Category Archives: Curling

Curling, World Championships

The Melting Pot: Tough Couple Days Has US in Trouble at World Women’s Curling Championship

Leave a comment

Remember when the US was 3-0? It was only 48 hours ago but things have changed a lot since then. A tough Monday saw the US lose 8-5 to Sweden and 9-3 to Canada (two teams that are both now 6-1).

Then on Tuesday the US started off with Russia and a good close match. The US took a 4-3 lead after stealing one in the sixth end and after a Russian deuce evened it at 5-5 in the eighth. Russia did take the lead 6-5 but the US was in position in the tenth end with the hammer to either win the match or send it to an extra end. Instead they allowed Russia to steal another deuce to grab the 8-5 win. Russia is now 5-2 after seven matches.

To end the day the US took on Switzerland and fell behind 6-0 after a disastrous first four ends. The Swiss never held the hammer but scored two in ends one and four and singles in between. The US rebounded to close to 7-6 going into the final end but couldn’t complete the comeback. The Swiss are the third team to sit at 6-1, it was a brutal stretch in the schedule and the US couldn’t get a win in there.

So now the US sits in seventh at 3-4 with four matches left. Only the top four advance to the playoffs so the US would need to catch all of those teams currently two games ahead. Looking at the US schedule remaining it’s probably doable to go 4-0. The Czech Republic and Latvia, tomorrow’s opponents, are both 1-6 while the US faces Scotland (2-5) and Korea (5-2) on the final day.

The question is whether those there 5-2 teams will lose a couple games the rest of the way. Korea obviously still faces the US and also has Canada still to come. China and Russia still face each other with China also facing Canada and Sweden. Russia also faces Switzerland. If the 6-1 teams (Canada, Sweden, Switzerland) all win their matchups against the 5-2 teams and the US wins out the only other result the US would need is China defeating Russia. It’s certainly not the wildest scenario to see the US in a tiebreaker.

But it won’t happen unless the US plays better tomorrow against the Czech Republic and Latvia. All they can do is do their part and hope for some results in other matches that go their way.

Schedule:

  • March 19th
    • 8:30 AM ET – USA vs. Czech Republic
    • 6:30 PM ET – USA vs. Latvia
Curling, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: J.R. Celski Wins Men’s 3000m, Jessica Smith Second in Women’s 3000m at Short Track Speed Skating World Championships

Leave a comment

Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

The Short Track Speed Skating wrapped up with the World Championships finishing on Sunday. In the women’s 1000m Emily Scott got knocked out in the heats finishing third but Jessica Smith advanced to the quarterfinals before finishing fourth in her heat and being eliminated.

In the men’s 1000m both Chris Creveling and J.R. Celski advanced from the heats and the quarterfinals without any issues but ran into problems in the semifinals. Celski finished third and Creveling finished fourth after a fall and both were eliminated.

In the women’s 3000m superfinal Jessica Smith was very strong and finished second about 0.8 seconds back and and as the only one within a second of the winner. In the men’s 3000m superfinal J.R. Celski did her one better by winning by over two seconds.

It was a strong World Championships for the US who did much better than in Sochi.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • Women’s 1000m
      • 11:52 AM ET – Heats
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 1:19 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:03 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:34 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 1000m
      • 12:21 PM ET – Heats
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 1:33 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:11 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:41 PM ET – Final
    • Women’s 3000m
      • 3:03 PM ET – Superfinal
    • Men’s 3000m
      • 3:13 PM ET – Superfinal

World Women’s Curling Championships – St. John’s, Canada

The US went 2-0 on Sunday at the World Women’s Curling Championship knocking off Germany 6-5 by scoring three in the fourth end and two in the eighth end to grab a 6-2 lead that they hung on to win. In their second match of the day they dominated Denmark 13-2 by scoring twos in the opening two ends (both times without the hammer), and a five in the fourth end with the hammer. When they scored a four in the sixth end with the hammer Denmark conceded with four ends left and down 11.

The US is now one of two teams to get to 3-0 (along with Switzerland). They have a real good shot at advancing from Round Robin play if they can keep this up. Things get a little tougher and more telling on Monday when they take on Sweden and Canada who are both 2-1.

Schedule:

  • March 17th
    • 8:30 AM ET – USA vs. Sweden
    • 6:30 PM ET – USA vs. Canada
Curling, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: J.R. Celski Wins Silver in 500m at Short Track Speed Skating World Championships

Leave a comment

Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

Action at the Short Track Speed Skating World Championships moved to the shortest distance, 500m, on Saturday. The event didn’t last long for Emily Scott who was knocked out in the preliminary round after finishing third in her heat. Jessica Smith was able to advance through the preliminaries and then survived the heats by being one of the four fastest third place finishers. Her run ended in the quarterfinals however after a third place finish.

In the men’s 500m J.R. Celski and Chris Creveling survived the preliminaries and heats just fine, though Creveling needed to be advanced in the heats after being obstructed and finishing fourth. Creveling would advance no further than the quarterfinals while Celski made it all the way to the final. In the final Celski wound up second to grab silver. It’s no Olympic medal, but a silver at the World Championships is still a big deal and a great result for Celski.

Celski and Creveling teamed up with Eduardo Alvarez and Kyle Carr in the men’s 5000m relay. The US got eliminated in the semifinals after finishing third in a tight race behind the Koreans and Dutch.

Things wrap up on Sunday with the 1000m races. Once again Emily Scott and Jessica Smith are the US women and Chris Creveling and J.R. Celski the US men. There is also a 3000m race, but it’s just a superfinal with no heats. With the small field size for that event I’m not sure anyone will be competing for the US, but if anyone is my gut tells me Celski.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • Women’s 1000m
      • 11:52 AM ET – Heats
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 1:19 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:03 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:34 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 1000m
      • 12:21 PM ET – Heats
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 1:33 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 2:11 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:41 PM ET – Final
    • Women’s 3000m
      • 3:03 PM ET – Superfinal
    • Men’s 3000m
      • 3:13 PM ET – Superfinal

World Women’s Curling Championships – St. John’s, Canada

The US Opened the World Women’s Curling Championship with a big 12-5 win over China on Saturday. The US struck for two in both the first and third ends with the hammer to open up a 4-2 lead early. The big moment came though in the sixth end when the US stole three to go up 8-3. The US scored another three with the hammer in the ninth end to give us the final margin of 12-5 as the tenth end wasn’t necessary.

The win makes the US one of four teams still undefeated after day one (though three other teams played twice and went 1-1). On Sunday the US faces Germany and Denmark. Both of those teams went 0-1 on the first year so the US should definitely be confident they can get off to a good start which is probably also necessary if they want to think about advancing from the round robin.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 1:30 PM ET – USA vs. Germany
    • 6:30 PM ET – USA vs. Denmark
Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, FIS Cross-Country World Cup, FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, FIS Snowboard World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboarding, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: Mikaela Shiffrin and Ted Ligety Both Win Gold and Season Titles In Alpine Skiing World Cup

Leave a comment

World Women’s Curling Championships – Montreal, Canada

The World Women’s Curling Championships start on Saturday and the US is one of 12 nations represented. The US team is not the same one that competed in the Olympics which may or may not be a good thing. This team is skipped by Allison Pottinger (the alternate on the Olympic team who was never used) with Nicole Joraanstad as third, Natalie Nicholson as second and Tabitha Peterson as lead. Tara Peterson is their alternate.

They start play with China on Saturday. China won the 2013 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships and were 11th at the 2012 World Women’s Championships and 7th in the Olympics.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 6:30 PM ET – USA vs. China

Snowboard World Cup – La Molina, Spain

The Snowboard World Cup wrapped up the 2013-14 season on Saturday in La Molina, Spain with the finals of snowboard cross. Lindsey Jacobellis was the only US woman competing and she won both her quarterfinal and semifinal heats to advance to the big final. In the big final she placed second to grab silver in her final event of the season. She also finished second in the season standings. In the men’s event Mick Dierdorff, Nick Baumgartner, and Hagen Kearney all advanced from the 1/8 finals while Jonathan Cheever was fourth in his heat and didn’t advance. In the quarterfinals Dierdorff and Kearney were in the same heat with only Dierdorff moving on after he finished second and Kearney fourth in the heat. Baumgartner was also eliminated after placing fourth. Dierdorff missed out on spot in the big final after finishing third in his semifinal heat but did win the small final to secure a fifth place finish to wrap up the year. Baumgartner was the top finisher for the US in the season standings as he placed 14th.

Alpine Skiing World Cup – Lenzerheide, Switzerland

The Alpine Skiing World Cup is at its final stop in Lenzerheide, Switzerland and the US has as good a day as you can on Saturday. Ted Ligety took first in the men’s giant slalom edging out the second place finisher by 0.03 seconds. The US also placed Tim Jitloff in 14th and Bode Miller in 15th. In the women’s slalom event Mikaela Shiffrin was the only one representing the US but they didn’t need anyone else. Shiffrin smoked the field on run one by over one and a half seconds and even a tenth best run on the second was enough to win her the title by 1.44 seconds.

Ligety’s win, his fifth of the year in the giant slalom, gave him the season long title on a tiebreaker of most wins. Ligety would have wrapped up the title a while ago but only competed in six of the eight events this year. Shiffrin also won her fifth event of the year but she had clinched the season title last week.

Sunday will be the men’s slalom and the women’s giant slalom events. I’ll have an update on who will start those events for the US later today.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 4 AM ET – Men’s Slalom Run 1
    • 5 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1
    • 6:30 AM ET – Men’s Slalom Run 2
    • 7:30 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals – Falun, Sweden

The second day of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals featured the skiathlon events. On the women’s side Elizabeth Stephen was the top finisher for the US in 15th about two minutes behind the winner. Kikkan Randall followed her in 20th with Sadie Bjornsen right behind her in 21st. The US also had Jessica Diggins in 36th, Ida Sargent in 37th, Caitlin Gregg in 40th, and Sophie Caldwell 41st.

In the men’s sprint event Noah Hoffman was the top American as he finished 18th. Reese Hanneman was 38th and Andrew Newell 39th to round out the field for the US.

The 2013-14 World Cup season wraps up with the pursuit events on Sunday. I’ll have more info on who will represent the US when the start lists are published.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 8:30 AM ET – Women’s 10 km Free Pursuit
    • 11 AM ET – Men’s 15km Free Pursuit

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Moguls – Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway

The final moguls event of the Freestyle Skiing World Cup was Saturday in Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway on Saturday. Heather McPhie, Hannah Kearney, Ali Kariotis, and Eliza Outtrim all advanced from qualifying for the US. Keaton McCargo was one spot short in 17th, 0.15 points short, while Sophie Schwartz did not start the event. Only Kearney advanced from the first round of the finals as Outtrim and McPhie just missed out in seventh and eighth both within 0.3 points of advancing in sixth. Kariotis was further back in 13th. In the final Kearney finished third in a tight battle for the top that saw her just a 0.48 points back of first and 0.15 points behind second.

On the men’s side Patrick Deneen and Troy Murphy were the only two Americans to advance from qualifying. Bradley Wilson was just outside in 17th, 0.04 points back of 16th, with Dylan Walczyk 19th, Jeremy Cota 23rd, Bryon Wilson 25th and Joseph Discoe 31st. Murphy had a rough run on his first final run and was eliminated in 15th while Deneen advanced in fifth. In the second final Deneen finished third to grab the bronze.

There will be a dual moguls event on Sunday with qualifying to start things off. I’ll have coverage of which Americans are in the field later today once the start lists are revealed.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 3:15 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
    • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
    • 7 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Round of 16
    • 7:12 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Round of 16
    • 7:24 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Quarterfinals
    • 7:32 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Quarterfinals
    • 7:40 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Semifinals
    • 7:48 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Semifinals
    • 7:59 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Finals
    • 8:07 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Finals
Curling, Olympics, Recaps, Sochi 2014

Sochi Curling Recap – US Fails to Make a Mark at the Olympics

Leave a comment

There was some hope going into Sochi that the US curling teams could have a strong Olympics and perhaps make a real mark on Sochi. Instead the men and women combined to go 3-15 in a very disappointing Olympics.

Men’s Curling

Mens Curling

The US men went just 2-7 but it was not by a super wide margin as they were only outscored by 11 in the the nine matches. The ninth place result was a step up from Vancouver where they finished 10th but the US has not come close to matching their 2006 Olympics when they finished third. The sport has a cult following during the Olympics but the US hasn’t been able to turn that into success.

Mens Curling Yearly Best

Continue reading Sochi Curling Recap – US Fails to Make a Mark at the Olympics →

Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014

February 17th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

Leave a comment

On Monday the US grabbed their first gold since Thursday and had a couple of historic firsts. Several events got canceled due to the weather and the US hockey team won a medal, we just won’t know which one until Thursday.

Biathlon

Events:

  • *Men’s mass start 15 km
  • *Women’s mass start 12.5 km

The men’s 15km mass-start was supposed to be Sunday. Then it got postponed until Monday. Then it was rescheduled, and now it’s been postponed again… to Tuesday. Fog in the area was just too dense to hold the event. Hopefully things will work better on Tuesday at 5:30 AM ET.

The women’s 12.5km mass start did happen with the only American in the field, Susan Dunklee. Dunklee had a great start and was in sixth heading into the second round of shooting but missed one target in each of the final three rounds of shooting. Despite a great effort in the skiing she couldn’t overcome the shooting woes and finished 12th in 36:57.9, 1:32.3 behind the winner.

Results Summarized:

  • Susan Dunklee – She finished in 12th with a time of 36:57.9, 1:32.3 behind the winner, after missing 3 targets.

Continue reading February 17th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →

Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Curling, Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014

February 17th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

Leave a comment

What’s on tap today? Eight disciplines and competition in nine events with six gold medals up for grabs. In today: Freestyle skiing and ski jumping. Out today: Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and speed skating.

All times below are ET.

Biathlon

Events: The men’s 15km mass-start will begin at 1 AM. The 30-man field will include only two Americans, Lowell Bailey and Tim Burke as they have the final chance to earn an individual medal for the US men in Sochi.

The women’s 12.5km mass start at 10 AM also features 30 in the field. The only American is Susan Dunklee.

When:

  • *Men’s 15km mass start – 1 AM
  • Women’s mass-start 12.5 km – 10 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The men’s biathlon will be included in coverage on NBCSN from 3-7 AM ET and in NBC’s daytime coverage from 3-5 PM ET. The women’s biathlon will be included in coverage on NBCSN from 1:30-3 PM ET.

Continue reading February 17th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 16th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

Leave a comment

The US grabbed just two medals on Sunday but it was what they did to set themselves up for medal wins later on that was huge in bobsleigh, figure skating, and ice hockey.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • *Men’s Super-G

The first American to go was Ted Ligety who had a time of 1:19.48 and finished 14th. Bode Miller was next to go and after a very aggressive and quick run he’d head to the top for a while with a 1:18.67. The next few skiers came within a tenth of a second before Miller was eventually passed and tied. He would wind up with a bronze medal when he tied for third. Travis Ganong was the next American to go and he finished in 1:20.02 and was 23rd. The final chance for the US was Andrew Weibrecht who put together a great run of 1:18.44 and won the silver medal! A 2-3 finish for the US!

Results Summarized:

  • Travis Ganong – Finished 23rd with a time of 1:20.02.
  • Ted Ligety – Finished 14th with a time of 1:19.48.
  • Bode Miller – Finished tied for 3rd with a time of 1:18.67 and won a bronze medal.
  • Andrew Weibrecht – Finished 2nd with a time of 1:18.44 and won the silver medal.

Continue reading February 16th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 16th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

Leave a comment

What’s on tap today? Nine disciplines and competition in ten events with five gold medals up for grabs. In today: Biathlon, bobsleigh (making its Sochi debut) figure skating, and snowboarding. Out today: Short track, skeleton (finished for Sochi), and ski jumping.

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: Four American men are in the 63-man field for the Super-G are Americans at 1 AM. After seeing the women fail to complete the course in large number it will be interesting to see how aggressive they are. Ted Ligety goes first for the US, ninth overall with Bode Miller soon behind him in 13th. The final two Americans are Travis Ganong who goes 25th and Andrew Weibrecht who goes 29th.

When:

  • *Men’s Super-G – 1 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11 PM ET.

Continue reading February 16th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →

Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 15th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

Leave a comment

Another disappointing day as the US only managed to pick up one medal and wasn’t real close in most of the events. The highlight of the day though was an amazing hockey game between the US and Russia.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • *Women’s Super-G

There were 50 women scheduled to start the women’s super-G and only 31 completed the course. That’s how difficult the course was this morning. Leanne Smith was the first to go for the US and the only of the first eight skiers to finish the course. She finished in 1:28.38 and was 18th. Laurenne Ross was next to go for the US and while she made it through the early tough portion where many skiers succumbed she did have problems near the end and got too wide and lost the race line taking a DNF. Julia Mancuso was able to finish the course without too many difficulties but she finished 8th in 1:27.04. The final American was Stacey Cook and her run didn’t last long as she DNF’d in the treacherous early steep section.

Results Summarized:

  • Laurenne Ross – Made it through much of the course but missed a gate near the end and was a DNF.
  • Stacey Cook – Missed a gate in the earl portion and was a DNF.
  • Leanne Smith – Finished 18th with a time of 1:28.38.
  • Julia Mancuso – Finished 8th with a time of 1:27.04.

Continue reading February 15th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →