We interrupt your regular existential dread to bring you some things that don’t matter. We talk the cancelation of all things curling, team changes and how we’re coping with quarantine. We need to keep podcasting to stay sane, so please send us topics you’d like us to cover to [email protected].

We discuss arena curling strategies (as in U.S. arena curling clubs), trends from the Scotties and Brier and worldwide national championships before previewing women’s worlds. Get a team-by-team breakdown including how this year’s tournament will impact the race for Olympic points.

A division in Polish Curling came to a head in February 2020 when the WCF suspended the Polish Curling Association. We look into the reasons likely at the root of the suspension and are joined by Marcin Madej of the Polish Federation of Curling Clubs. Marcin provides insight into the history of curling in Poland, the division between his organization and the PCA and how the sport can move forward in his country.

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We start by recapping the many national curling championships that just completed, including Scotland, Switzerland, Japan and the US. We finish off by discussing the recent hire of Jeff Plush as the new CEO of USA Curling, hear from some people who know him better than we do and talk about what his success will look like if you’re a club curler.

Jonathan and Ryan preview the upcoming championships for the USA, Scotland, Switzerland and Japan (plus we spend about 30 seconds on Sweden). Will any young up-and-coming teams claim titles? Why is it so important that Japan is missing out on this year’s Men’s World Championship? Why doesn’t Jonathan like Tim Horton’s? We attempt to answer these questions and more!

For more on the USA Curling National Championships, check out Ep44 with the 12th End Sports Network’s Joe Calabrese. Click here for a streaming schedule for this month’s curling championships.

Jonathan recaps his recent curling trip to Lativa and we are joined by Joe Calabrese from 12th End Sports Network. Joe tells us about the birth of TESN’s webcasts and how their coverage of USA Curling Nationals has grown in the nine years they’ve been doing them. We also preview what to look for on the ice and on the broadcast at the upcoming championships.

We return from our holiday break to discuss a number of curling topics. We look at curling’s rankings system, why it can be tougher for European teams to earn points, an important facility closure, the difference in how clubs are set up in Europe vs. North America and we get Jonathan’s perspective on Curling Canada’s High Performance Consultant Program.

Adriana Camarena, the skip of Mexico’s women’s team, joins us ahead of Mexico’s trip to the 2020 World Qualification Event in Lohja, Finland. We discuss her start with the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club, how she became a part of Curling Mexico, her experience at the 2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship & 2019 America’s Challenge and how curling can continue to grow in the Americas Zone. We even have some news about the 2020 WQE field.

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Bobby Torres from the Curling Club at Penn State joins us to discuss his recent Growth of Curling Survey. It’s a fascinating look at how real curlers feel curling clubs can improve. We talk about learn-to-curl opportunities, marketing to the next generation and the unorthodox ways his club is attracting new members. Also, Jonathan and Ryan settle-up on their bad beer bet with the Game of Stones podcast.

It’s a double episode! Scott Graham from Game of Stones joins Jonathan to recap the European Championships, debate the broom fiasco and determine the losers of the Bad Beer Bet. But first we talk to Craig Nicko from Craig’s Curling Shoes about crafting crazy custom curling kicks.