Posted on 02/23/2010 7:39:31 PM PST by ak267
Canada beat the U.S. in curling Monday, officially killing the American team's hopes of making the medal podium in a second straight Games.
The news came as little surprise to many people—least of all the U.S. Curling team.
"We never really got on one path," says Rick Patzke, the chief operating officer for USA Curling, who said there was never any cohesive plan in place to win and that the training ahead of these Games was essentially a write-off. "There wasn't total buy-in," he says. By the time the Olympics came around, Mr. Patzke adds, USA Curling was resigned to the fact that it was really preparing for 2014. "We started with Sochi and we worked backward," he says.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
John Shuster was terrrible.. It did look like he hadn’t been practicing or training. He was pathetic.
Curling Bigwig?? Isn’t that an Oxymoron?? Or is that the Manager of a Barber Shop....Anyways enough jokes the US Curling team was awfull.....Oh Well..
(Watched the Silver Broom on CBC during college).
A prepared loser is a loser.
Seems a bit unnecessarily cruel.
I for one do enjoy watching curling. It’s curiously intoxicating. There’s a lot of depth in the strategy. It’s got a little bit of bowling, billiards, shuffleboard... and is surprisingly fun to watch.
Translation: Not enough beer leading up to the Olympics.
Jason Smith was decent I thought. I’d say build around him for 2014, but did I hear he quits after this forever?
But in giving them the money, they insisted that USA Curling embark on an ambitious plan to change the culture and structure of the national team.
The US Olympic Committee screwed up our curling team - like the Feds, they gave them money on condition that they took over their lives - mind, body, everything - and then destroyed the team. Then when it lost, they blamed the team. And no one's reporting the kinds of "cultural and structural changes" they forced on this already successful team, or who in the USOC was in charge of this destruction.
does anybody remember when Chris Evert went to the Olympics, lost, and basically said afterwards that they didn't have to win, or similar?...the curling association and Shuster IMO seemed to have that "it doesn't matter" attitude...
If we're going to have teams, then those teams better give it their all....
but damn....we need to get a better showing.....
OK, I will bite. What kind of “cultural and structural changes” they forced on this already successful team,” did they put on them?
I really wouldn’t be surprised. This is what they do to America in general, and they love to do this to everyday schools across this nation every day.
This announcer pointed out that the American team was composed of true amatuers. The male being pummeled made his living as a bartender in Duluth, Minnesota; curling is his hobby. He and the other team members make tremendous personal sacrifices to just get to the Olympics. Their vacations and personal funds are given over to the sport. Don't compare them to professional sports figures making many thousands or even millions of dollars each year.
I don’t compare them to million dollar athletes but I do expect the “skip” to not say “I hate this game” as he misses a shot...
Until fairly recently the entire world of curling was amateur or at best fairly low rent. No one in curling is makihng huge bucks but as the years have gone by at least in the hot bed of Canada some money has begun to drift down to the players.
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