# Sweden - Curling gold **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 27, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599 "2010-02-27T02:19:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/1 "2010-02-27T02:19:18Z")
What a match! Canada lost the game on a badly played stone by their captain on the last end and then Sweden played a perfect 11th end to win it. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/2 "2010-02-27T02:24:28Z")
It’s a good thing I don’t really care for curling very much, otherwise I might have been upset that you spoiled it for me … ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/3 "2010-02-27T03:07:58Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > What a match! > Canada lost the game on a badly played stone by their captain on the last end and then Sweden played a perfect 11th end to win it. Did you see the bronze metal match between China and Switzerland? The Swiss Skip missed a lot of shots. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/4 "2010-02-27T03:10:16Z")
Yeah, Canada’s skip missed some important shots – including an easy draw for two in the second end – and made (IMO) a major strategic mistake in going for the blank in the eighth end, assuming that Sweden would then hand the hammer back in the ninth. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/5 "2010-02-27T03:19:29Z")
I thought the Canadian rink played rather poorly for the first 5 ends. Then the Swedish skip completely blew two shots to allow steals of 2 and 1 and basically gift the game to the Canadians. Not to be outdone by such Nordic politeness, Bernard gifted it back by missing the open hit in the 10th and then a relatively easy double in the 11th. I think the lack of big stage international experience was showing there at the end. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/6 "2010-02-27T03:30:38Z")
Does this mean curling is finally off my TV? I swear, there has been more Olympic coverage of that than anything else I’ve seen this year…why?! ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/7 "2010-02-27T03:39:43Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Does this mean curling is finally off my TV? I swear, there has been more Olympic coverage of that than anything else I’ve seen this year…why?! Nope, two men’s matches tomorrow: bronze and gold. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/8 "2010-02-27T03:40:55Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Does this mean curling is finally off my TV? I swear, there has been more Olympic coverage of that than anything else I’ve seen this year…why?! You will not see any of it for 4 years, gotta have all the possible airtime ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/9 "2010-02-27T13:39:41Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Did you see the bronze metal match between China and Switzerland? The Swiss Skip missed a lot of shots. who won? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/10 "2010-02-27T14:09:12Z")
Did anyone notice that the Swedish captain looked exactly like Benny Hill? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/11 "2010-02-27T14:14:56Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Did anyone notice that the Swedish captain looked exactly like Benny Hill? That’s mean:); let’s say Benny Hill’s daughter. The Cannuck captain however…I’m more than willing to confort her. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/12 "2010-02-27T15:51:13Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > who won? China ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/13 "2010-02-27T16:23:13Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Yeah, Canada’s skip missed some important shots – including an easy draw for two in the second end – and made (IMO) a major strategic mistake in going for the blank in the eighth end, assuming that Sweden would then hand the hammer back in the ninth. I’ve nver actually watched curling before (and I kind of enjoyed it), but damn my heart went out to her. Congtrats to Sweden. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/14 "2010-02-27T18:21:14Z")
That was a horrible way to lose. It could scar a person’s soul for life. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/15 "2010-02-27T19:51:38Z")
In that 10th frame/inning/end/whatever, I wonder why the Canadians didn’t play for the block on their penultimate stone, since the Swedes had already played a blocking stone of their own (which the Canadians had kept blasting out of play), with those two stones all nice and tight near the button (Canada being closer). Wouldn’t that have necessitated a virtual miracle shot by the Swedes, to either somehow manuever through the maze of blocking stones or to attempt a very hard double hit to get the Canadian stone off of the button? Instead they just blasted it away again, leaving things nice & wide open for the last two stones and subsequent Canadian f\*\*\*up. Maybe to a novice like me the subtleties here escape me? [Pardon my vernacular] ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/16 "2010-02-27T20:50:42Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > The Cannuck captain however…I’m more than willing to confort her. Amen to that! ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/17 "2010-02-27T21:34:49Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > In that 10th frame/inning/end/whatever, I wonder why the Canadians didn’t play for the block on their penultimate stone, since the Swedes had already played a blocking stone of their own (which the Canadians had kept blasting out of play), with those two stones all nice and tight near the button (Canada being closer). Wouldn’t that have necessitated a virtual miracle shot by the Swedes, to either somehow manuever through the maze of blocking stones or to attempt a very hard double hit to get the Canadian stone off of the button? Instead they just blasted it away again, leaving things nice & wide open for the last two stones and subsequent Canadian f\*\*\*up. Maybe to a novice like me the subtleties here escape me? [Pardon my vernacular] I believe that the concern with this strategy is that if the Swedes made the raise takeout(not sure if that’s what you’d call that shot), then the Canadians are screwed. I’m no expert, but it seems to me that Canada’s big mistake, other than missing the double at the end, was to have put off dealing with the stones in the house. If Sweden had made a better shot with their last rock and not left the double there, what was Canada going to do? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/18 "2010-02-27T22:07:12Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > That’s mean:)The Cannuck captain however…I’m more than willing to confort her. Naw, she looks way too much like Michelle Batshit Bachmann. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/19 "2010-02-27T22:28:57Z")
I never let politics get on the way of my being a gentleman. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599/20 "2010-02-27T22:37:41Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > I believe that the concern with this strategy is that if the Swedes made the raise takeout(not sure if that’s what you’d call that shot), then the Canadians are screwed. > > I’m no expert, but it seems to me that Canada’s big mistake, other than missing the double at the end, was to have put off dealing with the stones in the house. If Sweden had made a better shot with their last rock and not left the double there, what was Canada going to do? This was the 11th end, not the 10th, but yes. Because those rocks were glued together, guarding was bad strategy. Sweden would have run back whichever guard looked easiest onto the pair of stones, and any contact would have left Sweden counting, most likely completely buried and with no open paths for Canada to draw to the button. I thought throughout the end they should have come after that pair of stones with big weight to move things around. The positioning was just too advantageous for Sweden. Then Sweden finally hits them and leaves a fairly easy double, I figured Bernard had lucked out yet again. Then she just flat out misses the broom for the second time in two ends. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweden-curling-gold/530599.md?page=2)