Grand Slam of Curling in Toronto

Ryerson University's Mattamy Athletic Centre located in the old Maple Leaf Gardens is hosting the Players Championships this week.

The draw schedule is here.
To buy tickets, click here.
The tv schedule is here.

It's a great compact venue where you can watch up to five matches at a time. It can be difficult to keep up with that many so focusing on one or two will give more enjoyment for those wanting to follow the strategy.

With the draw schedule released before the tournament starts, it's easy to choose the best viewing area for the match that is most interesting to you.

Although the compactness of the venue is great for the fans to be closer to the action and view the matches, there is not much room for the athletes between

The East grandstands provide the best view for Sheet B and C. It is closest to Sheet A giving the best view of the players, but the house is partially obstructed so rocks closest to the stands are not visible, especially if seated closer to the rink. There is glass around the stairs areas that also disrupts the view from the lower rows. The best seats are in the middle of rows away from the stairs.

If you want to view as much as possible, the higher rows are best. If you want to be as close as possible to the action and don't mind missing some of the action, lower rows are best.

This is the view from section E4, Row B Seat 8. As you can see Sheet A is half obstructed, but it's still a great seat to hear the strategy and see the athletes close-up.

Photos shared are taken with my iPhone. The shots I got last year with my camera are much better. There are great shots to be had when you're this close to the action.

This is the view from the top (standing above the top row of seats). Behind the scoreboards (on the left) is the Pinty's zone where fans can eat wings and drink while watching the games - although understand that you'll probably be on television when you take that big bite ;-)

During the week is a great time to get autographs as many players paused before leaving the rink. Most fans got autographs at the north end of Sheet A as or centre ice as you can see from this photo. Players can also be seen arriving and leaving the venue or talking in the hallways. Most are very accommodating to talk to fans.

If you remember Maple Leaf Gardens, make sure to look up at the rafters where pennants used to hang.

If you're interested in seeing how they transform the venue into a curling venue, check out this video.

The problem with curling is ...

[insert joke/smart aleck comment here: _______________]

The problem with curling isn't one of those typical arguments against curling, the problem with curling in Canada is that we only get to send one men's team and one ladies' team to the Olympics when numerous Canadian teams could win a medal.

Canada's Olympic representatives are decided this weekend at Roar of the Rings in Winnipeg. The format is a round robin tournament where all 8 teams play each other. The leader after the round robin gets a bye directly to the final. Second place and third place play in a semi-final.

Team Jennifer Jones and Team Brad Jacobs won their respective round robins and are one win away from going to their first Olympics.

Canada has won two curling medals at the Olympics since its return to the Games in 1998.

2010 - Kevin Martin (gold), Cheryl Bernard (silver)
2006 - Brad Gushue (gold), Shannon Kleibrink (bronze)
2002 - Kevin Martin (silver), Kelley Law (bronze)
1998 - Mike Harris (silver), Sandra Schmirler (gold)

Watching Roar of the Rings this week, it's heartbreaking to see the Olympic dream disappear for worthy teams. Some of them go from being a potential Olympic medalist to not being an Olympian at all.

There are other sports where we only send one team or one athlete, but in most of those cases, potential medalists don't stay home.

The good thing about curling is that it does have longevity. Unlike many sports where you reach your prime in your teens or early twenties, your Olympic dream can last for multiple Olympic cycles.

So where do the curling teams stand at day 6 of Roar of the Rings?

Still alive:
Brad Jacobs 7-0
Kevin Martin 6-1
John Morris 4-3 (Olympic gold at 2010 with Kevin Martin)

Eliminated:
Mike McEwen 3-4
Jeff Stoughton 3-4
Kevin Koe 2-5
Glenn Howard 2-5
John Epping 1-6

Who do we cheer for? Kevin Martin or John Morris who have been Olympians already (will anything ever compare to winning gold on home soil?) or Brad Jacobs who is a potential first time Olympian?

Still alive:
Jennifer Jones 6-1
Rachel Homan 4-3
Sherry Middaugh 4-3

Eliminated:
Chelsea Carey 4-3 (eliminated in tie-break vs Sherry Middaugh)
Val Sweeting 3-4
Heather Nedohin 3-4
Stefanie Lawton 2-5
Renee Sonnenberg 2-5

Upcoming Matches:
Friday evening: women's semi (Sherry Middaugh won 10-4 as I'm writing)
Saturday afternoon: men's semi
Saturday evening: women's final
Sunday afternoon: men's final

Rachel Homan won a bronze medal at the World Championships last year. It's amazing that a world championships medalist doesn't qualify for the Olympics. This wouldn't happen in most sports. The issue with curling is that just like there's more than one team who could medal at the Olympics, more than one team could medal at the World Championships.

So this weekend is Canada's Olympics. The athletes who are potentially Olympic medalists will be decided. Heartbreaking for the others.

The reason that we only get to send one team is that only 10 teams compete at the Olympics. They play a round-robin tournament. Having more teams (and really even if you have 16 teams or 20 teams), other countries should be represented if they are competitive.

Curling could have a pool type of draw like the World Cup in soccer to handle more teams. They could have qualifying like figure skating, where the best countries can send a second team. I like some curling teams from other countries. I can't imagine them not being at the Olympics. This issue isn't just a Canadian issue.

It's a fine line for a team of 4 to be compared to a team of 12. I guess we could argue that we could send two hockey teams and they could both medal - do we still have that much depth? Team USA could send two basketball teams.

The issue with curling is that we're not sending our top 4 curlers. Hockey, soccer and basketball choose the top players in the country to send.

So even if I understand why, only getting to send one team is the problem with curling for me.