3 Strikes in Olympic Curling

We went to see another Olympic event last night - this time it was Women's Curling. I already had a passing interest in this sport so when Holly suggested we get tickets for it, I was on board. Since there are quite a few games to be played leading up to the medal rounds, the event was structured to show three games at a time - this meant we got to see the US play against Sweden, Germany play against Japan and Canada take on China. Someone to cheer for in each contest.

Or, in our case, we had the opportunity to see our three teams lose, each in a different way.

Admittedly the US team isn't really in medal contention this year. That's ok, they are already cleaning up on lots of other medals in other sports so nobody feels too badly for them. They played until the 9th end at which time they conceded defeat. The final score: 9 to 3 for Sweden.

The Japan vs. Germany game was a lot closer. Japan played to the end, using up every last second available (the clock ran out during the final shot). They played well but ultimately lost during regulation play.

China came out with an early lead against Canada and held on for the first half, at which point Canada actually tied it up. Regulation play ended as a tie, which sent the teams into an extra end (or in hockey parlance, 'overtime') where China scored. Much of the strategy involved has to do with who gets to throw the last stone, an advantage China capitalized on in the 11th end. It was a fun diversion from the Men's Hockey game which was also happening at the same time. (we lost that one too.)

Here is a brief video of the Canadian shot that tied up the game with China. Listen for the crowd as they go crazy. Oh, and the final shot was taken on the skytrain as we made our way home - there is a lot of Olympic gear being worn and I think the biggest seller by far has to be the mittens. This is the center hand rail to hang on to while standing on a crowded train.