee that the last thing the game needs is more officials intervening.

I know that curling feels like it needs to fight for media attention and visibility. 

This ain’t how we should be doing it.