2026 Curling Season, Socials and Media

Lori and a pro scribe on all things curling in 2025-26

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Video Transcript

Welcome to season 11 of our curling podcast, Two Girls in a Game.

Our show has our insights and opinions on our favorite sport with a hint of humor and a little gossip on the side.

Curling, we love it all, the game, the players, the drama, and the controversies.

Stick with us and you'll hear all about it.

This podcast is for entertainment purposes only.

Listener discretion is advised, and remember, play nice everyone.

It's episode 17, season 11.

We are excited to welcome a familiar and trusted voice in Canadian sports journalism.

Greg Strong has been covering curling for years with the Canadian Press, bringing thoughtful reporting and a real understanding of the athletes and stories that shape the game.

Welcome back, Greg.

Hey, great to be on with you.

What a nice intro.

Aw.

It's been, it's been a while here, Lori, so I'm, I'm glad we could connect.

Well, it's been a minute since you've been on the podcast.

I was going back through the archives, and you were on in season six and also in season five with our late great friend, Ted Wyman.

Yes, yes, fond memories of, of those pod appearances, and of course, we miss Ted.

I mean, he was such a, a great voice, a great reporter, a great guy, and, yeah, we certainly miss him on the bench and, and just in general.

I mean, sadly we've lost a few great curling reporters over the years, great people.

I was thinking about that the other day when, when we confirmed that we would chat here, and, you know, Colleen Jones is another- Yes gone far too soon.

Yes.

So remind us how long you've actually been covering curling.

let's see.

It's been, 20 years or so, off and on, and my first curling event was actually, of all things, the 2006 gold medal game in Turin, where Brad Gushue won the gold.

And I was helping, Donna Spencer, our longtime Canadian Press curling writer that day.

We double staffed it 'cause the interest was through the roof.

And so yeah, that was the first one in Pinerolo, Italy.

And, first Brier I think was 2011 in London.

And around that time, I mean, we, we basically, kind of share the curling beat, Donna and I, because there's just so much to cover.

She's busy with the Flames.

I'm, she's in Calgary.

I'm, I'm busy with the Blue Jays.

And there's, I mean, as you know, the curling season is so loaded, and, it'd be very tough to have one person staff all those national championships, world championships in Canada, the Olympics.

As you said, it's been a long season.

It's May the 1st, and we're still chatting about curling, which is crazy.

Such a long season, but so many big storylines this year.

But before we get to those big headlines, I wanted to ask you a few questions just about the change in traditional media and the way you've seen fans consume sports news and how that's changed, especially with the rise of like social media and digital platforms.

I'm just so curious about that.

Yeah, just the changes in general, obviously social media, huge, huge change.

I mean, so many fans in, in all these sports just consume highlights on their phone, or if there's like a, you know, a, whatever, the bullpen's empty one day and there's a brawl on the Like, you'll just see a 10-second snippet on your phone.

That's been a big change obviously.

changes with newspapers, they're not as popular obviously as they were five, 10, 15 years ago.

And so it's interesting in the sports front because I'd, I'd say the sports appetite in Canada and around the world is, has never been stronger.

Like, people want their content, they want their news, they want their stories, just getting it in different ways.

And so yeah, in the media world we've had to pivot in many ways.

I mean, m- a lot of teams, will send out their news updates if they've made a trade or there's an injury.

They'll just, they'll, they'll put a, put a post on Twitter.

I mean, obviously that's a change from 15 years ago.

Right.

and yeah, like so many, so many athletes now are on social media.

You can, you know, reach out that way.

You can slide into people's DMs and get- get interviews.

You know, it's, it's, it's, yeah, obviously a changing media world, and one that's, continues to evolve.

Now, have curling fans also pivoted with this change, or are they loyal to traditional media?

Are you able to track any of that?

I suppose the eye test when you, when you go into a curling venue, it, it does seem very traditional.

And you know, obviously the sport skews a little bit older, and you know, there aren't as many phones at a, bonspiel as there are at a hockey game or a Raptors game or whatever, you know?

It's, it's much different that way.

at the same time, you know, when you flip through a newspaper sports section, you know, yeah, you have the big sports.

You have the, just looking at the Toronto market for example, I mean, you have, you know, the Maple Leafs, the Raptors, the Blue Jays.

they d- dominate the coverage, but there's still incredible appetite for sports like golf and, and curling and, you know, sports that are, you know, not, not the big four, if you will.

So- Mm-hmm that hasn't changed.

It's just the sections are somewhat smaller now.

you know, I often look online.

You know, let's say CBC Sports will often list like their top fiveMost well-read stories on any given day and, and it's, it's interesting to see which ones are at the top.

And, you know, often it's, it's things like PWHL or it's curling or it's, you know, it's not always necessarily the, the, the Blue Jays-Twins game.

It can be, it can really run the gamut.

We're just trying to generate content that people wanna read and do it in as many different ways as possible and, you know, deliver a good product.

So the rise of social media, has it made the sports coverage better do you think, or is it just faster and louder?

It's interesting.

You know, fans can, can weigh in and, and many of them have, you know, more of a voice now and, and sometimes they can, you know, build that up into thousands of followers or, or more, you know.

It's, it's really interesting how, how that has changed.

at the same time, you know, just for me personally, like I don't, I don't get too in- invested in that.

I don't, I don't know if I'd be on social media frankly if I didn't need to be for work.

it's, you know, I think it's in many ways a big waste of time.

It can be a cesspool.

And, you know, there are, you know, on some occasions someone will point out, someone will say something online or chime in with a thought or two, and it can actually lead to a, you know, cool story idea or, you know, if, if something needs to be fixed in a story or if, there's an interesting piece of background, like that can be valuable.

But Johnny Keyboard in his basement- chiming in on, on, with his thoughts on a curler or a, a sports team or whatever doesn't interest me personally, but it, it, you know, it obviously does for some.

People have so many platforms these days.

There's blogs, there's vlogs, people are content creators, there's TikToks, there's podcasts.

Mm-hmm.

And I think it's so interesting 'cause you said everybody has a voice.

How do curlers compare listening to those voices versus somebody on the Blue Jays?

I'm so curious about that.

Yeah, everybody's different.

I, I would say in general I think the curlers read way more than a member of the Blue Jays just as far as, that day's stories.

They might, you know, look at tsn.ca or sportsnet.ca or cbc.ca, whatever it is, and, and read, you know, that day's content from Or, you know, you can go whatever on social media sites and, and pick up, different takes.

Everyone, you know, there's all sorts of, reporters and outlets that are chiming in on their sport.

And I would say, yeah, in general I think the, the curling community, curlers, executives, federations, agents, whatever it might be, I think are a little more in tune than, you know, the, the Blue Jays second baseman.

I don't know if they're reading our stuff.

I mean, I, I have, I haven't asked.

I, I, I, I doubt it.

But I think in m- in many cases with the, the, the big four sports, if you will, I think if there is something that, you know, a player really needs to see, their agent will, will probably flip them the story if there's a big ESPN takeout that they're in, whatever it might be.

so yeah, I think in general, curlers are a little more in tune and probably watch, you know, the TSN highlights, you know, a, a little more closely than perhaps other, other athletes in other sports.

Put it to you this way, I, I know, I know when curlers have read stories that, are a little more, controversial or a little more negative or, you know.

we don't always write, you know, the super positive glowing story.

Often there are stories that, are written that move the needle in the community.

I'm thinking things like pay equity stories or pregnancy exemption stories or attendance stories, whatever it might be.

So have you found that there's a bit of pushback from athletes or organizations when they aren't comfortable with what you wrote?

On occasion, they'll, they'll voice their thoughts.

Often these stories, you know, the athletes will, will, provide the voice, you know.

And I think as an example, like the pay equity thing, 10 years ago, whenever that was.

that was athletes stepping up and, and raising issues that, they felt were significant, and sometimes they, they need the press to do that.

And, you know, it was, I think something that needed to be tackled.

I wasn't the only one who wrote it either, I mean, but it was the athletes who, who stepped up and said, "Hey, you know, the women should be paid the same as the men at national championships."

And- Right you know, it led to, I think more pressure being applied and, you know, they eventually got The results were there.

In a situation like that, I mean, a reporter will engage with the athletes.

you have to engage with the f- the federation in that case.

You have to, you know, you have to do, you have to do your due diligence.

And in something that, something like that, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna hear from upset, folks at the federation necessarily.

I mean, I think they knew that they, they wanted to, to make that change, and it was just a matter of timing.

And, when I think back to other stories, you know, sometimes you'll hear f- from people involved in the sport.

sometimes they'll text you directly, sometimes they'll chime in on social media.

I think in general, and it's not just curling, it's, it's any sport.

I mean, Blue Jays are my primary beat and, but in general, we love it when executives, when agents, when players weigh in with their thoughts and, it can often be knee-jerky, it can often be very defensive.

It can often be, seem like a response to a troll.

You know, it's like, but we love that.

that's, that's good for the story.

That's good for a follow-up.

It's good for, reaction.

I mean, that's what, that's what we want.

And when you look at, you know, you don't see that very often in sports.

you know, I-The, the Toronto Blue Jays general manager is not gonna be weighing in on social media- when his closer blows a save and he hears about it from fans, or, you know, it's, it's the lead story in television sports casts around the country.

I mean, it's- that's just not, it's so rare, right?

You, you rarely get people in power, playing defense, if you will.

sometimes that happens in curling, and it's, it's great when it does.

It adds more to the story and it can continue the story on, I guess.

That's what can happen with it.

What's interesting in curling is, you know, I think there is some media training at some level, but it's nowhere near, you know, like what the Toronto Maple Leafs experience.

Not to get into the media weeds here, but it can often lead to great quotes.

It can lead to great storylines.

and we've had a bunch of those in recent seasons.

And, you know, I think back to the, Brendan Bottcher, Darren Moulding split, I mean, that was just an incredible 72-hour run of curling storytelling fueled by athletes who chimed in and were honest and, you know, had conference calls and weighed in on social media.

And that story in, in particular, I remember was like a very well I think it was like a top three story on the CBC website- for like three or four days.

It really was epic.

Do you worry that because of social media becoming even more of a presence and that people are now starting to guard their, quote-unquote, "brands," are they going, are the curlers going to end up being a little more guarded with the information that they share?

I think in general curlers are, yeah, a little bit more, how do I put it?

Not as quotable as they were 5, 10, 15 years ago.

Yeah.

There are curlers now who, are still, you know, have, have maintained great consistency on that front, and I think, I think it certainly does help with their brand.

I mean, I- the, the best example I can think of off the top of my mind is, is Brad Gushue, who's just been a go-to quote for forever, and I think I tweeted this a few months ago.

Like, to me, that's what you would wanna do.

If you have, if you're an, an excellent curler who wins championships, wants to build his brand, and I don't know if Brad does, but if, if you wanna build a brand, build your team, be quotable.

Mm-hmm.

call back the reporters.

you know, it's When I think, if I were to look at the last 20 years of curling stories, I'm pretty sure Brad Gushue, Team Gushue, would be near the top as far as, as far as play, because he's a real needle mover.

I think a big part of that is because he's, he's up front, he's honest, he'll tell it like it is.

He's not afraid to ruffle feathers.

I think back to, like, the Pan-Con- Continental stuff a few years ago.

I talked to him that one night at 11:00 PM.

He was keen to chat because he was so salty about the locker room setup.

That, as a reporter, is just, like, great.

And not everyone's wired like that.

Not everybody wants to be front and center in front of cameras, in front of microphones, and that's fine.

But I do think in some cases it's a bit of an opportunity missed when curlers aren't as engaging and aren't as forthcoming with quotes and aren't as keen to call back.

I mean, it really runs the gamut.

It's like any other sport.

But curling rep- curling reporters will never complain because the access is incredible.

you can get almost every curler on the phone.

They're keen to talk.

It's certainly not like that in other sports.

So if you covered something that maybe would be less flattering to a player or a situation, are, is there any fear that you would not have access to that person in the future?

It's not like, you know, there are many 60 Minutes style deep dives on, on curlers that, would really ruffle their feathers.

I mean, by and large, we're just, you know, we're telling, for the most part, like, game stories- Yeah event stories, roster move stories.

You know, like, there's Just in curling, there's very little like that.

In general, like, I think the curlers, the athletes in, in all sports, they know that we're just doing our jobs.

We're just interested in telling good stories, and sometimes they're about subjects that people may not want out there, may not be keen to read, but you know, they're, it's still a story.

You know, what's interesting, I was, I was thinking about our chat, Lori, and, like, we, as members of the curling media, let's say, like, we're, we're here to tell good curling stories.

And whether they're positive, negative, you know, tire pumping or critical, whatever it might be, like, certainly at the Canadian Press, we want to provide the content that people want to read.

But I think there is a bit of a misconception in curling in general, like, we're part of the, the rising tide that lifts all boats, if you will.

Like, that's not it at all.

We don't care who wins or who loses.

We do not care.

Right.

There's no ch- there's no cheering in the press box.

All we cheer for is for good quotes, good stories- and no extra ends, right?

That's it.

But you know, we, if, if 10-pin bowling or bocce were as popular as curling is in this country, we'd be covering that, and we'd be covering it in the same way.

We're not here to, to pump the tires, if you will.

We're here to tell good stories, and the great thing about curling is that there are a ton of great stories and a ton of great athletes who are keen to have their stories out there, keen to call you back, and keen to share their thoughts.

So that's why it's a great sport to cover.

Yeah, that's such a good point.

I was thinking, too, how the teams these days are putting their breakup posts on social media-And it is a far cry from the situation with Brendan Bottcher and Darren Moulding.

And it does make me a little bit sad because when everybody just seems to be best friends after a big breakup, there isn't any story to tell.

And when you see all the different changes that have happened in the past month or so, you kind of go, "Okay, everybody just seems so hunky-dory."

But it's kind of boring from a media standpoint because with you writing articles or with Mary and I weighing in on opinions on what's happened, it, it's trickier when everything just seems so sunshiny and rainbowy.

Yeah, I think, you know, curlers and teams are certainly aware of, of their, their brand if you will, regardless of the level.

Like if, you know, if your team moves the needle enough, like they're gonna put out a statement or a, a few lines on social media that's, you know, would be professional, for lack of a better term.

Yeah.

But I do think in curling there is, I think, a little, little bit more tension than people may realize.

Oh, yeah.

I think the intensity, yeah, can be there.

There can be frustration.

It's kept behind closed doors, which, you know, is probably the best move.

What was interesting about that, Bottcher-Moulding split a few years ago was that Darren was very honest and, and upcome, upfront about what happened, and basically provided a, a TikTok of, of how he was let go.

And, you know, I think Brendan did a, a Zoom call the next day and, and then there was the reaction to that.

It was just, it was quite unique because it was so rare to have, that kind of in-depth play-by-play, if you will, from the parties involved.

And so, and, you know, it was, it was interesting timing.

I think they were the, were th- they may have been the Canadian champions at that time I think too.

I think the biggest part of that was the mid-season breakup- Mm-hmm and it was so different and unique to the curling community given they were the reigning Canadian champions, and I think that's why it really got so much coverage.

But it almost feels now that they've normalized this type of thing because we've seen teams in the last year or so, they're changing up mid-season and it's no big deal, and nobody is putting out press releases and statements anymore.

So it's kind of sad that I feel like that's- Mm-hmm been a bit more normalized these days.

Yeah, that was an interesting case because it was o- obviously such a high-profile team.

I think if memory serves now, the initial team statement, had wording that Darren was not a fan of.

It's interesting for teams because, you know, they don't necessarily have like a, a media relations professional or a, a team PR.

Some teams have.

I remember Kevin Martin did back in the day and- Right would handle all their team, team PR if you will.

But most teams don't have that.

And so, you know, you could really use a professional in some of those situations to get the wording just right.

you don't wanna say someone is leaving for, personal reasons.

You gotta be careful because it can, it can lead to, ruffled feathers and, and, and story developments.

So, yeah, that was an interesting one.

That's the biggest challenge, I think, for many of these teams is how do you announce it?

And, you know, basically it, it's very template now, as, as you say.

Yeah.

a lot of teams aren't, aren't keen to g- to really get in the weeds of what they're doing.

I know, 'cause wouldn't you just rather know the real story?

And I think because Mary and I both played at a high level in our day, we know there's always more to the story.

We've lived through the story.

Sure.

Right So we know there's more, but nobody will give it up, and that's sort of sad, but oh my goodness.

Yeah.

That was, that was something else.

And I, I think when I think back to that re- remember the rematch at the Brier that year when Darren joined- Yes with James Grattan's team?

That may have been the most electric opening Saturday night I can remember at a Brier.

it was, it was just great.

And, you know, it's, that could be another something for us, something else for us to talk about, Laurie, is just how, how curling doesn't really embrace that stuff.

Like, you know- No think back to all the great breakups over the years and, you know, sometimes it barely rates a mention on the broadcast, you know?

Yeah.

I don't understand why these days, 'cause to me, that's what's compelling, and the fan base is really wanting to know those, those stories.

They don't have to get into all of it, but certainly acknowledge it because- Oh the fans are thirsty for it.

And, and I'm not a, huge tennis watcher, but a couple seasons ago, I remember I had seen a story about th- this rivalry in men's tennis, and it made me go and watch that, that game between the two players because I was so interested to see what would happen.

And I just think that's such a missed opportunity these days with curling, and a, a real change that we seem to wanna promote it as, yeah, like everyone's best friends.

It's bizarre to me.

It's bizarre to me too, and yeah, you, you make a great point with tennis, and I think back, I think to other sports like golf has experienced in that in recent years, PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and, and they sometimes get together at major events and those are great storylines.

Formula One, another one too, like great rivalries.

That's been a, a constant theme on that series for years.

Probably a, a better question for the television production side of things, but why they don't really try to pump that up, because being in the building that night in Lethbridge, I mean-The atmosphere was incredible.

There were, you know, Darren Moulding chants and- and you could feel the tension on the ice.

There were, there were dirty looks exchanged at times.

Like, it was great theater.

Yes.

And the merchandise opportunities that night were- were incredible, too.

That's another thing that I've never understood.

I mean, I could go on a rant here, Lori.

I, I don't understand- Please do, please.

Curling merchandise has, has been a thing for me since the St. John's Brier in 2017, I think.

You could have sold thousands of Brad Gushue, Team Gushue shirts, jackets, jerseys, bandanas, whatever, you name it.

I mean, that crowd, it was near capacity almost every draw.

I think that building's, like, 9,000.

Like, the popularity is through the roof, obviously, for that player and that team, and it's like that for many other teams and many other players.

And I was thinking this when I walked through the venue, I think at the Scotties last January.

You c- I think you could get some Team Gushue hoodies, maybe some Or no, Team Holman hoodies.

I forget what it was.

But what an opportunity to have, player uniforms, player jerseys for- Yeah all competing teams.

I- I've never understood why curling has been unable to figure that out.

Give the Grand Slam of Curling credit on that front.

They certainly have improved things on the merch front and in, in other areas.

But still, just in general- Mm-hmm I mean, I think there's such an opportunity there.

Yeah, I think some of the teams are actually taking it upon themselves to sell their own merch these days.

Yeah, for sure, and they should.

And yeah, I mean, there's only a handful of teams that could do it, but I just think, like, if you're at a Brier, let's say, you've already got 18 teams participating.

You could also have, I mean, you could have It'd be very cool to have, like, a, a Team Nunavut jacket or, you know- I have two in my closet.

There you go.

a Team Quebec bandana.

you could get retro merch.

You could have a- Right a Glenn Howard warmup jacket.

Like- Right all kinds of stuff.

Well, don't forget that Brad Gushue was selling his Gus Shoes this past season.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, great idea.

So much potential there, so hopefully they make that happen.

Greg, I know your job as a sports journalist is to stay objective, but I would love for you to zoom out a little bit and weigh in on some of the biggest headlines of this season.

Sure.

Because we couldn't help but notice you had a few spicy takes about curling on, your social media platform.

Yes.

I don't do it very often.

I'm not a, I'm not a huge, social media guy.

I You know, everyone's different, and I'm not the type of a reporter who will, you know, do blow-by-blow from the, from the Blue Jay game or from a, a Bond spiel.

It's just not me.

Right.

and I, from time to time I will chime in, you know, if there's a, there's a story I'm particularly proud of or Yeah, on, on occasion.

I think at the baseball playoffs last fall and at the Winter Olympics last February, sometimes if I'm on a shuttle bus or whatever, I'll, I'll weigh in with my thoughts just for fun and, and see, see where it goes.

I don't, I don't check my notifications really, and I don't, uh- Smart I don't, I don't engage with, with people who, who reply or tag me or whatever.

it, it, to me that's just, it's not why I'm on social media.

I don't enjoy it.

I, I just like weighing in with my thoughts as someone who's, behind the scenes in many cases and, you know, can provide some insight for, for fans, whatnot.

Yeah, spicy takes.

I was on a shuttle bus going to the, Cortina curling venue, chimed in with a few thoughts.

It's always interesting to me, the reaction some of those posts get.

I, I heard from, I get some texts from people who were like, "Oh," you know, "loved your take," or I got s- a few others where people said, "Oh, people are really pissed off at," "at your thoughts there on Twitter."

And, and then I heard from oth- from A curler's actually texted me directly and said, "Oh, I love that you're chiming in and actually, you know, saying something different and, and s- and just being honest with your thoughts."

So- Yeah I like to do it once in a while, and sometimes it moves the needle, most of the time it doesn't.

Yeah.

And it's interesting.

I just wonder, like, here Mary and I, two women, trying to do the same thing, and we don't always quite get the same, appreciation.

Oh, it, it's not always appreciation, believe me.

Sometimes, there, there can be, fiery retorts, will come on my phone or whatever.

Sometimes people will point out who's pissed off and, and who isn't.

Whatever.

I- Yeah it doesn't, it doesn't bother me.

I, I, you know, obviously stand by whatever I post.

Like, sometimes- Yes you know, there are things I find interesting.

Like, I think I, I posted something about, curling's biggest challenges for the upcoming quad, and it was attendance and the calendar.

Right.

And that's, like, an evergreen tweet.

I mean, I could have tweeted that 10 years ago- Yes or two years ago.

I mean, this has been a, a longstanding issue for the sport.

And, yeah, I heard That was, I think, probably the one that really upset some people.

I think the other one was one on curlers reaching out to celebrities hoping they'll like the sport, which- Oh to me, you know, it's always, you know, I don't know.

Just me personally, I find that kind of-I don't know what the right word is I get secondhand embarrassment from it.

Yeah, it's just, it seems like if you've got a product that people are really, you know, should check out, then let the product speak for itself.

Yes.

I just, I think it's something It, it just kind of reeks of a little bit of desperation, kind of lame, like, "Hey, Flavor Flav," or, "Hey, Snoop Dogg," or, "Hey, Dana White," or whoever, "Please like our sport.

Please check us out."

You know, it's like, come on, guys.

Yeah, yeah.

I was just thinking this subject might come up, and I remember, covering the Toronto Maple Leafs maybe 15, 10 years ago, something like that, and they had all these players who wanted You know, who were expected to be traded at the trade deadline.

Like, I think it was Brian McCabe and Mats Sundin and, and a few others, and the Leaf Nation fan base was really getting upset because they hadn't made any trades, and the deadline was fast approaching, and they didn't want, you know, dead salary weight and whatever.

So I, I had to go to the practice arena that day and write a story about it, and at the time, the I think it was Sportsnet.

They would have reader comments at the bottom of the story, and at the time I was, I was actually reading the reader comments, which I haven't done in years.

but at that time, I remember a reader posted on, on some website saying, "After reading this story, I feel like I stepped in a giant pile of dog crap with my socks on."

And that, that always stuck with me.

And I was like, "Wow, that's, that's some, some interesting wording, and I think I'll remember that one."

But I, I don't after reading that, I'm like, you know, like, who cares?

Like- Yeah you know, we write the stories.

You can like them, you can hate them, whatever.

It doesn't really matter.

Like, we're just trying to do our job and do it well.

Yes.

Okay, well you brought up about the scheduling, so I think let's start there because it was such an interesting ex- situation this year with Team Holmen being the two-time Canadian defending champions and two-time world defending champions, and with the schedule, I guess, not conducive to playing both the Canadian Scotties and then going to the Olympics.

Even though one ended on February the 1st and then the Olympics didn't start until the 12th, I guess they had to head over early for a training camp.

I am so curious if this topic came up, in Cortina any time, or was this just something that they thought about in hindsight?

Yeah, I don't recall that being mentioned in the scrums at all.

it's, it's certainly not a new subject.

I mean, I remember, it was a talking point, when Jennifer Jones represented Canada four years ago in Beijing.

perhaps not to the same level, but I mean, this is not the first time this subject has come up.

And, yeah, we wrote about it yesterday.

Donna Spencer and I had our final In The Rings kind of curling notebook, and, she, had an item on that.

And Emma spoke to the Broom brothers, in March, their, their pod about it.

Great for Emma for chiming in.

Donna spoke with, Nolan Thiessen, the, Curling Canada CEO, and it's something they're looking at for the next quad.

And I think at the end of every quad, they, they look at what worked for the f- you know, the previous four years, what didn't, and how are they gonna improve.

And I think that's a legitimate area of concern, and one that I would imagine would be addressed for the 2030 French Alps Olympics.

The big challenge, and this is a big part of, you know, where curling goes forward when it comes to the calendar, is how do you fit that in?

The Olympic dates I think are set seven years ahead of time.

So we know that the French Alps games will start on February 1st, 2030.

We know that World Curling will be setting its world championship dates at a certain time, and, you know, that w- e- everyone will kind of work from that.

But how do you get nationals and provincials in, and, and allow the athletes to do both?

Because, you know, as we noted in the story, like, obviously Brad Jacobs, his team won the Olympic gold and then was able to participate in the Brier five days later.

you know, obviously they were tired and gassed, and, you know, still did really well, I think made it to the semis if memory serves.

Yeah, I mean, I think Team Holmen should certainly have every opportunity to compete at the nationals.

Interesting case, of course.

They were unable to defend their title where they were the reigning champions.

They lose out on a, an opportunity to go back to the world championship.

And when we look at those dates in February, I think the Scotties ended February 1st.

I think the women's draw started February 12th.

So is 11 days enough?

Well, be very tight if you wanna get that camp in.

And what's better?

Is it better to tune up for the games at a national championship?

I think it is.

I'm not at those training camps.

You know, obviously the Curling Canada brass thinks it's better to have them, you know, get, get a cl- get, in that time zone, get prepared for the Italian setup, sleep, diet, the adjustment from the flights, get used to the ice, try and replicate conditions.

They feel that there's a, you know, there's obviously a strong benefit to that.

Does that outweigh, competing for a national championship?

Well, I don't know.

I guess we'll find out what, when they decide, ahead of the 2030 games.

Yeah.

I was just wondering if Team Holmen had any input on what would be the best preparation heading into the Olympics, or was it a collaborative decision, or was it solely just Curling Canada?

That was my question.

I'm sure there were conversations, probably interesting ones.

And 'cause, yeah, that's a pretty significant thing, and as Emma mentioned, like, it's a significant, prize, prize money pool at, at the Scotties.

I think it's around $300,000 in total.And I think the winning team would get something like 105, something like that.

Like, that's a good chunk of change- Mm-hmm if you were to win it.

And of course, the money's not only, not, not the only thing.

I would rather have that team compete at the nationals and then go right to the Olympics and maybe have a short camp, like a really, you know, even like a 48-hour thing, outside of Cortina, like they did.

but, you know, I'm not, I'm not part of that high-performance crew, and I'm sure they've, they've done a deep dive on what's best.

But when you look at that calendar for the 2029, 2030 season, I mean, how do you fit it all in?

You've got, you know, Grand Slam events, so there's five right now.

If, if Rock League is in play that season, then you've got, you know, who knows how many weeks it'll be, but say it's a five or six-week season.

You've got the regular tour events.

You've got provincials.

When, when do you- Pre-trials, trials Pre-trial, trials.

To put a bow on it, I stand by the tweet that, the curling calen- calendar is a major issue, and attendance is certainly right there, too.

Yeah.

So you were at the Olympic Games in person, and after the 2022 Olympics where Canada only brought home, what, one, two bronze medals, one in the men's and one in the Paralympic category, how, how was everything this time heading in?

What was the tension like over there?

Team Homan didn't get off to the best start.

What was everybody seeming like behind the scenes?

Yeah.

Well, first of all, what a difference between the two games, just in general.

Yeah.

I mean, I, I staffed curling at the Beijing Games in the, the Ice Cube venue, and I mean, China was still in lockdown mode at that time in a serious way, and there were, like, 10 people in the building, you know, a few volunteers and then some media members, and then everyone on the ice.

So what a difference Cortina, man.

Like, the, the venue was incredible, great atmosphere, nice old barn, great size, too.

Like, it was just the perfect setting, in North Italy.

And to me, when I think back, like, to that two and a half week run in that venue, I think back to Ben, like, yeah, just voicing his pure excitement at how it was great to be in an event that felt like the Oly- felt like the Olympics, felt like 2010, in a different way, of course, 'cause he's not on home ice.

But, to have that atmosphere was incredible.

leading into the event, I think there was, yeah, there's always a fair bit of pressure on, the Curling Canada brass, if you will, to, you know, for their athletes to perform, and I think they had three really strong teams.

and then, you know, kind of Paralympics also a, a very strong team that did quite well, obviously.

but the, the mixed doubles, the men's and the women's at the Winter Olympics, it was, I think, a really good result.

I think mixed doubles, that can always go either way.

There's so much depth, so much unpredictability.

for Team Homan, to get that bronze and to get that first Olympic medal I think was a, obviously a great accomplishment, and then Team Jacobs winning the gold, I think they'd be very happy all the way in with two of the three teams winning medals in Cortina.

As for the, the stories and the vibe, I've, you know, been fortunate enough to cover, several Olympic Games, summer and winter, and I remember the 2024 Summer Olympics, I was on the women's soccer beat, and I remember my first night there, the drone scandal with Canada Soccer was a thing, and I got a text from a, a colleague, at another outlet saying, "Congratulations, you've hit the Olympic sports media lottery," and- 'cause that was a story that just kept on giving for, like, 10 days.

Like, incredible story.

Great quotes, great stuff happening.

And Cortina, I felt like I hit that lottery again, just from a sports media perspective, 'cause there was just so much going on, and it was a really memorable games in that way.

Well, of course, you're probably talking about the most viral moment, what seemed like, at least home here on Canadian soil, was Boobgate and Mark Kennedy and Oskar Eriksson's confrontation- that was caught live.

Was it as big over there covering it as what it seemed like here at home?

Well, they weren't talking about it in the cafes or the restaurants in Cortina.

but obviously they were back home here in Canada, and that was one of those stories that, I mean, you dream about as a reporter because everyone cared about it.

You know, curling fans, sports fans, non-sports fans, people who don't know what curling is were talking about, Boobgate or Fingergate, whatever you wanna call it.

It's a story that had, that had it all.

You couldn't ask for better quotes, I mean, from everyone involved.

You couldn't ask for better access.

I mean, the curlers were chiming in left and right after their games, before their games.

The media pickup for that story was, I can't recall a sports story that had that much interest.

And I mean, we're talking BBC, The Guardian, CNN, TMZ- New York Post.

like, everyone was on that story.

all kinds of social media interaction.

And I mean, parts of that story, you know, it kinda got a little bit silly at times.

Yeah.

But just a, a great story to cover, and I think what was different compared to covering, you know, a big story at a Brier was that-There was so much international media interest there, the scrums were packed.

And the European media can be a little bit more intense than the Canadian media.

And so may have been a little bit jarring at times for some of the athletes just to have that much, you know, the scrums were huge and they were intense, and, that's what was different.

Yeah, I, I honestly can't even imagine.

Did that whole situation expose some of the bigger issues within curling?

Are we teetering between amateur and professional?

And it, did it expose some, officiating issues and, and rule issues and, and that the regular non-curling fans just had no idea, and they just looked at it as black and white, and cheating versus not cheating?

But it really, to me, just shone a light on a, a lot of issues that the sport does have and will have to deal with moving forward.

Yeah, for sure.

I think the, the whole rule book issue, and is everyone aware of all the specific rules?

Depending on where you're playing an event, things might be different in Canada than they are internationally.

Like the umpire setup can be different depending on, on which event you're at.

I mean, I think it could've been handled a little differently.

It's, it's a tough one, I think, to golf.

I, I like to compare curling to other sports and how, you know, in golf if, if a, if a golfer were to put their golf club in the sand, unintentionally before making a shot, like do you need cameras on the lip of the bunker?

No.

Right.

Do you need an umpire to be beside a golfer be- before they make every shot?

No.

Do you need instant replay before that sand shot is made, or is to have that as an option?

Like, no you don't, even though the technology, you know, with golf television is incredible, and you could, you could see it.

But it's, you know, I think there, there are still some spirit of the game things that apply to a sport like golf, and they apply to curling too.

The, the challenging thing is when it's at an Olympics, and you're at the biggest event of the quad, and how do you handle things that come up that you're not prepared for, that you're not expecting?

And having two curlers engage like that, the way Oscar and Mark did, was very unusual.

picked up on a live mic, which is, you know, curling is still the rarity when it comes to, to that microphone in-game usage.

And not every outlet picked it up or, or aired it off.

Some, you know, con- throw to commercial at that time.

The Euro feed we were watching had it, and had it live, and it was incredible stuff.

And full marks from me from all involved on how they handled that.

Like it was, you know, the, all the Canadian team members, the coaching staff, everyone weighed in, and they were great.

And yeah, when I think back to that story, I just think of all the stories and all the quotes from beginning to end.

It was just a dream to cover.

And, you know, even the women's team weighed in.

I mean, we had great, great stuff from Rachel Homan, 'cause she was, obviously involved in, in that umpiring situation on that one day, and- Right it was just so many storylines.

It was just a, a great bonds bill to cover.

It seemed like it never ended, because then there was umpires there, and then they backtracked on that.

It just kept going, everything.

It did, and so it, it's great from a media perspective, 'cause there's always fresh developments.

And then World Curling weighed in, and, you know, I had a good chat with Beau Welling, and what changes are gonna be made.

Like for 48 hours there it was just a, a really interesting time.

We didn't predict that as, when we, when we were heading to Cortina- No that something like that would happen.

Biggest top storylines this season was the introduction of the first professional curling league.

It was launched in Toronto at the Mattamy Center.

It featured six franchises, 60 athletes, and general managers.

It was a week-long event.

With all the coverage from the Olympics and, and attention to curling, how did you feel this event went?

Yeah, interesting.

I was, I think there was some areas that were, that worked well, and there were others that, that didn't.

And I think you're gonna get that anytime there's a new professional league or, you know, something that's different and, and, and new and fresh.

things I really liked, I love that there's a curling pregame show, and this is something that's, I, I don't know why other broadcasters don't do it, but I, I think the, the appetite is there.

I think the curling viewership and curling fans love having, you know, folks like, like our friend Devin, and Joanne Courtney, and John Morris, and others weighing in on what we're about to see, the curling issues of the day.

So full marks from me for that.

I like when something new is, is tried out, whether it works or whether it doesn't work.

I like, when there's change, and that's not only for curling, for other sports too.

Like I love the, the strike zone challenge in baseball.

But love it or hate it, it's okay to have feelings about it either way.

And with Rock League, I think it was a real challenge with their timing.

I was surprised they went with April 6th to 12th, I think, and I know that they've, they voiced that they wanted to capture the post-Olympic buzz and really kind of ride that wave.To me, as someone who's, you know, been involved and covered the sport for several quads now, I think the, the interest level starts to sag after the Brier.

And I don't think the interest, the, the appetite is quite there for the world championships in an Olympic year.

And then if you're gonna tag events, like they used to have Slams, I think, in April, even into early May back in the day.

Yes.

Like, it's just, it's too much.

I think that high in a compact season when you already have pre-trials and trials and Slams grouped in together, and then the Olympics, like, I, I think it's just way too much curling, and I think people are keen to move on by the time March, early April rolls along and start focusing on other sports, baseball and, and hockey playoffs and golf.

but that's just me.

Those are just my thoughts.

I think it's too much.

But they, they went with it.

I mean, it's obviously challenging.

The timelines are tight.

They wanted to get in a, a partial season, and they did that.

You know, I have a few takeaways.

It's like I like that the players bought in, really seemed to buy in, to the, to the event.

If they, if they didn't, I don't think it would've worked at all.

so that was a good thing.

I think for that particular league, there seems to be, like, an overpromise, underdeliver type vibe.

And what I mean by that is when we look back to when that league's formation was announced, the plan was for it to be a six-week season- Six and for it to be held in North America, and then I think in Europe or certainly somewhere overseas.

to, to walk back your plan and cut it by 80% is just not a good look, to go from six weeks to seven days.

And I know there's a lot of factors in play, but to me, that's I mean, again, if you're com- gonna compare it to another sport, like if there were a breakout hockey league or a, a breakout CFL pro football league or something, and the owners promise this and then cut it way back, sports fans would be like, "Come on."

Like, "What, what are we doing here?"

The other issue, obviously, was attendance.

It was jarring to me to see how few people were there over those first four or five days.

You know, things did pick up a bit on the weekend, but you know, in, in, in sport, in pro sport, optics are a big part of it.

Right.

Yeah.

And you, you know, I think in hindsight, do you hold that event at the Mattamy Centre, which is about a 2,200-seat venue?

I think it'd be better to go in somewhere, you know, maybe 750, tighter, you know, and just really focus on the production.

The empty stands look is not good.

Mm-hmm.

Wasn't good on the Monday, and I, someone flipped me a photo, I think from the Friday night draw.

Very few people there.

about 500 for your final, as reported.

In a, you know, in a 2,200-seat venue, that's about one-quarter full.

So not great on that front, but that's a, that's a burning curling issue.

we had, we've had attendance, I think back to the Canada Cups back in the day, poorly attended.

what can you do to fix it?

I mean, that's kind of the burning curling issue.

The other thing, that was interesting to me, Lori, was the production, on Rock League.

And you know, like many curling fans, I was keen on that opening day to see what this would be like, and I think I tuned in, from the grocery store on CBC Gem.

And I was You know, frankly, I found it jarring, the production, like, it And, and many others did, too.

But you know, there was such build-up to this professional league, and full marks to the curling group for landing major broadcasters like CBC, ESPN, BBC, the Zone.

you know, that's, that's great.

And that made it even more jarring to see the production level being how it was, was, like, you know, it's just such an opportunity missed.

And I know everyone's trying their best, on the production side of it, but I, you know, I'm, again, I'm not in the weeds on their production for those first few days.

but to me, it was, you know, it, it appeared to be an inexperienced crew who, it seemed, I think, to the viewer, like they were just unsure of what was happening.

I don't know how much curling they've done in the past.

To have that product air on those feeds was probably jarring for those executives.

I'm sure there were calls made to the, to the curling group bosses like, "What's happening here?"

There may have been some sleepless nights.

I don't know.

but it was great to see things stabilize over the last few days.

And you know, I think you had the, the regular, production crew that would handle, major Canadian television curling events come in, and you could see the difference.

But yeah, to have, like, 20, 30-minute dropouts, to have, you know, a stationary shot of a minor league baseball game and a rain delay, like, this is You know, for all that build-up, it's the old clich, right?

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

And it was just a real opportunity missed.

Unfortunate, but good to see them recover and have a, a pretty slick production, just a normalized production for those last few days.

And they got some good storylines at the end, too, with the curling.

Having it in April there, there wasn't a ton of time to promote it.

I think the media strategy was a bit, I think, a learning experience for those involved.

there wasn't I know the CBC was there a few times.

I think Sportsnet went in and did, did a couple features.

But I think they missed an opportunity to get, more media reach.I know I didn't hear from them about accreditation or about coverage.

so, you know, normally at a big event like an Olympics or a Brier or a Scotties, there'd be a media accreditation call-out.

That didn't happen, at least with me.

Doesn't matter.

I mean, you know, whatever.

They, it's, that- that's up to them how they wanna handle that.

But, you know, you can Many new startups will have like, you know, breakfast television in or, you know, locals.

And I, I wasn't on site there.

I was covering the baseball, and then I went on vacation, so I, I don't know what it was actually like.

but a good, good question for them.

You mentioned about the buy, the buy-in by all the curlers, and I totally agree.

And my feeling is that the commitment in curling has never been greater.

It is almost becoming a year-round sport, and it's a full-time job for these people, and just the wear and tear on their body alone, it stands to reason that the curlers would want to earn some money.

My question is, is there a market for this, and is it realistic?

Like, now we're seeing curlers that are opting to, leave their traditional teams and just focus on the professional league.

So i- what I'm wondering is, is are we seeing this division between the amateur and the professional?

Is that going to become a thing moving forward?

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how, curlers approach the next four years.

I think, we'll, we'll probably learn more, after the Rock two- Rock League Season 2.

I think, yeah, we, we have heard from some international curlers.

I think, Miss Katovitz, I think, is focusing on that.

It's interesting because it de- really depends on, your- where you're from and, and the, the federation setup that's in play.

Like, can you get What's the funding situation like?

What's the training like?

Are you gonna win money at slams with your team as constructed, or is it better to focus on the professional league and make money that way?

so it'll be interesting.

I think we'll probably learn more after season two of Rock League, on, on, on that front, and it'll be interesting just on the Canadian curling scene, a lot of changes.

It's interesting because other countries are, are well-funded.

The training is different.

There can be centralization.

Be really interesting to see how Canada approaches that, because, you know, the old school way, it's, it's changing every year, right?

You need to be more and more focused on the sport.

The training needs to be at a certain level, and we'll see how Canadian teams tackle that.

One of the other big storylines for this year, which happens at the end of every quad, is the end of the cycle musical chairs, the shakeups- Mm-hmm and some retirements.

I thought we should talk a little bit about that.

In particular, I wanted to ask you what you think the impact of Brad Gushue's retirement will be on the sport.

Yeah, a good question.

I haven't thought about that, a post-Brad Gushue landscape.

It's, I think you'll see it for sure on, in the ratings and attendance.

I mean, he is a needle mover, just like Rachel Homan, I would say, on the women's side.

Like, number one as far as, interest and, you know, no matter what's happening, if they're on TV, people are interested.

so without him, I think the focus, of course, and, and they'd get a good chunk of it anyway, is Team Jacobs on the men's side, Matt Dunstone, and then Kerri Einarson on the women's side as being the top names, the top teams in the country.

And year one is always so interesting because teams are gelling.

Teams are figuring out, out the new dynamics, and, you know, with Mark Nichols going to Matt Dunstone in a pretty high-profile move, be really interesting to see how that team, performs in the next season.

I think he'll slide in nicely and be a great addition.

I mean, he's curled elsewhere in the past, but, this is a big change, and I still think he's, you know, got a, got a few good years left in him, and he's had a tremendous career of over, it's over two decades long now.

So you're going to a team that's the reigning national champs.

It'll be very interesting to see how they do, and then also how Team Jacobs does coming down from the, the high in the last year and a half of winning an Olympic gold, of winning a Brier title.

I mean, they've, that team has done it all.

So how do you keep the motivation up in year one of a quad when do you really know if, if all four guys are gonna be there in 2030?

Like, you know, so it'll be interesting to see what their motivation level's like in year one and also how long they plan to play.

On the women's side, I mean, tons of changes.

the, you know, the new look Team Kerri Einarson, of course, will be one to watch, and then Team Homan, of course, looking to, you know, build off that, Olympic bronze medal and win the Scotties again and get back to the world.

So lots on the go, and, and then of course you have all the other storylines of the, the teams that are perhaps a tier below that, you know, in the top 10, top 15, how they all shake out, which teams rise to the next level, which teams break out.

You know, we had a few breakout teams, in the last season.

So yeah, it, it'll be really interesting once September rolls around.

Yeah, and even not just in Canada, but even around the world, we're seeing some pretty big names stepping back.

One that stands out to me is Silvana Tirinzoni and what will happen to that team with Alina Ptz.

hasn't announced anything yet with her new lineup, but also Carole Howald is, also leaving.

So they'll be looking for two new players out of Switzerland, which now has the reigning world champion.

So really amazing storylines there.Yeah, for sure.

And I mean, Silvana is so strong for so many years.

I mean, how many world titles did she have?

Four or five, I think.

I don't even remember.

Five, I think.

Yeah, just an incredible career, going out, you know, with, you know, just such a strong, strong quad, but just a strong career as a whole.

And yeah, of course, the international scene, you know, there's so many international teams now in the top 20, and I don't have to tell you, you know, like there used to be so many Canadian teams in there, and now we're seeing, you know, a, a handful of Canadian teams, like sometimes three or four in the top 20.

So big changes on the international scene when we look at the last two, three, five years, even 10 years.

You know, there have been so many strides made overseas, and I expect that to continue in a big way.

I did find it curious, I don't know if you read the article that mentioned about Silvana and how grateful she was that she was able to leave her high-paying job at 39 to fully focus on curling.

Did you read that article?

No, I didn't read that, no.

Like I had s- mentioned earlier about the commitment has never been greater, and when I read that article, I just thought, oh boy, like if that's where the sport is going, we need to figure out how to get a lot more money involved if these teams and these athletes are planning on giving up all their livelihoods to solely focus on chasing Olympic dreams.

And I understand that, but I'm just not sure the money is, is quite there for them.

And when I read that article, whoo.

Yeah, for sure.

Well, that's been a storyline in recent months, and, you know, as we record this, it's only been a day or two, I believe, since the federal government announced, an injection of funding in the Canadian sports scene.

How much of that will go to curling, I'm not sure.

but you know, like most federations, there have been cutbacks, and, you know, that's a big part of the job of the, the higher-ups at Curling Canada to figure out how they're gonna invest their funds in their teams going forward.

And, you know, of course, as you know, the, the depth in the Canadian scene has always been strong, but what we're seeing now is other countries, other teams, other athletes around the world are able to fully focus, fully train, become, you know, full-time curlers as they say.

And yeah, that's definitely where the sport is going.

That's where every other sport has gone.

I mean, you have to invest fully to get to the absolute peak of your powers as an athlete.

And, you know, when you look around at baseball, football, golf, tennis, like you're not seeing athletes, and I know they're different, you know, salary or, or pay structures, what have you, but you're not seeing athletes who have to juggle jobs as real estate agents or mortgage brokers or sales jobs, whatever, right?

Like we've seen on the Canadian scene for so long.

So how Curling Canada figures that out will be, you know, a, an really interesting storyline as we look ahead, not only this quad, but going forward the next 10, 20 years, 'cause that's definitely where things are going.

Some other notable, Canadian curlers that have step- that are stepping away, Kaitlyn Lawes, Kristin MacQuarrie, E.J.

Hardin, Reid Carothers, and that's just to name a few.

What do you make of all that?

Yeah, not a big surprise, for some.

I think Kaitlyn and, and that was, you know, more of a surprise.

But a player like, E.J.

Hardin or, or Reid Carothers, I mean, have obviously been around the sport for a long, long time, and, I, I don't have their birthdays in front of me, but early 40s-ish maybe- Mm-hmm mid-40s.

You know, that's, that's a pretty good run.

Two decades.

Th- these guys, you know, have obviously won national titles, have, in Reid's case, been a coach at a high level.

E.J., you know, just an incredible athlete and sweeper.

And yeah, whenever you, you see stories like that, I think it's, you know, kind of to be expected.

Early mid-40s, that's, you know, you've really gotta be a special athlete to, to excel and to perform at a high level into your late 40s and, and into your 50s.

So, we do see it, though, on occasion.

So not a, not a huge surprise on some of those fronts.

One really significant person that is leaving the sport, and I think this is going to have a resounding effect on TSN, is Vic Rauter announced that he would be retiring from broadcasting after over 40 years calling the curling games.

And I just can't imagine what the sport is going to look like going forward, and I'm not over it yet.

Yes.

Vic has been on the curling scene for years and years, and is just a part of that, You know, whenever the nationals, the worlds roll around, I mean, it's, it's almost soothing to, to put on a TSN broadcast and listen to Vic chime in.

It has a certain, a certain flow that suits the sport.

And I think, you know, it'll be a big change, and I don't know what they're planning for the fall just yet.

I haven't seen any formal announcements, but I imagine, you know, it'll be kind of like the morning draws that we're used to at the Brier and Scotties where, Brian Mudryk and, you know, the crew will obviously have to adjust not having Vic there, but I think it'll be like the morning feel in the afternoon and evening and into the weekend.

And that being said, who knows?

They could bring someone else in.

I'm not sure what they're planning.

but yeah, a definite change, and I wrote a little something on his retirement, and just talking to people in the, in the TSN and curling communities, like just an incredible amount of research and, one-on-one interaction before and after games with the athletes.

Like he knew, you know, he really got into the weeds with these curlers and- Yeah you know, that came across on the broadcast.

And, you know, it's not easy, like live broadcasting.

You've gotta-You know, there are no do-overs when you're live, right?

And, and Vic, for so many years, was just so smooth and so strong in the big moments, and I think of, of course, you know, the more memorable ones over his career.

Immediately, the Brad Gushue call in 2017 when he won the Brier on that final throw comes to mind.

Yeah, just a, a great career, and yeah, he'll be missed.

Oh, for sure, and we are very grateful as a curling community that he stuck with curling for over 40 years, and I just think he did everything to grow and help people become so invested and interested in all the curlers.

It's, we're just gonna miss him so much.

So I am curious, Greg, to know what you think is happening in the curling media world, and have you noticed any significant changes since you've been covering the sport?

Yeah, interesting question, and yeah, huge changes.

And there have been general changes in the media world, of course.

It's always, it's always changing, and sports media is no different, and curling media is no different.

And I think back to, you know, the, the first few, major events I covered, 2006 Olympics, 2011 Brier, I think the Scotties in 2012, and then I kind of fell into a rhythm after that.

When I think back to those, those events back in the day, I mean, and you remember this from your playing days, like there used to be a full media riser at the end of the rink at major events.

So four or five rows taking up a complete section of seats, and it would be packed with reporters.

Right.

And I remember the Brier in London, the scrums were huge.

I remember trying to talk to Kevin Martin on the final weekend, the Saturday, I think, when the page games were on, and you almost needed a scrum buster, like one of those extended mics- to, to talk to him because the scrum was so deep.

It was like 15, 20 people in the scrum.

And now it is the complete opposite.

And, you know, I was at the Scotties in January, and there, the media riser is long gone, and- Yes now you have the media bench is at the very back of the s- of the seating section, and we're almost by the concession stands, and there's like a, you know, kind of a, a two-desk, I don't know, maybe, maybe 20 or 30 feet long.

so there's desks for maybe, work areas for seven or eight people maybe.

And there was one day at the Scotties, I was literally the only working reporter there, and that would be unfathomable 10, 15 years ago.

Like, just would not happen.

And yes, the weather was a bit of a challenge, that week.

I remember we had some significant blizzards.

Oh, yes.

But, but I mean, reporters used to travel and used to take in the, the curling live, and they would stay at the hotel around the corner.

Well, obviously, that wasn't happening either.

It's not just curling.

It's, it's other sports, too.

It's hockey, it's baseball, it's basketball.

you know, I'm proud that the Canadian Press still travels to, to big events and to, big playoff games and big events, big championships like the Brier, the Scotties, NHL playoffs, whatever it might be.

but not every outlet does that.

And so, you know, you really feel it now when you're staffing a major event.

So here in '26, but just in the last few years, you've really noticed it.

more reporters are covering events remotely, so you'll have- Mm-hmm a reporter based in Calgary, say, who's covering the Brier.

And, you know, that's a tough spot because obviously when you're on site, you can get whoever you want.

After the game, you can put in your requests and talk to any curler, any coach.

You can do, you know, the, the color stories.

There might be something happening at the rink or a, a fan who's been to 52 Briers or whatever it is, right?

Yeah.

You can do that when you're on site, and the coverage is much deeper and richer, and you can write more.

You can generate more material, and it's very tough, and I've covered remotely, too.

you know, we all had to do it during the pandemic, for a stretch there, and it's tough.

You're on a Zoom call, or maybe you got a phone number for a skip who may or may not wanna talk to you after a big loss or, you know, may not, may not be their top priority.

They may wanna stretch out and get dinner and talk to you 90 minutes later.

So it's very difficult to do, but that's been one of the big changes.

Yes.

The other, the other thing I've, I've noticed is, you know, you mentioned my, my spicy tweets.

I- I'm not trying to be spicy, when I tweet things at all, and I think they come across like that sometimes because there are so few curling reporters now.

In the last couple years, and, you know, we miss Ted Wyman, who covered curling for so many years, and yeah, he passed away a couple years ago.

we miss the coverage of Devin Heroux, who's now, you know, certainly still with the CBC in a broadcasting role and e- excellent coverage during the Olympics and Paralympics, and, you know, handles their major events, swimming and other things.

Now he's the, I believe the title is the head of content, I think, for the curling group.

And so yes, he's still generating content and, and overseeing their content, of course.

but he's not writing as far as I know for CBC Sports the way he used to, covering the major curling stories of the day.

And we're not seeing, other outlets staff a lot of these events.

We saw a few at the trials in Halifax, some outlets staff that one.

The curling media buzz isn't what it used to be, and as a result, if I tweet something, I think it, it-It'll get more traction and sometimes gets more responses, just because there's no one- there have been very few people who are fully engaged in the sport, you know.

Like we've got myself, Donna Spencer, there are a few other, curling reporters who cover it sometimes, occasionally, kind of depending on other beats and other coverage.

And it's, it's, I think it's, it's too bad because the appetite, I'd argue, has never been stronger for curling coverage.

we still get it from the Curling News, and, and it was great to see them out at a few events.

I think they're at the trials, at the Olympics for part of it.

I'd love to see more reporters covering curling, and I think the sport would be better for it.

We also find when we're there live, we do get better storylines.

We have more of our own experiences that we can add to the podcast, and I, I really think it's better than watching it remotely.

That said, it's always tricky.

There's so many events now that it is hard to go to all of them, so we had to, we do have to pick and choose.

But I am wondering if this opens up more of a space.

Will we see more content creators or TikTokers take the realm of following these c- curling storylines in the future?

Yeah, and I think that's healthy and, you know, people get their content all kinds of different ways now, and they can generate content on the other end.

and yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

Those outlets, that's great, you know?

And, and if people enjoy taking I mean, I, just thinking off the top of my head, like if there's a, a really cool 15-second moment in a curling game and it gets the TikTok treatment or whatever, like those things can spread like wildfire.

Same way like a, a crazy slam dunk in an NBA playoff game can.

so I think that's healthy for the sport.

And yeah, I mean, it's a tough spot.

I mean, it, it costs a ton of money to travel to some of these locations, some of these events.

Yeah.

And I will say there is nothing like being there, and it's not only because you can see so much more than just the television screen or your laptop screen or whatever.

I'm just thinking of Cortina, like the, the vibe in that venue, I mean, I've, I've never experienced a curling vibe like that.

That crowd was so into it, obviously especially when the ho- home team was playing.

but I mean, just an incredible atmosphere.

And to be there for those, I mean, you cannot beat a curler coming off the ice who's either really pumped up with a big win or really- Yeah in the mood to weigh in because of some controversy, whatever it might be.

Uh- Ah you know, you can't beat it.

If something happened where they're ticked off because the, the umpire was by the ho- like, it's, it's great, and you simply cannot match that if they're calling you on the phone two hours later.

You can get other people who you may not think You know, obviously you need the subjects, the skip or the, the vice skip or whatever, but to get the coach or the high-performance director, that's when you do it, is when you're on site.

So it's really just, I mean, you've gotta be there, I think, to really do those big stories justice.

Oh, absolutely.

I, honestly, when we started this podcast, that was my ultimate goal, was to be at that Olympic Games, so didn't quite happen, but that's okay.

I enjoyed watching all the coverage on TV, absolutely.

But, you know, I really was thinking about our, our conversation earlier, and about the curlers, and comparing them to the other sports.

And I think what I started thinking about is the reason curling is so compelling and, and so interesting to cover is because a lot of them are very vulnerable and open, and they really put themselves out there.

Yeah.

As all athletes do, and anybody, honestly, that has a platform, us included.

I think it, it takes a lot of courage to do that, and when I think to what happened to Mark in Cortina with the confrontation with Oskar Eriksson, I do have a lot of sympathy that we're watching this human moment live on TV, but the world of social media explodes with a lot of vitriol and, and really nasty stuff.

And I'm just wondering, how, how do they manage that when they're in the biggest moment of their lives?

I don't know if, because really Mark's never come forward to do a follow-up interview since that happened.

I've seen interviews from Brad Jacobs.

I've seen interviews from Ben Hebert.

I believe Nicholas Adeen did a interview, perhaps even Oskar did one.

Nothing from Mark.

Have you, tried to reach out to him at all?

I believe I sent him a note after the games, but I haven't, planned like a, to try and get him for a big sit-down follow-up on it.

I think Christina Rutherford from Sportsnet may have chatted with him about it.

Okay.

I don't, I don't know how in the weeds he went on it.

How do they handle that?

Well, I think for any major event, if you're an athlete of prominence, if you are, you know, good enough to be a public figure and to have your name out there, you need to put the phone away.

Yes.

And you need to not be on social mediaI think that's good.

I think that's, that, that's a good way to be in general.

But definitely- Yeah when you're competing at a major event like the Olympics, like the Brier, like the Scotties, I don't think there's much good to come from looking at your social media feeds.

I don't think it's as prominent in curling, but I know, you know, a lot of professional athletes hear from all kinds of, you know, all kinds of folks out there who may have lost money gambling, who may have, you know, be really hardcore fans of the opposite team, and they just, you know, there's death threats- Right there's threats of violence, there's all kinds of nasty stuff, and it's gross.

but it, it does happen.

It's very difficult, but I think you have to disconnect, especially during that 10 days when you're competing at the Olympics.

Like, the phone should not, not be looked at at all, in my opinion.

And it can be very tough to avoid it, though.

I mean, if you're on a laptop or whatever and you're, you wanna check TSN's website to see how the hockey team's doing, well, you may look at a story that you're mentioned in.

you may, you know, if you go to a news site, you may be mentioned there.

And as we've discussed, like, that Fingergate story or whatever you wanna call it was everywhere.

And I think you have to give credit in this particular case to the crew at Curling Canada and in particular the team coach, Paul Webster, I think, for keeping that team locked in, dialed in, and focused, and not paying any attention to the noise.

Now, you have to pay some attention to it.

I think it was one of those crazy stories that was impossible to, to avoid.

but they, they took that challenge, and that was a stiff challenge- Yes when you think about it.

They took it and met it head-on, and that team had a certain confidence level that I think is, can be rare in any sport, but that team was ready for whatever challenge was thrown its way, and they took it on, and they, they thrived in Italy.

They were They delivered, and they're Olympic champions now.

So what an accomplishment considering all that went on.

Well, I think that's seriously the most impressive part about the whole situation, is Sweden, on the other hand, finished last in the round-robin, and fascinating that it went completely the opposite way for them and, and Team Canada just took it and ran with it.

I, I did think a lot about the aftermath of it on Mark and his family, and I, I, I think it's the downside of having people care about the sport.

Yes, people care, and curling at the Olympics is a huge needle-mover.

They really get into it.

And, you know, any time you get a, a curling controversy, or something that really gets the curling community going, like, it can just take off like wildfire.

Things could get intense.

And, yeah, that's one of those things, and sometimes you get that in, in sport.

And, you know, curling's weird.

You've, we've had the, the pro versus amateur debate and, you know, should those curlers be treated the same way, you know, the Toronto Raptors are or the Vancouver Canucks or whatever it is, and that's, you know, a, a debate.

But whether they like it or not, it's gonna be front and center on websites and newspapers.

It's, curling's a talker.

Given that it's on everyone's screens for three weeks during the Olympics, it's literally on every single day, people do get very invested in it.

Yes, they do, for sure.

And, you know, whether it's a, a controversy moment, a success moment, a failure moment, you know, we get, we get that in sports.

It's, it's what makes sports the great reality show.

It can be really challenging for some athletes, and the glory moments are incredible, too, but I think they know what they're getting into, that that possibility exists.

Yeah, and I think the biggest difference these days is because so many people and content creators are covering these things, a lot of people are weighing in on it, and it just keeps going and going, and it's never It's just, it's a lot different than it was 10, 15 years ago, because if you did something back then, it was gone and forgotten, and I think those days are, are over because now everything's front and center.

You really can't get away.

The internet sleuths will find every little crumb that they're interested in.

It, it's, it's a wild time.

Yeah, I mean, it's a now media culture, right?

And, you know, back in the day, you'd have to wait until 11:30 to see the, the sports highlight packages if, you know, you could watch I remember watching Global Sportsline as a kid.

You'd have to wait up till 11:30 to actually see the highlights, and if you wanted to do a, a deep dive in, in, in stories, in the columns that were created, you're, you're buying the next day's newspaper.

Now, you know, you could have a hot take out f- 30 seconds later, post it on social media, a little story online within five minutes, and yeah, the, the media world has changed a ton.

Yeah, it has.

When you talked earlier about the pre and post-show with the professional league, I really kind of chuckled a bit because that was the whole premise of why Mary and I started this podcast, is because we enjoyed debriefing all the major events so much, that that's why we just decided to hit record, because it was such a passion of ours, and as well as talking about the upcoming events.

So really, that was, the entire premise of our podcast.Yeah, interesting.

I didn't know that.

Yeah, it's, it's really been, You've got tremendous appetite, I think, especially when the major events roll around.

There's all sorts of potential, I think, for curling, and it was just great to see the Rock League use that, that pregame panel to really help build it up, help, you know, give the curling fans and the viewers what they want.

Like, it's They love having that setup time and discussing the big storylines of the day.

And I remember, I think, back to Dev's, show on, he had that curling show with Colleen for a few years there.

And, we did a few media hot stoves, and it was great, I thought.

Like, you know, really interesting to have Colleen as such a, you know, curling veteran who's done it all in the sport, and then Devon, who's, you know, a longtime curling reporter, and then we would chime in on occasion.

And it was just great back and forth, and sometimes you'd have curlers on.

And I think there's just a, there's still, I think, a ton of potential for the sport to really go to that next level, with that kind of coverage.

Great to see Rock League invest in that, and I really hope that continues going forward.

And it'll be interesting to see with the, the Vic Rouster change, does TSN change things up at all next season?

Do they veer from what's become, I think, somewhat formulaic as far as their coverage?

You know, they'll do, like, a little two-minute intro and then get right into the action.

But I think for And, and I think Sportsnet, you know, their, the Grand Slam coverage, I think there's a lot of potential there too.

Like, I'd love to see regular sideline reporting.

so many times I f- I feel as a viewer, like, there are so many questions that I'm dying to know.

It'd be great to have someone at ice level talking to the coaches after a big throw or whatever it is, right?

Like, you've got- you've got a few things there that I think would really boost the coverage, and it'll be interesting to see where things go in the next season and into the next quad.

I have another question about scheduling.

We touched on it earlier, but I thought- Yeah about it a little bit more.

Yep.

And it is super tight for all the major events with all the elite teams.

I am wondering, is there an opportunity I really noticed it this year because, the Brier and Scotties playdowns happened quite early because of everything being moved up.

And- Yeah I'm wondering if there's a bit of an opportunity that is not happening here in Canada.

In the months of February and March, it's just all geared to elite players and elite teams and the major events.

And then all the up-and-coming and the tier two teams are home sitting, watching curling on TV and not really getting any reps in.

I was looking at the tournament schedule, and there was only one tournament for the men.

There was nothing for any women in Canada.

And I just think, wouldn't that be a real opportunity to do a two-month series with maybe a tournament every second week to really start boosting our numbers here in Canada to get more people playing and having points and getting up in those rankings?

'Cause I do feel like that's a significant reason why curling is falling behind, is the schedule's so geared to early playing on the schedule to get into Slams.

But then there's really virtually nothing here in Canada when there's a lot of teams with access to ice that can't do anything 'cause there's nothing to play in.

Yeah.

Great, great point.

Great idea.

I'd love to see some, other events happening during the nationals and worlds, and, I think that makes a ton of sense, especially considering how late the ice goes into, you know, a lot of these clubs, a lot of these towns.

Like, what are we talking, mid-late September in some cases?

Oh, mid-October.

Oh.

So, and then the season for a lot of these teams ends when they're knocked out of provincials, say?

Yes.

Yes.

When is that?

Like, last week of January?

So- Yeah short window, right?

So to be able to extend that into the, you know, the proper winter months.

And yeah, if you can have events, yeah, you're not gonna draw Brad Jacobs or, or Rachel Homan to your competition, obviously.

But as you say, there's all kinds of teams that haven't qualified for the nationals who, yeah, it would make a ton of sense, I think, to, to get some spiels going.

It's not like it would butt heads with, the Brier, like, as far as, you know.

It's not like television is a major concern, like, at these events or whatever.

It's like, run the, run a bonspiel.

Like, that sound- sounds like a great idea.

It just makes so much sense to me because when I saw how many teams were done so early, the one that really stuck out to me was, Andrea Kelly out of New Brunswick.

They had the ice in for maybe a month.

They had early playdowns.

Their team got knocked out.

That was her season.

I think it was six weeks long.

So she's a great player and should have more access to competitions if she wanted to go win them, but there's really nothing available, and I just think- it's such a missed opportunity.

And we're falling behind in points because a lot of the events are really, really early in the season, and a lot of the international teams have access to ice through the summer months, where really here in Canada, there's very few clubs that are opened, and mostly it's just geared to the elite teams that get those, those reps in at, at, at those clubs.Yes, that's a real problem.

I mean, curling really, if you look around the world, in some ways is a year-round sport.

They have some national championships in the summer, right?

That's correct.

Like in June, July or whatever.

You're right, that's a big problem.

But the curling calendar, as I've, as I've said, that's It's just gonna be so interesting to see how things shake out over the next season, and you've got a, a, a different slam setup.

You've got Rock League for five or six weeks.

You've got provincials that are running the same time as Rock League.

So it's gonna be interesting to see how some of those teams figure that out.

Like, I just think of, Brendan Bottcher's team.

Like, I think he's got the, the Horgans I think, I don't know if they're planning to play year two or what, but, like, you've, you're gonna have some interesting developments there with teams wanting to qualify, and how do they balance that, their Rock League team versus their regular team?

Obviously, a regular four-player team is gonna want to compete at the major events.

And so be interesting balance for a lot of these curlers who are planning to do both.

Okay, last question.

Have the curling ratings increased over the years?

Are they staying the same?

Where are we at in the ratings comparatively since you've started to cover curling?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, curling ratings in general have al- always been pretty good, pretty solid.

you know, it's not like Hockey Night in Canada numbers or whatever, but they do The major competitions usually do pretty well.

It's one of those subjects, one of those areas that can be easy to, you know, kind of cherry-pick the real positive, part of it and not look at the big picture.

It's funny, I think back to, I don't know, 10, 15 years ago, and, you know, a, a communications PR staffer who's no longer, in the business put out a news release that, you know, kind of cherry-picked something, and they tried to really tweak something into a positive.

And I think they put something like 5.3 billion minutes were watched by viewers, over the last Like, it's just ridiculous how some people will try and find that positive, in something that, that may not be that positive.

So you kind of have to t- look at ratings.

For whatever reason, curling has a bit of an issue with telling it like it is.

Yeah.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, that's an issue.

And I It just got me thinking too about that, that tweet I had on, about attendance and about ratings and about, What was the other thing?

The calendar.

I heard from some people in the community and they're like, "Well, you know, Rock League's gonna be jammed on the weekend, and you'll have to check it out then," and, "Yeah, what sport out there draws well midweek early in the day?"

And in my head I'm like, "Is this really happening?

Like, why can we not just tell it like it is?"

At the time, I was at a baseball game early in the week, early in the day, it was a matinee game, and there were 40,000 people in the dome.

So, yes, you can draw well at different periods in the week.

So anyway, I, I, I mention all this just because I, I think it's important to just be straight with- Yeah with curling fans, with, with curling viewers.

It's okay.

It's good.

Yeah.

And ratings, I, I, I've got the numbers in front of me, Lori.

I can chime in and let you know how things were over the last few months in the major events, and I'll try and be quick.

Okay, let's hear it.

Here we go.

So the Olympic Men's final, Canada, Great Britain, the AMA, two million in Canada, with a reach of 5.36 million unique Canadian viewers.

So that, that is a big number.

Wow.

And closely, following that, the Canada-US Women's bronze medal game in Portsmouth.

Ooh.

An, an AMA of 1.1 million.

Again, really impressive.

A re- reach of 3.6 million.

The Canada-China wheelchair curling final at the Paralympics averaged 346,000.

Pretty good number.

A reach of one million, so great for the Paras.

you've got the Brier final.

AMA 828,000.

A reach of 2.05 million.

Big number there.

Scotties final, just a little bit below that, 717,000 for that, that great final, of course, that Team Anderson shot, and a reach of 1.8 million.

Oh, wow.

So that was pretty solid too.

And then the Grand Slam of Curling had its season-ending players championship final, an average audience of 190,000 for that.

A combined reach That's, that's the men's and women's, so that's the average, 190,000.

A combined reach of 1.27 million.

And then the Rock League final, an average of 70,000 for its final, and a reach of 479,000, kind of around the number from the All-Star Game last year.

So yeah, I mean, not too bad for the first, first kick at it.

So, yeah, to answer your question, I think curling's in a great spot in Canada, and I think there's a lot to look forward to.

As always, there's great curling stories on the go.

And yeah, can't wait for the next quad.

Yeah, the drama never ends, does it, Greg?

That's right.

Love the drama.

Us too.

Okay.

Well, thank you so much for joining me today, and I really appreciate all your takes and your experience in covering the sport, and it's just been great.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lori.

Great to be on with you.

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Until then, play nice, everybody.

Hosting is provided by curlingzone.com.

Rick Vef- Veth.

Oh, don't you worry.

I will, I will do my best.

You've got it mastered now, eh?

How many seasons?

10 or 11?

This is number 11.

Great.

Good for you.

Oh, my God.

There is a lot of opportunity, but like the curlers, it is a lot of work and not a lot of pay.

So I would, caution anybody who has a real passion that it's a, a bit of a labor of love.

Labor of love, yeah, for sure.

I know.

I, I can only imagine.

Yeah, after 11 years.

Oh, gosh.

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