What’s next in the USA Curling/GNCC situation

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Recently, USA Curling’s board of directors voted to remove the regional association representing clubs in the Eastern United States, the Grand National Curling Club. We dive into why this happened, what this means, possible resolutions and the next steps for the two organizations. Joining us are Kristen Conrad, vice chair of the GNCC board of directors, and Dean Gemmell, USA Curling’s director of curling development.

Grand National Curling Club
GNCC FAQ
USA Curling Open Letter
The Whole Spiel

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World Seniors Curling w/ Gery Hermans

Curling Around the World

Gery Hermans from Belgian Curling returns to the podcast to discuss the world senior curling championship. Jonathan and Gery review the 2022 world senior curling championship and the Gery replays two interviews he completed at the event. The first is with Canadian Team Coach Bill Tschirhart. Bill is also the host of the podcast “A Pane in the Glass”. 

Then Gery introduces his second guest Lorne de Pape of New Zealand curling. Lorne discusses what curling is like in New Zealand, and his experience qualifying the Kiwis for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Finally Gery and JOnathan discuss the comradery at the world senior championships and upcoming events at Gery’s home rink in Zemst, Belgium.

 

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A Conversation with Germany’s Klaudius Harsch

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Today we are joined by Germany’s Klaudius Harsch recent winner of two world championship medals: a bronze in mixed doubles with his partner Pia-Lisa Schöll, and a silver as part of Germany’s junior men’s team. We recorded the interview between the two events. We discuss what curling is like in Germany. How he got into mixed doubles. How professional curling works in Germany. His future plans in the sport, and where he thinks mixed doubles is headed. Join us for a conversation with one of curling’s rising stars.

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How The Curling Community is Helping the Ukrainian National Team

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In this episode Jonathan interviews two people who helped the Ukraine national team leave Kyiv, find a new training facility in Finland, and compete in the European C Curling Championship. First we talk with Natalia Menzhega the Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Curling Federation. She talks about the history of curling in Ukraine, how she helped members of the national team leave the country once the war with Russia began, and the support the team received from the international curling community. We then talk with Lauri Ikälvo from the Kisakalio Sports Institute about how the Finnish curling community is now hosting the Ukrainian national team.

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Latvia’s Road to the Paralympics w/ Poļina Rožkova

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Latvia’s wheelchair curling team, led by skip Poļina Rožkova, made its Paralympic debut at the 2022 Games in Beijing. Poļina tells us about the team’s road from the B division to Paralympic qualification and takes us behind the scenes in Beijing. This includes her team’s conversations about whether or not to potentially play against Russia and her efforts to help Ukrainian refugees. We also learn about how Poļina got into curling in Latvia and how she 3D printed her own head for her delivery stick.

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Did Olympic and Paralympic success mean more curlers in Sweden?

Curling Around the World,

Sweden captured four curling medals during the Olympics and Paralympics in 2022, including gold for Niklas Edin. But did this unparalleled success lead to more curlers in the country? We talk to development officer Sara Carlsson to find out all about curling in Sweden: from how their high performance program is set up to the changes they’ve made to recruit new curlers. Sweden has had plenty of wins on the ice. However, we found the most interesting part of the conversation to be the wins they’ve had off the ice and how they’re addressing issues that are common around the world. These include initiatives that they have developed with Dr. Richard Norman and Dr. Heather Mair with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

How curling orgs can help foster diversity
Swedish Curling Federation
Follow Swedish curling on Facebook

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Starting a wheelchair curling club w/ Stewart Pimblett

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Stewart Pimblett has been a dedicated curler even before he started playing. His journey to try the sport at the rink in Kelso, Scotland was a harrowing one and is one of the most incredible “how I started curling” stories you’ll hear. He went on to establish the Northern Ice Wheelchair Curling Club and has grown it into a vibrant organization. Stewart tells us how he went from a high-level wheelchair basketball player to representing England in wheelchair curling. He also explains what curling facilities can do to help grow wheelchair curling.

Like Northern Ice Wheelchair Curling Club on Facebook
Subscribe to Northern Ice on YouTube

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Meet the Wheelchair Curling Teams at the 2022 Paralympics

2022 Paralympic Curling

Get to know each of the wheelchair curling teams scheduled to compete at the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing. Please note this was recorded and posted before a definitive decision has been made on the participation of the team representing the Russian Paralympic Committee.

2022 Paralympic Curling Schedule
Oyuna Uranchimeg’s Journey to the Paralympics

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Narratives and favorite things from the Olympics

2022 Olympic Curling

We recap a fun Olympic curling tournament. First, we discuss the narratives surrounding the performances of Canada, Sweden and Great Britain. What’s next for Curling Canada? Do we have a new greatest curler of all time? Is Team GB’s process justified? Then we list our favorite things from these Olympics, including the BBC’s dislike of Team USA and some daily affirmations. We try to end with some joy and hope.

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How the Olympics expands Japan’s curling “pond”

2022 Olympic Curling, Curling Around the World,

Like the United States, interest in curling soars in Japan during the Olympics. This interest has reached even greater levels following Japan’s bronze medal performance at the 2018 games. Naoki Iwanaga, a former competitive curler from Japan now living in the US, joins us to talk all things Japanese curling. We discuss the differences in curling culture between Japan and the US. Then, we learn about the growth of the sport in Japan and the need for a dedicated curling facility in Tokyo. He also introduces us to the concept of “沼” (meaning pond or swamp) and how it relates to the increased attention on curling during Team Fujisawa’s games.

Japan Curling Association’s Curling Pond YouTube series
Follow Naoki on Twitter

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