In the middle of June, Jordan flew to Seattle for the annual Granite Curling Club Summer Spiel. Hosted by Todd Schultz and GCC president Phil Shryock, the Summer Spiel was three days of World Cup-themed curling and excellent, excellent food. Northwest Correspondent Geoff Ujdur skipped the team and joined Jordan with Todd and Phil late before their Saturday match in StoneCast's first Field Notes. After two long days of spieling, the conversation covers a brief history of the GCC, the polyamorous scene in Seattle, "that guy" at every bonspiel, "the pig incident," and more. Thanks to Todd and Phil for taking some time once things were underway. Note: Field Notes #1 was recorded using an old digital recorder and not the finer StoneCast equipment. Volume may vary a bit.... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

BRITISH CURLING ANNOUNCES PROGRAMME TEAMS 2018-19British Curling has announced its investment in 21 athletes across five programme supported men;'s and women;'s curling teams for 2018-19, in the first year of the Olympic cycle as the curlers build towards the next Winter Olympics in 2022. Olympic silver medallist Michael Goodfellow, who played lead for Team Murdoch when they represented Great Britain at the Winter Games in Sochi, starts the next four-year cycle as part of a new line-up. Goodfellow joins forces with another Olympian, Kyle Waddell, who competed for Team GB at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and Duncan Menzies adds youth to the experienced quartet that will be led by Ross Paterson. Paterson was a member of Team Brewster when they won the Scottish Championships in 2016, but... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

By Liz Montroy For the eighth summer in a row, youth curlers descended upon the Okanagan for the Optimist Rockslide Summer Curling Camp. An annual Curl BC highlight, this year the camp had 104 kids between the ages of 10 and 18 in attendance. There were campers from all 11 Curl BC regions, as well [...] (click here to view entire post on author's website)

For the eighth summer in a row, youth curlers descended upon the Okanagan for the Optimist Rockslide Summer Curling Camp. An annual Curl BC highlight, this year the camp had 104 kids between the ages of 10 and 18 in attendance. There were campers from all 11 Curl BC regions, as well campers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington State, and even Hungary. "[A big highlight] was definitely meeting a whole bunch of different people that I've never met on ice and off the ice," said camp participant Keelie Duncan. "It was really cool to meet them, and looking at some of the players, they could be the future representatives of BC at the Scotties or the Brier." Led by a team of 23 instructors, this group of kids engaged in a range of on and off ice activities and training at... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Roll out the red carpet folks, time for the 3rd Annual Golden Granite Awards! Who takes home the season-ending hardware this year? (click here to view entire post on author's website)

That's right. Pot, Ganja, Reefer, Mary-Jane, Maui-Wowee, Grass, Weed, Thai Stick or whatever name you want to use, is about to become legal across the Great White North on October 17th, 2018. With that comes a whole bunch of questions and concerns. And, guess what? it's going to have an impact at your friendly neighborhood curling club as well. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Is anyone missing Curling yet?  In this bonus jumbo episode the girls get together for some summer fun poolside discussing the latest breaking news from Team Homan.  They catch up on the off season curling news, their summer highlights so far and tackle a few current event topics.  There may have been a cocktail involved and the girls have some fun discussing their similarities and differences, talk about some pet peeves and play a game of "Pick or Pan" curling edition.  It may be hot outside, but there was a lot of curling discussed in this special off season episode!  Hope you enjoy! (click here to view entire post on author's website)

During the second world war, curling continued in Scotland, although naturally to a limited extent. The Annual of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club continued to be published during the war years, but as a slimmed down publication, no longer including the memberships lists of all the affiliated clubs. In looking at these Annuals to try to understand how much the war affected the sport, I came across examples of the generosity of curlers, not just at home, but from overseas as well. The Annual Meeting of the Representative Committee of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club was to have been held at Ayr, but, because of the war, it was (again) held within the North British Station Hotel in Edinburgh, on July 30, 1941. David Hutchison of Kinross, one of the Vice-Presidents, was in the chair in the absence... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Join us for the 14th annual Cathy Kerr International Wheelchair Bonspiel at the RA Centre in Ottawa. November 23-25, 2018 Only 16 teams will be accepted into this event – don't miss out on the chance to play the best teams from around the world, Canada and the province of Ontario! ;nbsp; (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Due to other commitments, the No Stones Left Unturned blog will be on hiatus until further notice. Thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed the blog thus far. Hope to be back soon.-Bobbie (click here to view entire post on author's website)

I'm not saying it's over and I will never see you again, but I am saying we need to change things up and see how it goes. In the meantime, I have some things I need to say to you. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

It’s our final podcast of the 2017-18 season. And we’re joined by husband-wife duo Rachel & Evan Workin from Fargo, ND, who along with Jordan Brown and Christina Lammers, have qualified for the 2018 World Mixed Championship (Oct. 13-20) in British Columbia. Plus Joe Calabrese and Price Atkinson recap at the recent Humpty’s Champions Cup, the World Mixed Doubles Championship, World Senior Championships and reflect back on some of our most memorable moments on the podcast this season. Thanks to all our listeners for subscribing and listening all season plus all the players, coaches and guests who’ve joined us. We’ll be back again in the fall! (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Barry Fry was known as "The Snake" for his unique version of the tuck-slide.  As a young skip he teamed with Orest Meleschuk, reaching the provincial semifinals while in their early twenties.  He later helped Rod Hunter bring Don Duguid out of retirement in 1969. Over the years Barry watched friends and ex-teamates win Purple Hearts, wondering if it would ever be his turn.  He won the Canadian Mixed in 1973 and finally conquered Manitoba in 1979 with Bill Carey, Gordon Sparkes and Bryan Wood.  They would capture the Brier in Ottawa, the last sponsored by Macdonald Tobacco. Disappointment followed at the Silver Broom and years later his legendary rink of Don Duguid, Terry Braunstein and Ray Turnbull fell short in the Canadian Senior Championship.  Barry shares... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Barry Fry was known as "The Snake" for his unique version of the tuck-slide.;nbsp; As a young skip he teamed with Orest Meleschuk, reaching the provincial semifinals while in their early twenties. ;nbsp;He later helped Rod Hunter bring Don Duguid out of;nbsp;retirement;nbsp;in 1969. Over the years Barry watched friends and ex-teamates win Purple Hearts, wondering if it would ever be his turn. ;nbsp;He won the Canadian Mixed in 1973 and finally conquered Manitoba in 1979 with Bill Carey, Gordon Sparkes and Bryan Wood. ;nbsp;They would capture the Brier in Ottawa, the last sponsored by Macdonald Tobacco. Disappointment followed at the Silver Broom and years later his legendary senior rink of Don Duguid, Terry Braunstein and Ray Turnbull fell short in the Canadian;nbsp;Championship.... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Serious post-Brier depression has set in. I want to be back at the Brier. I walk into every room of my house and pretend that I am on TSN. I signed my kids’ report card with a Sharpie and wrote: “Good Curling, Mike Fournier, Team Quebec”. I pretend every water cooler conversation I have at work is actually a Media Scrum. I stood outside my house waiting for the Brier Shuttle to pick me up and give me a lift. I picked my kids up at school the other day and as they got in the car said “Count ‘em up, 1…2…3 for Team Quebec.” At the conclusion of some “special time” with my wife, I shouted out “Make the Final…”. I was also wearing my Quebec jacket at the time. I want to be back at the Brier. Free Agent Frenzy So the entire curling... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

On this week’s From the Hack podcast, we wrap up our Olympic coverage with Phil Drobnick, the coach of the Olympic champions Team Shuster. Cheryl Bernard, the alternate for Team Homan in Korea, provides some insights on the Denmark game, the now infamous Sheet A and Cheryl also shares what she would change about the Olympic Trials process. Nolan Thiessen of Curling Canada joins us to address some of the topics that have emerged as a result of Canada missing the podium in both the men’s and women’s events in Pyeongchang. Also, with the Brier less than a week away, we are joined by skip Mike Fournier of Quebec, skip Brendan Bottcher of Alberta and Brett Gallant the 2nd for Team Canada. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

On this week’s stupendous, 100%-curling-there-is-no-point-in-even-listening-if-you-aren’t-interested-in-it episode of 99 Friendship, Carolyn and I spend the full half hour recapping the Roar of the Rings, the curling tournament in Ottawa where Canada’s curling gods decided that Rachel Homan and Kevin Koe would represent our nation at the upcoming winter Olympics in South Korea. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

CurlingZone's Gerry Geurts and Jamie Korab discuss the importance of small curling clubs for communities and sport in the Rural Routes podcast. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

ast weekend’s Everest Curling Challenge in Fredericton, New Brunswick saw an experiment with adding 2 points for covering the pin. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

(click here to view entire post on author's website)

Reid Carruthers is a Canadian curler. He skips his own team based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Carruthers has won the 2016 Canada Cup of Curling, 2017 WFG Continental Cup of Curling as part of Team North America, and the 2017 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. He is currently representing Canada at the 2017 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Lethbridge, Alberta with Joanne Courtney. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Adapting to changes in the sport of curling will reduce the threat that is posited by doomsayers. Curling has emerged as both a sport and a recreation, but it is the recreation side that attracts 95% of your market. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Included: That time Rachel Homan beat him in a FG kicking contest... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Yes, I know, it's been more than awhile since I've put fingers to keyboard on my blog site. Thank you to the many who have sent emails and made telephone calls to inquire if I was, well, OK! I doubt I've never been fully OK, but thanks, I'm fine!;nbsp;So what's the reason for the no blogs for several months? I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't write just for the sake of writing. If there wasn't something to say, I wasn't going to say it! But now there is and it's time to reach into the electronic mailbag to answer an email sent from someone for whom I have great respect. His name is John Newhook from one of my favourite cities in Canada, Halifax. I had the joy of spending an afternoon with John at the iconic Mayflower CC as he walked me through... (click here to view entire post on author's website)

In case you have missed what is going on, Twitter has predicted the outcome of the February 12 Mens and Womens Round Robin games two days early in our completely scientific NerdCurl US Curling Twitter National Championships. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

Team North America's lead heading into this final day seems insurmountable but don't tell that to the mostly European Team World supporters. They remember the "Meltdown at Medina" and are hoping for the curling equivalent upset. Fortunately for the North American's there isn't really a disastrous alliterative term I can think of that works with Vegas. However, much to the liking of TSN and the Orleans ticket gate there is still plenty to play for. Pride is always good, especially with so many fans still cheering (sans Packer fans). But more importantly each game and end has some cash money tied to it which could seem pretty useful if you curl for a living and spending your last night in Vegas. (click here to view entire post on author's website)

The back half of the 2016-2017 curling season kicks off this week with the Meridian Canadian Open on the World Curling Tour and the USA Nationals Challenge Rounds taking place closer to home. A preview of the challenge rounds, highlights from an interview with Thomas Howell (lead for the top-ranked Heath McCormick rink) as their team embarks on its first Grand Slam of Curling event, and the updated rankings are on-tap in this week’s edition. (click here to view entire post on author's website)