Draw 1: United States 11, Norway 5
Hogging a rock: In delivery, failing to release the rock before the red hogline, a violation which cancels out the thrown stone.
U.S. skip Pete Fenson hogged a rock in the first end, and got that high-level mistake out of the way. (I'd call it a rookie mistake, but a rookie curler usually doesn't slide that far.) He recovered nicely from that miscue.
After all, I'd say beating the defending gold medal champions by six points constitutes "recovering nicely."
Fenson made some clutch shots, including a perfectly-weighted shot for three points in the 5th end to break a 3-3 tie, taking a commanding three point lead.
Norway and skip Paal Trulsen tried to mount a comeback, scoring two points in the next end, but it wasn't enough.
After a blank end (no points) in the 7th, the U.S. started loading up stones in the house in the 8th. Norway was unable to sneak through, and they shook hands (international curling sign for "we have no chance of winning, so let's drink").
U.S. vice Shawn Rojeski also had some mighty fine shots, including a triple takeout.
Buy what was so cool about U.S.A.'s victory — and how Fenson exemplified the spirit of curling — was when one of Fenson's teammates asked him how many points they scored in that 8th end (because Norway claimed defeat before the completion of that end). Fenson simply replied, "It doesn't matter." Rock on, Fenson. A win's a win, whether it was 6-5 or 12-5.
Draw 2: Finland 4, United States 3
Great Britain 2-0
Sweden 2-0
Canada 1-0
Switzerland 1-0
Finland 1-1
United States 1-1
Germany 0-1
Norway 0-1
New Zealand 0-2
Italy 0-2
Pete Fenson and the U.S. team played a very boring game that resulted in a low scoring game. He had the last rock advantage in the final end with the game 3-3, but he threw a high-risk shot that sailed wide, leaving Finland closer to the button to steal the end and the match. (Box score)
Article comments
1 - RJ Elliott
USA! USA!
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Indeed.
The men beat New Zealand today 10-4, but NZ has only a few dedicated rinks in the entire country, so it's a fledgling program. They're 2-1 and in third place.
But the women ... eek. They lost to Canada then to Japan. That Japan game they could have won. But it wasn't meant to be. Team Johnson is in last place (0-3).
3 - Douglas Mays
Curling ROCKS!!!! I have been into it for years! Being here in Seattle with Vancouver 2 hours away, I have been able to tune in the CBC on Sunday mornings, sit in bed with the paper and coffee and a spliff and have Curling on TV. I love how sedate the sport is. And it is weird how it gets so exciting with strategic moves, etc. It is almost like X-treme chess on ice. Shuffleboard?
Matthew, you bring up a good point about NZ. Very few rinks dedicated to the sport. I happen to to live just down the street from a curling rink, one of the few in the USA. This one on 130th St. in Seattle is the only one in the USA within, like, 1500 miles of here.
It is a fledging sport here also...
best,
DM