From YouTube via zolson1404

OK, I’ve been busy. . . 

But CurlDuluth is not dead!   Stay tuned for fresh posts soon.

The cold spell that has been plaguing the Twin Ports this week is supposed to break this weekend, with temperatures breaking into positive territory on saturday.  A welcome development indeed.  So, what’s going on this weekend?

Tonight at 6pm at the Duluth Curling Club, the second fun ’spiel of the season will be held.  This event is open to all adults and all skill levels, so if you have friends who are interested in trying out the greatest sport in town, bring them down.  Ken and Joanne Docteur are hosting the event, which begins with a little curling, then switches to the lounge for some socializing and live entertainment (Marty = Party).  (There is also a hockey game at the DECC tonight.  My alma mater takes on the Bulldogs– hopefully this matchup will be a conference game in future seasons!)

The Minnesota State Mens and Womens Championships are underway down south at the St. Paul Curling Club.  So far Seppo Sormunen’s rink is undefeated; no standings for the women are posted yet but its a safe bet that Norma O’Leary is fielding a very competitive team.

Have I missed anything?  Let me know:  andy@curlduluth.com.

The Chris Plys and Tyler George rinks earned spots in the 2009 U.S. National Championships / 2010 Olympic Team Trials to be held in Denver, CO, Feb. 21 to 28.  John Shuster and Aileen Sormunen are still in the hunt to represent the U.S. in Vancouver; they will compete in a challenge round on Jan. 28.  Shuster will be playing in Bismarck, N.D. and Sormunen will play in Green Bay, WI.  Good luck curlers!

P.S.  Thank you Duluth News Tribune, for including results of the Team Trials and the Over 40 ‘Spiel in the Sports section!

The regional qualifying rounds for the 2010 Olympic Team Trials are underway, and there are several teams from the DCC competing. The winners of the qualifying rounds earn a trip to the Olympic Trials in Broomfield, CO in February.

In the first draw last night in Green Bay, WI, a battle between Duluth rinks was very one sided: Amy Wright shut out Aileen Sormunen 8 to 0 in five ends. Meanwhile, Marjorie Smith had a loss to Madison powerhouse Deb McCormick. And the Alexandra Carlson rink (with lead Sophie Brorson of DCC), fresh off their victory in the Minnesota Junior Championships, lost to Cassie Potter 6 to 3. The second draw begins at 1pm today (friday), and you can see end by end scoring at this link.

The Mens’ qualifiers are in full swing too, with two draws completed yesterday. In Green Bay, John Shuster’s rink is undefeated, with lopsided wins over Bill Morehouse and Jeff Wright. Last year’s Junior World Champion Chris Plys had a loss to Jay Packard. Draw three is underway this morning, but there are no Duluth teams playing– Shuster and Plys play next at 2pm this afternoon in draw 4. You can catch the live scoring here.

Tyler George’s rink is playing in the Midwest North Region in Grand Rapids, MN, and is undefeated after two draws with a wins over Chisolm’s Aaron Wald and Greg Persinger (the latter game won with the comfortable score of 9 to 1 after four ends). Draw 3 begins at 1pm this afternoon, and live scoring is at this link.

Good luck Duluth curlers– next stop Denver!

File this post under “things that slide on ice and crash into one another”, from Portland, Oregon last winter. The recklessness with which people treat automobiles never ceases to astound me.

Those crazy West Coasters! Be thankful that we hardy Duluthians have more common sense and better developed winter driving skills– Oh wait, never mind. . .

Is it possible to obtain a set of sixteen curling stones for $210? The Minden Outers Club says “Yes we can”. Follow this link for detailed instructions on making your own curling stones for use up at the cabin, when you’re out ice fishing, or at the local hockey rink when the Mini Mites aren’t playing.

News from Dec. 18th, 2008, on sheet 8: It only took thirty years of curling, but Kent Brorson got his first eight ender in league play on Dec. 18th. Tom Eng, John Landsteiner, and Sophie Brorson helped him put all their red stones in the house. Way to go!

Belated congratulations to Chris Plys, Aanders Brorson, Matt Perushek, Matt Hamilton and coach Phil Drobnick! Team Plys won the Minnesota State Junior Playdowns at the Bemidji Curling Club last weekend, going undefeated. Next up for Chris and his team are the qualifying rounds for the 2010 U.S. Olympic Trials January 7-11 in Centerville, WI. Good luck guys!

Duluth curler Sophie Brorson also helped Alex Carlson, Tabitha Peterson, and Tara Peterson (of the St. Paul Curling Club) go undefeated to win the playdown. These young ladies have been curling together for four years, and this is their third state championship. The Alex Carlson rink will compete next week in Green Bay in the qualifying round for Olympic Trials. Nice work Sophie, and good luck next week!

OK, if you’ve curled at the Duluth Curling Club recently, you are probably aware of the, um, strange dark stripe on sheet 6. The question for today is: What should be the preferred term for the odd topography on sheet 6?

1) The Trough
2) The Valley of No Return
3) The Valley of Occasional Return
4) The Run Away, Then Come Back, Then Run Away Again
5) The Bermuda Wang-Dangle
6) Super Pick
7) The Half Pipe
8) Sixth Avenue East

Vote or add more suggestions in the comment section.

. . .and someone was there with a video camera.

From YouTube via jamesbatemangmail.

There is a lot going on in the Northland this weekend:

Friday night (tonight!) at the Duluth Curling Club, Ken and Joanne Docteur host a one night mini-spiel named “The Fun Night Before Christmas“. The event begins at 6pm and is open to the public. Ken and Joanne began these mini-spiels two years ago, and they are a lot of fun– last year’s event coincided with the Women’s Frozen Four (that’s hockey or something?), and the Harvard Pep Band came out to try curling– and they brought some great exposure for the DCC back to the East Coast. So if you have friends who are curious about curling and the off-ice action after the curling is done, bring them down!

Curl Mesabi is hosting the Super One Shootout, a major cash-spiel with a $20,000+ purse. The Super One Shootout is part of the World Curling Tour, and is attracting some big names to Eveleth– the DCC is well represented. 2008 Coach of the Year Phil Drobnick is organizing the event. The first draw is 2pm Friday, and the final is 3pm Sunday. You can watch live scoring at this link.

One big time curler who would probably be in Eveleth this weekend if he wasn’t otherwise occupied is last year’s national champion Craig Brown. He and his team are currently participating in the Continental Cup, an event modeled on golf’s Ryder Cup, in which teams from North America compete against teams from the rest of the world in a variety of curling formats. The games started yesterday, and North America had a few good games: Craig Brown beat Scotland’s David Murdoch 6 to 3, and Kevin Martin of Canada delivered a bruising to Fengchun Wang of China, winning 10-1 (could that be payback for this game?)
The World is currently way ahead of North America in points, leading 36 to 18, but there are a lot of games left. If you want to stay updated on the scores, CurlTV is probably your best bet.

And finally. . . Santa Spiel?

Here is a tantalizing hint that someone is working on a curling game for arguably the dominant gaming console, the Xbox 360:

The graphics are pretty spartan but quite adequate, if the physics and gameplay are accurate. Their website only says “coming January 2009″. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. . .

From YouTube via dadooGames.

Friday (and sub-zero air) has arrived in the Twin Ports. Anything going on?

On Saturday the Duluth Curling Club hosts their annual Mixed Doubles Bonspiel. This one-day event features two-person teams battling it out in the increasingly popular mixed doubles format. You can see a video demonstration of mixed doubles at this link.

Did you hear about the big storm headed to Duluth? One foot of snow? Yikes! If you are stuck inside, and your broadband connection isn’t knocked out by the weather, why not spend the weekend watching curling from the Great White North? Access to CurlTV is free with your membership to the Duluth Curling Club, and this weekend they are broadcasting live games from the Canada Cup qualifiers in Ottawa, Ontario.

Oh yeah, if your broadband connection is knocked out by Old Man Winter, remember that the Duluth Curling Club has free WiFi.

And finally, in case you missed it the first time, a little light hearted fun: Here is the video of the Fab Four curling in the Swiss Alps from the movie Help! Have a great weekend!

An unorthodox delivery and challenging ice conditions at the alpine resort of Adelboden, Switzerland last year– but she hits and stays in play!

From YouTube via Beojim.