Inside the Calgary Curling Bubble with Amanda Gates from Northern Ontario



We are excited to welcome Amanda Gates, the lead from Northern Ontario, to take us inside the Calgary Curling Bubble. Amanda describes her team’s preparation before entering the bubble and the moment she knew this was unlike any curling tournament she’d played in before. We also learn about why it’s special to represent Northern Ontario and learn all about Gates Day.


2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Review & Awards



We are here to sort out the results of the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts as well as give out some awards. First, we look at the storylines that emerged from Team Canada’s victory over Ontario in the final and Alberta’s run to the semifinal. Then, we hand out some awards including Rookie of the Year, top shots and best “hot mic” moment.

Team Jones’ Split vs. PEI


How Curling Orgs Can Help Foster Diversity



The Global Initiative for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Curling has lofty goals. They want to inspire all of curling’s stakeholders (from the very top to the grassroots) to make the sport reflect the communities in which it’s played. We are joined by India’s P.N. Raju, the USA’s Monica Walker and Sweden’s Sara Carlson to discuss the campaigns, resources, policies and practices the initiative is pursing to reach these goals. From helping organizations assess where they are in their DEI journey to identifying biases, the group wants to offer support to those who want to make a positive impact on curling.

Find out more!
Global Initiative for DEI in Curling
Sign-up for their newsletter
Watch their webinars on YouTube
Like them on Facebook


Run it Back: 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts Final with Sean Graham



“Run it Back” is our continuing series looking at important games from curling’s Olympic age. In this episode, we discuss the 2001 Scott Tournament of Hearts final between Colleen Jones and Kelley Law. Joining us is Sean Graham from the Game of Stones Podcast to discuss this game’s place in curling history. Among the topics: defensive curling, frost, hair brooms, Vince Carter, Frank Beamer and Sandstorm.

Game of Stones Podcast
Follow Game of Stones on Twitter
Like Game of Stones on Facebook


Actual Curling! Scotties, Swiss & Japanese Previews, but Women’s Worlds is Canceled



For the first time in almost a year we get to talk about major curling events. First, we preview the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts with Jonathan’s 10 things to watch. Then, we preview the Swiss Championships and Japanese Championships and tell you why they’re intriguing this year. Finally, we interject with an update on the cancelation for the Women’s World Curling Championships.


How your curling club can get more organic traffic



Previously, we discussed how to apply the traditional sales funnel to the recruitment of new curlers. In that article, we briefly touched on how we can diversify our curling sales pipeline rather than relying solely on referrals. 

While referrals will always be your best source for new curlers, getting more organic traffic can supplement our curling pipeline and doesn’t require an advertising budget. 

Continue reading How your curling club can get more organic traffic


Discussing Mixed Doubles & the Power Play with Rock Logic



We are honored to join Kevin Palmer of Curl with Math & Curling Legends fame for an episode of his new podcast, Rock Logic. In this episode, we discuss the strategy behind the power play in mixed doubles curling.

Kevin previously joined our podcast to discuss the 1997 Brier final.

Listen on:
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify


How healthy is the sales funnel for your curling club?



Curling is in the process of maturing as a sport, going from amateur to professional. As we’ve talked about on Rocks Across the Pond, the sport has experienced growing pains since officially becoming part of the Olympic program in 1998. 

When we’ve talked about this professionalization process, we’ve mostly talked about it from the high performance level. However, these growing pains are beginning to be felt at the grassroots level as well.

As curling matures and professionalizes, those of us at the grassroots level need to do the same in our approach to growing the sport by recruiting and retaining new curlers.

Continue reading How healthy is the sales funnel for your curling club?


Nothing is Rotten About Curling in Denmark



In 1998, the Danish women’s curling team took home silver at the Nagano Olympics. They did this despite no dedicated curling rinks anywhere in their country. Since then, curling has grown in the country and Denmark has regularly sent teams to the Olympics. We talk to Danish curling president Henrik Christoffersen and Mads Nørgaard of Team Mikkel Krause about curling in Denmark, how the country is able to attract new curlers and the unique high performance model there.

COVID-19 Halts Danish Worlds Qualifier
Danish Curling Federation
Danish Curling on Facebook
Danish Curling on YouTube
Team Mikkel Krause