The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, were filled with memorable events and exciting competitions. One of the most talked-about events was undoubtedly the Mens Curling Championship. From the foursome of Canada’s Braden Thornhill, Matt Gilroy, Don Walbricht and Adam Misegáis to Scotland’s Jim Mackay, the world’s best four-man rink delivered a nail-biter of a semi-final matchup before finally being edged out by the United States. And speaking of the U.S., its talented duo of Josh Waitzkin and Hunter Martin stole the show with their unique blend of rock and roll and slam poetry, winning the nation its first-ever gold medal in curling.
The performances of the foursome from Canada were so good that they prompted talk of a possible Olympic gold medallion for Thornhill. The men’s national team subsequently held a gold medal ceremony, where they honored the famous sporting moment.
Whether you were a fan of the sport or had just started following it, the 2018 Winter Olympics were an exciting event to watch and discuss. One of the highlights of the Games was undoubtedly the men’s curling championship, and everyone had an opinion about it. So let’s take a minute to reflect on what happened and whether or not it was worth getting all dressed up for.
Was It Worth Dressing For?
The short answer is: absolutely! Even if you’ve never seen a man curl a rock, you know exactly what was at stake in that competition. One of the most anticipated competitions of the Winter Olympics, the men’s curling championship pitted four of the world’s best rock-curlers against each other in a battle for supremacy. And it was worth getting dressed up for.
The winner of the gold medal would receive the prestigious Ted Lindsay Award, named after the creator of the carnival game, the “Grand National.” In addition, the winning team would become national heroes and arguably the most popular athletes in the country. And what’s more, they’d also get to represent their country at the upcoming World Cup of Curling in Scotland.
Even if you’ve never been a sports fan, you know exactly what was at stake in the men’s curling championship. The sport has been around for more than 70 years and is one of the original winter Olympics sports—so it’s not like you weren’t aware of the significance of that event. And yet, even if you’ve never watched a man curl a rock, you knew exactly what was at stake in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Was It Fun To Watch?
If we’re being completely honest, the answer to this question is kind of complicated. Yes, it was exciting to watch because it was a battle of the nations, and even if you’ve never seen a man curl a rock, you know what kind of skill and talent it takes to pull off a perfect throw. However, at the same time, it was kind of exhausting. It’s one thing to sit at home and watch the Olympics on television; it’s another thing entirely to follow every twist and turn of an exciting competition live. Especially one that is as exciting and unpredictable as curling.
Even if you’ve never watched a man curl a rock and don’t know what all the hubbub is about, you know what kind of athleticism and skill it takes to pull off a perfect throw. The sport is an interesting mixture of accuracy and mental strength, and it’s always exciting to watch the best athletes in the world compete. But at the same time, it can be exhausting following every twist and turn of a game that’s so hard to predict.
What Did You Think Of the Play Of The Game?
This is the best part of the game, right? The part where you get to judge the skill and athleticism of the athletes as they battle it out on the ice. At least, that’s what the previews and commercials are supposed to show you. And, typically, that’s exactly what you get. The plays are exciting, and, even if you’ve never seen a man curl a rock, you know what kind of athletic abilities it takes to pull them off. However, that’s about all you get. For the most part, the plays are pretty uneventful. The action moves so quickly that you really have to pay attention in order to keep track of what’s happening. And if you do happen to glance at the stat sheet, you’ll see that the foursome from Canada had a fairly uneventful time on the ice.
There were some pretty cool moments, to be sure, like when Martin delivered a perfect shot that forced Gilroy to slam his mittens and take a break from the action. But for the most part, the plays were pretty uneventful. And that’s probably for the best, because the action on the ice is pretty spectacular. It’s always nice when the plays are uneventful because it shows that the athletes are having fun and are enjoying their time on the ice. It adds a little more weight to the whole ‘mental strength vs. athletic ability’ concept because, as we know, having fun is extremely important in life and in sports. And it’s always nice when the athletes are having fun because it shows that they’re enjoying their time on the ice. Even if you’ve never seen a man curl a rock and are unfamiliar with the terminology, you know what kind of athletic abilities it takes to pull off a perfect throw. The plays are exciting, and if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that the athletes are having a good time. The best kind of time.
Did You Enjoy The Competing Athletes?
While overall it was a bit uneventful (see what I did there?), there were a number of notable competitors who stole the show. For the most part, the Canadian quartet was the class of the pack, beating out the competition by a comfortable margin. And let’s be honest, what’s more important than great technique and perfect pacing? We want to see great technique and perfect pacing, but we want to see even more of that pesky athletic ability. Especially since we’re talking about Canada here, a country that’s known for being extremely athletic. The foursome from Canada had everything going for them: great coaching, perfect form, fast paces, and incredible accuracy. It was obvious from the get-go that they were going to be tough to beat.
Unfortunately, they didn’t do themselves any favors by getting complacent. Instead, they got sloppy and tried to coast to the finish line. As a result, they allowed Scotland’s Jim Mackay (yes, that Jim Mackay) and the United States’ Josh Waitzkin and Hunter Martin to sneak up and challenge them on their home ice. Even if you’ve never seen a man curl a rock, you know exactly what kind of athletic ability it takes to beat the Canadians. And it’s definitely something to see. Especially when they’re beating you by a comfortable margin. Let’s be honest: you don’t get to where the Canadians are by being complacent. You have to have something to prove.
Was It More Than Just Technique?
Even if you’ve never seen a man curl a rock, you know exactly what kind of athletic ability it takes to beat the Canadians. And it’s definitely something to see. Especially when they’re beating you by a comfortable margin. Let’s be honest: you don’t get to where the Canadians are by being complacent. You have to have something to prove.
The winning team was phenomenal (and, yes, Canada has a lot of phenomenal athletes), but they didn’t do themselves any favors by getting complacent. They allowed two other teams to sneak up and challenge them on their home ice. And, in the end, it took more than just great technique to bring home the gold. The world’s best are tough to beat, and it takes at least two of them to do it. Which is exactly what the United States and Scotland pulled off in the second half of the competition. The Canadians were the class of the pack until the end, but even the mighty can be toppled by two more athletic teams. It’s something to see.
Even if you’ve never seen a man curl a rock and are unfamiliar with the terminology, you know what kind of athletic ability it takes to pull off a perfect throw. The plays are exciting, and it’s always exciting to watch the best athletes in the world compete. However, at the same time, it can be exhausting following every twist and turn of an exciting competition live. Especially one that is as exciting and unpredictable as curling.