Episodes

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

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...

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...

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 comm...

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 sti...

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...

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 ...

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

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.

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 ...

And down the stretch they come! Every team at the Olympics has three games left on their schedule at the time of this recording. First, we try to untangle the women’s standings. Then, we breakdown the game that will probably decide the men’s playoff field. Olympic and Paralympic Curling Schedule Our Welcome to Curling series for newcomers

As everyone predicted (and by everyone, we mean no one), Italy will face Norway for the mixed doubles curling gold. In this episode we review the mixed doubles competition going into the gold- and bronze-medal games, especially the fantastic stories of Italy and Australia. We also discuss what trends could emerge in mixed doubles as a whole coming out of these games. Our “Welcome to Curling” series for those new to the sport Men’s Olympic curling preview Women’s Olympic curling preview

Everyone’s Olympic curling dream has to start somewhere. For Laventer Oguta and Haggai Odhiambo Ogak, that dream starts New Jersey. These two members of the Kenya Curling Federation recently got their first experience on curling ice at Plainfield Curling Club with hopes that they will soon represent their nation in World Curling Federation events. They join us, along with Dean Roth from Plainfield Curling Club, to talk about how they were introduced to curling, how their initial training is goin...

A truly phenomenal field of champion curling teams will go for gold during the women’s tournament at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Listen to our Welcome to Curling series See the 2022 Olympic curling schedule The remarkable return of Korea’s Team Kim China’s Han Yu prepares for the Olympics

Some of the most decorated men’s curlers in the sport’s history are in the 2022 Olympic curling field. Listen to our Welcome to Curling series See the 2022 Olympic curling schedule The Ballad of John Shuster Curling in Denmark with Mads Nørgaard

We’ve documented the trials and tribulations that Korea’s Team Kim Eun-jung experienced during and after their Olympic silver medal. Well, now we get to hear about the happy part of their story. The part where Team Kim earned its way back to the Olympics. We are joined by coach Peter Gallant and curling consultant Melvin Lee to discuss Team Kim’s journey to qualify for Beijing and the new support system they have in place for this Olympics. This led to a discussion of governance in curling and h...

The Olympic mixed doubles field features some familiar faces from 2018, some of the game’s best shooters and two countries making their Olympic debut. Listen to our Welcome to Curling series See the 2022 Olympic curling schedule Curling in Australia with Tahli Gill’s mom, Lyn Mixed doubles curling with Anna Fowler

Wondering how to watch curling during the Olympics and Paralympics on Peacock and the networks of NBC Universal? We give you a quick explainer on how to stream the games live and watch on linear TV. Olympic and Paralympic Curling Schedule Our “Welcome to Curling” series for newcomers

Our Welcome to Curling series is designed to help newcomers to the sport understand what they’re watching during the 2022 Olympics and beyond. Why do curling players sweep? Who are the greatest curlers of all time? Where can I follow curling during and after the Olympics? Get the answers to these questions and more in this episode. Additional episodes in this series go deeper into the game of curling, including the rules, strategy, terminology and history of the game. Click here for the full s...

Our Welcome to Curling series is designed to help newcomers to the sport understand what they’re watching during the 2022 Olympics and beyond. In this episode, we tell you how you can try curling, why we love it and why it offers something for everyone. We are joined by Alice Kloker, a recreational curler from England. Additional episodes in this series go deeper into the game of curling, including the rules, strategy, terminology and history of the game. Click here for the full series

Our Welcome to Curling series is designed to help newcomers to the sport understand what they’re watching during the 2022 Olympics and beyond. In this episode, we cover the modern history of curling and how the game has professionalized since becoming part of the full Olympic program in 1998. We are joined by Ryan Nagelhout, a sports writer and podcaster who covers Buffalo sports. Additional episodes in this series go deeper into the game of curling, including the rules, strategy and terminolog...

Our Welcome to Curling series is designed to help newcomers to the sport understand what they’re watching during the 2022 Olympics and beyond. In this episode, we cover the history of the sport from the frozen lochs of Scotland through its evolution into what we recognize today. We are joined by Ryan Nagelhout, a sports writer and podcaster who covers Buffalo sports. Additional episodes in this series go deeper into the game of curling, including the rules, strategy and terminology of the game....

Our Welcome to Curling series is designed to help newcomers to the sport understand what they’re watching during the 2022 Olympics and beyond. This episode goes into the strategies and tactics teams will use to try to capture gold in Beijing. For this episode, we are joined by Alex Freedman, play-by-play announcer for the Oklahoma City Dodgers Triple-A baseball team. Additional episodes in this series go deeper into the game of curling, including the rules, terminology and history of the game. ...

Our Welcome to Curling series is designed to help newcomers to the sport understand what they’re watching during the 2022 Olympics and beyond. This episode helps you decode the jargon and terminology you’ll hear from the players and announcers while you’re watching curling. For this episode, we are joined by Meredith Kane, a radio producer from Cleveland, Ohio. Additional episodes in this series go deeper into the game of curling, including the rules, strategy and history of the game. Click he...