Um....wot? bwhahahahaha Oh man, you lost all credibility with that one. The only thing worse than sending THIS currently underperforming Homan team would have been sending a useless Carey team.

That's so bad its laughable.

They just showed USA-Russia on on NBCSN (not sure if live but it was on at this bar) and I can't believe how close the US skip was to blowing that

Found this gem of an article and had to see if there's a 2+2 thread and of course there is:
http://nationalpost.com/sports/olymp...ots-in-curling

One of the best in the world literally doesn't understand the most basic strategy. I'm gonna go find some brooms and start training for 2022.

Also from the article:



Koe has played 27 matches with the hammer and 29 without.
Edin has played 45 with and 30 without.

Seems pretty obvious which of these guys understands the value of practicing button draws. (Sorry Niklas, didn't mean to give away your edge bro)

Watching the replay of USA-OAR now.

Seattle is a pretty large city, right near the Canadian border.

We have 1.

The largest contingent of curling clubs are in states that dominate college hockey. Minnesota, Maine, wisconsin, etc.

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That's interesting. I assume it's because the team with hammer in the first end is way more likely to get the hammer in an Extra End if it comes to that.

So now the Canadian women's team decides to play well.

That was an embarrassing loss for USA#1

Pretty sure we have a saying around here for US skips blowing things

That's ****ing amazing. Get one guy who can throw a rock and understands game theory and your odds just explode upwards

I don't know the numbers but they have to be way more likely to win in regulation. If you start with the hammer you have the hammer more times on average and it's worth >>1 point. You're a bigger favourite with the hammer at 0-0 than you are without it up 1-0.

There isn't really a parallel in any other sport I can think of, but it would be similar to getting first serve in a tennis set where you play a random number of games between 5 and 8.

With two skilled near gto teams it's probably true that the team with first hammer has it more often in extra ends but I can't see that being a big chunk of the edge.

Curling would be waaaaayyyyy more fair if both teams got the hammer the same number of times. (Or it at least would be less of a button draw contest)

Jones and Homan are pretty much even id say

Why can’t I find good curling databases

Because if there were good databases the best curlers in the world would understand the hammer advantage

USA USA USA

can we get a goofball/goofyballer fight to the death or something so i don't have to confuse you two anymore

I actually looked up where my nearest curling club was given Olympics and that a friend from uni did it on a stag do and said it was elite, and it's in a different country

do men's curling teams actually crush women's curling teams, like men crush women at tennis?

im actually curious.

No, they don't compete against each other.

But the massive skill (and strength) difference is obvious just from casually watching the top teams.

im obviously not a huge spectator. im curious to know what the divide was, and if it was close to as significant as the tennis gap, since it was brought up.. (#203 in men's beating both williams sisters)

I'm sure Jones or Homan would be a favourite against the #203 men's team, but given the relative popularity that would probably be more like the #1 female player defeating the #20,003 male tennis player. I have no clue where they'd fit in the men's rankings though.

i hardly watch curling and am surprised at all the controversy over Homan burning that rock.

it'd be like an NFL team not declining a penalty by the other team on a suspect call, and everyone calling that team out for getting extra yards on a wrong call when they could've declined.

it shouldn't be unsportsmanlike to burn that rock. you play to win within the rules.

It seems like it's more like angle shooting. It's within the rules, but people frown on you if you do it because the accepted norm is that you don't remove the stone there.

You don’t just identify posters by avatar wtf!