Curling fans: got Twitter?

Another reminder for you today, curling fans: if you aren’t following the The Curling News Twitter feed, you’re missing out.

Here’s what we’ve posted today:

• Is Nunavut curling on the upswing?

• SoCal curling on Nov. 7

• A look at the scorching Kelly Scott and Bob Ursel teams

• Edmonton now hosts a CCA national training centre

• DEKALB Super League is underway

• David Murdoch up for major award

• Five – count ’em, FIVE – exclusive pics from Wednesday’s NBC Olympic festival at Rockefeller Plaza: curling, the wheelchairs, Deb McCormick in a bobsleigh and even Jimmy Fallon!

Visit the TCN Twitter page and click on “Follow” at top left...

Sharp Dressed Men

As the New Gushues jet home from Portage today, they are near the end of their two-week run as cover boys for The Current, the street mag of their home city in St. John’s.

The story, plus more great photos by Sara Rostotski, can be downloaded via PDF (about 6mb) from the mag website... but only until November 1.

’Course, every girl’s crazy ’bout a ...

Meanwhile, across this grand world of curling:

• JHCurl has his blogopinions up – and some photos – on NYC’s Korbel gig ...

• Manitoba curling maven Resby Coutts not only produces the online journal The Curler, he also hosts the long-running Rock Talk radio show on Winnipeg’s CFRW 1290. The show moves from a dullish Sunday morning to Monday nights at 7:00pm (that’s 8:00pm ET), effective tonight, and one and all can tune in via the internet here. Also, selected show excerpts can be dowloaded as mp3 files here ...

• According to Jet Boots, Winnipeg’s upcoming Tim Hortons Brier will release two ticket packages for sale on Friday, the “Early Riser” and “Late Show.” Jet Boots also asks Ticketmaster users to quote his club code ...

• This is, of course, the formal launch of Winnipeg 08’s ticket campaign, and the pressure is intense. As Freep scribe Paul Wiecek stated bluntly last week, “the public’s response to (this) campaign will decide possibly once and for all whether this city still has what it takes to be considered the centre of the curling world” ...

• We like a sports editor who gets out there and actually writes stuff. Doug McConachie did a fine job on the weekend in Regina, and kicked things off by looking at junior efforts at the adult level ...

• Here’s a nice feature on the one-year-old Nutmeg, the newest curling club in Connecticut. Of course, a pile of determined Nutmeggers helped out in New Yawk this past weekend ...

• More from Mendacious D ...

• More curling for hockey’s San Jose Sharks – remember this? – as they took to the “other” ice once again in Banff, Alberta ...

• Is this the last hurrah for Bas? Well, it will be if they don’t get the darned ice in already! ...

• Finally, Detroit CC had an open house yesterday ...

Goodbye New York

ROCKEFELLER PLAZA, NYC – We’re outta here, folks.

The Korbel Challenge was indeed moved up to the AM, as the rain is now picking up in the late afternoon. Good call, producers. Hope this didn’t mess up The Chicks, though it probably did.

Here’s a photo taken by a Plainfield CC member after the taping wrapped up this morning.

There was another hit during the morning Today Show, too, which you can see right now on the show website (look for “Curling on the Rockefeller rink”) ... hey, that looks like Maria Menounos... it is! It was! But I shan’t comment further, as I think the sport could have been presented in a better light. Don’t you?

What’s the takeaway? Not really sure, to be honest... we’ll just have to tune in Dec. 23 on NBC to find out. I’m still trying to figure out how Al Roker got shipped to Scranton on a day when he could have been learning how to curl.

Thanks, TCN... it’s been a blast...

Dean Gemmell
The Curling Show

(No, thank you Dean... take a bow [see May 04] – Ed.)

Manhattan – the night before

by Anonymous (for just a bit longer)

ROCKEFELLER PLAZA, NYC – After the tent turned into a kite earlier in the day and the weather forecast turned more ominous, Mark Shurek and his ice crew started working earlier than originally scheduled — 5:00 in the afternoon to 10:00 at night. Now the plan is to play and tape the game in the morning — at about 10:30am, I think — and then perhaps play again in the evening.

They have done wonders with the ice despite all that is working against the cause. No idea how it will end up running but the darned thing was a giant puddle just a couple of nights ago.

If the sheet looks a bit short, that’s because it most definitely is. Remember, this is Manhattan. Put a hot plate and a mini-fridge in the rings and we’d call it an apartment. Even curlers have to get used to living in smaller spaces. Just don’t blink during peels!

The Today Show bobbleheads will take their brand of hard-nosed journalism to the ice on Friday morning. Not sure what they’ll be doing. Perhaps Al Roker will slip and much hilarity will ensue. How about 3-1 odds that Matt Lauer is needled about his housekeeping abilities when Team Fenson’s Joe Polo shows him how to sweep? Let’s just hope Ann Curry doesn’t get a stone in the rings and set the sport back about 25 years.

Speaking of Team Pete Fenson, they stopped by to have a look at the setting after a dinner with the Swedes and the Korbel folks. Team Peja Lindholm figured there were better things to do in Manhattan on a Thursday night than watch water freeze.

I probably won’t be back in Manhattan until Friday evening. If the Nor’Easter really does hit, I doubt I’ll see any curling. If it doesn’t, I’ll watch the game along with Prometheus ...

•• MORNING UPDATE ••

AHA... the editor reports that curling just made its first TV appearance, Friday morning at 8:31 am ET.

In no particular order, Fenson threw a rock (and the tent is down!); Lauer was crowned with a curling “rock hat”; and Roker seems to be in Scranton, PA.

We’re up and running, folks!

Shurek’s biggest Challenge

Tomorrow afternoon is the big game – Fenson vs Lindholm at the Korbel Elite Challenge at New York’s outdoor Rockefeller Plaza - and there are two bloggers onsite: JHcurl and also a secret blogger – oooohhh! – whose words appear below, right here on The Curling News Blog.

Tune in tomorrow as he posts directly from the event, whereupon we shall also reveal his identity.

Oh... and don’t forget Team Fenson’s appearance on tomorrow morning’s edition of NBC’s Today Show ...


This photo (above) shows the state of affairs at Rockefeller Centre on Wednesday night, at about 11:00pm. I’d say this is Mark Shurek’s biggest icemaking challenge to date – even tougher than trying to please Grand Slam players.

Yes, those are skaters. And there are skaters out there again today.

What you can’t see is the rain. A steady drizzle which sometimes escalates to a shower. It was also about 80ºF the night before.

You also can’t see four young women from Texas and Oklahoma inquiring about our efforts. They were fairly amazed that someone – Mark – would come all the way from Canada to make curling ice. I reminded them that Canada wasn’t actually all that far. Perhaps Texas folks don’t get out much (except for Dan and and mates – Ed).

The crew behind this affair decided to put up a row of tents on the ice. That’s where Shurek is prepping his very important sheet – under a very long catering tent.

Until tomorrow... fingers crossed...

Rock-efeller Curling

First they curled in Central Park. Now the sport is set for another promotional boost in New York City as curling hits the ice at the famed Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan.

Yep, the Korbel Elite Curling Challenge is back, and filming goes this Friday, for any interested passers-by. The USA Curling affair will be filmed and run as a 90-minute TV special on NBC on December 23.

Last year’s Challenge featured teams Pete Fenson and Deb McCormick in a battle of the sexes at Whistler, B.C. which included celebrity non-curlers Dan Jansen, a four-time Olympian and speed skating gold medallist, and Picabo Street, two-time Olympic medallist and arguably the greatest downhill skier in U.S. history.

This Saturday, Fenson talkes on charismatic Swedish champion Peja Lindholm in the outdoor match, which is sure to cause more than a few double-takes. Both teams are stopping in New Yawk en route to an AWCT stop in Brooks, Alberta.

Meanwhile, Team Fenson is scheduled as guests on NBC’s Today Show this Friday morning (exact time not set). Well, this should be their long-overdue post-Torino appearance, but we shall not whinge, shall we?

Wow. Rockefeller Plaza. The very place made famous by this legendary show and, more recently, this smash hit show, too. Hey... wonder if Alec will swing by between takes. He’s curled once himself, ya know. Ask him.

Elsewhere:

• The top four Swiss men’s and women’s teams begin a Trials event today for the right to represent Switzerland at the European Championships in Füssen in December. The Trials wrap up on the weekend.

The big news here is that the top-ranked Ralph Stöckli team is ravaged by injuries – literally. Lead Simon Strübin missed most of the Bern Open and third Jan Hauser has blown out his leg – he is insured, incidentally, following a history of soccer injuries. Shocklingly, Hauser may have to compete and call the game today, and throughout the qualifier. The team will also miss the Pheasant Classic in Brooks the following weekend ...

• Scotland is also playing down this weekend to announce their Füssen reps, and ice whiz Hans Wuthrich is on the scene ...

• Did we really disclose something? Where? When? People are actually reading this thing? Geez ...

• The ConMan is back in action, boasting about Alberta teams (of course) and trying to help us understand the Canadian Olympic Trials qualification process. In this earlier story, he summarizes Bonnyville ...

• Talk about trying to understand things: we don’t like math – sorry, Kevin – and it sure sounds like Saskatchewan could use a mathematician – hey, get over there, Kevin ...

• There’s yet more talk about a new Scottish facility to replace the Aviemore ...

• PEI’s new Curling Hall of Fame starts things off with a Nov. 15 induction ceremony ...

• Calling all ice techs: Axel is asking for advice on weird happenings in Guelph ...

• Ah yes, those Ashams really do live forever ...

• And finally, attention Toronto winos... er, singles...