Olympics: Women tournament

[offkilter]

Things are NOT looking good for Canada. If I was a betting man, I don't think Canada will make the playoffs.

This is brutal for Canada, but I feel bad for Japan as well. They're literally in tears like this was their last game. I don't think anyone told them they're still alive via tiebreaker.

 

[Cloned]

Unless Korea (with hammer) can score 3 against Sweden in the 10, Canada is done. Shame.

It’s their own fault for not winning against China. Jones had a terrible game and missed at least three clutch shots.

Also their own fault for being dead last in DSC by a considerable margin.

 

[GQS]

Its certainly does not help that USA and Canada are having a 6 to 8 month olympic camp where the team is living with each other and touring around playing 50 games in preparation! While most european countries have maybe 2-4 weeks sporadic preparation spanning the same time.

USA and Team Canada players are full time pros, focusing everything on hockey while other countries have a 8 hour jobs on the side. In Sweden we even had one our best defensman of all time quitting hockey because she had no energy left to both work fulltime and play hockey at the highest level. Even losing money on going to play on the swedish national team.

That's the thing isn't it? Other countries probably don't have as many women interested in playing hockey competitively and more importantly they probably don't have the support to do so. Hard to improve when women's hockey isn't high on the list for many countries to give funding and support to.

 

[ORRFForever]

It’s their own fault for not winning against China. Jones had a terrible game and missed at least three clutch shots.

You don't need to convince me. Jones is the weakest link and needs to retire.

 

[ORRFForever]

This is brutal for Canada, but I feel bad for Japan as well. They're literally in tears like this was their last game. I don't think anyone told them they're still alive via tiebreaker.

 

[Cloned]

You don't have to convince me. Jones is the weakest link and needs to retire.

Also dead last in DSC by a healthy margin.

 

[ORRFForever]

Also dead last in DSC by a healthy margin.

Yup.

I hate the way she does every interview with a smile - like she doesn't have a care in the world. I am sure Jocelyn Peterman would love a medal.

 

[Cloned]

Probably time for Curling Canada to revamp their selection process. The trial process doesn’t get the best rink in.

 

[Dessloch]

Its certainly does not help that USA and Canada are having a 6 to 8 month olympic camp where the team is living with each other and touring around playing 50 games in preparation! While most european countries have maybe 2-4 weeks sporadic preparation spanning the same time.

USA and Team Canada players are full time pros, focusing everything on hockey while other countries have a 8 hour jobs on the side. In Sweden we even had one our best defensman of all time quitting hockey because she had no energy left to both work fulltime and play hockey at the highest level. Even losing money on going to play on the swedish national team.

Canada and USA are better anyways course, but these factors are relevant as well!

That's the thing isn't it? Other countries probably don't have as many women interested in playing hockey competitively and more importantly they probably don't have the support to do so. Hard to improve when women's hockey isn't high on the list for many countries to give funding and support to.

Its a big factor. The player I mentioned went to work in a mine during the summers to save money so she could get by during the season and pay her rent because of barely scraping by. She did 10 years with the national team before she burnt out.

Russia has 2000 players, Sweden has 7000, USA has 80 000.

USA and Canadas advantages wont be reduced until players can live on hockey in other countries as well and be fulltime pros. USA and Canadas players go through the NCAA program which is very well financed and professional, european countries can not compete with that. The reason Czech Republic is on the rise is because almost their whole national team has gotten stipendiums and went to school and played in the NCAA in the USA.

People here in sweden are complaining about the lack of swedish talent in the SDHL and that the womens team Sweden sucks - yet they are not aware there are barely any girls teams in the country and no junior womens teams at all.

 

[ORRFForever]

Also dead last in DSC by a healthy margin.

The way the commentators sucks up to Jones is painful. No one even hints that she's well beyond her expiry date.

 

[Cloned]

Yup.

I hate the way she does every interview with a smile - like she doesn't have a care in the world. I am sure Jocelyn Peterman would love a medal.

Curling Canada needs to change the way they select who represents Canada. I’d say 90% of the time the best rink in the country isn’t there.

 

[ORRFForever]

Curling Canada needs to change the way they select who represents Canada. I’d say 90% of the time the best rink in the country isn’t there.

I agree.

If Jones had stepped aside, let Lawes be skip and bring Weagle in, it would have been a BIG step in the right direction. Sadly, no one has the courage to tell Jones to step aside.

 

[Cloned]

I agree.

If Jones had stepped down, let Lawes be skip and b ring Weagle in would have been a BIG step in the right direction. Sadly, no one has the courage to tell Jones to step aside.

I’m not convinced Gushue is the best mens rink in Canada either.

 

[GQS]

They need more professional womens leagues to make it so that being a pro female hockey player is a dependable way of earning decent money.

They could do that overnight if more women simply supported women's hockey or women's sports in general. The fact is most women aren't interested in sports or if they are then its usually casually and they direct their attention to men's sports.

Seriously women make up half or more of the population in most countries. There's no reason why if even a relative small fraction of them would consistently support women athletes that that couldn't be enough to allow women to setup some pro-leagues for female athletes in hockey and other sports and allow them to make a living from it.

But again since most women don't seem to care much for any sports, then women are screwed outside of a couple of exceptions like tennis and golf where there is alot of interest in watching women play those sports and as a result those are succeeding and women can make a good if not great living off of playing those sports professionally fulltime.

 

[ORRFForever]

I’m not convinced Gushue is the best mens rink in Canada either.

Dear Jennifer Jones:

PLEASE retire! You've had your time in the sun. You've had MORE than your time. Time to stop dragging your team down.

******

I am off to bed.

Congrats to the Canadian women winning Gold in Hockey

 

[Cloned]

They could do that overnight if more women simply supported women's hockey or women's sports in general. The fact is most women aren't interested in sports or if they are then its usually casually and they direct their attention to men's sports.

Seriously women make up half or more of the population in most countries. There's no reason why if even a relative small fraction of them would consistently support women athletes that that couldn't be enough to allow women to setup some pro-leagues for female athletes in hockey and other sports and allow them to make a living from it.

But again since most women don't seem to care much for any sports, then women are screwed outside of a couple of exceptions like tennis and golf where there is alot of interest in watching women play those sports and as a result those are succeeding and women can make a good if not great living off of playing those sports professionally fulltime.

You need the financial support too. Can’t just snap your fingers unfortunately.

 

[Cloned]

Dear Jennifer Jones:

PLEASE retire! You've had your time in the sun. You've had MORE than your time. Time to stop dragging your team down.

******

I am off to bed.

Congrats to Canadian women winning Gold in Hockey

I’ll be shocked if Gushue wins later. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

 

[ORRFForever]

Kaitlyn Lawes crying. God bless her. She should be skip of her own team.

 

[ORRFForever]

I’ll be shocked if Gushue wins later. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Hopefully. Have a good night, Cloned.

 

[GQS]

Well crap. Jennifer Jones in curling is out. Didn't even make the playoffs. Seriously they really screwed up by not beating China yesterday when they were leading so much and then blew the lead and at the end of the game Jones had the last shot to win and she missed it and lost and it lead to today where their fate was in other team's hands in order for them to make the playoffs.

 

[offkilter]

That's the thing isn't it? Other countries probably don't have as many women interested in playing hockey competitively and more importantly they probably don't have the support to do so. Hard to improve when women's hockey isn't high on the list for many countries to give funding and support to.

That is quite literally the heart of the issue. Canada and the United States players benefit so much from the college system. It extends hockey players' careers at a higher level at a point where other nations women would have been forced to give up the sport. You can easily see with these other teams which players have NCAA experience as they are so much more of a stand out than their other team mates.

The only way other nations will improve is if their governments literally subsidize their entire player development program and overhaul their education systems so every university has a women's hockey team, or start a state run sports academy.

None of that will happen as most nations especially in Europe aren't going to spend millions of dollars on developing a niche sport they percieve as a sideshow that no one watches.

The only country showing any development is Japan as they have a similar education system with highschool and college teams, as well as pro corporate teams funded as tax write offs, but physically they're undersized and struggle despite their solid playing skills. This was show during their game against Finland where the Fin's literally parked their tallest player in fronnt of the net as screen at they couldn't do anything to dislodge her.

 

[ORRFForever]

Well crap. Jennifer Jones in curling is out. Didn't even make the playoffs. Seriously they really screwed up by not beating China yesterday when they were leading so much and then blew the lead and at the end of the game Jones had the last shot to win and she missed it and lost and it lead to today where their fate was in other team's hands in order for them to make the playoffs.

Yup. Jones missed shot after shot after shot ALL week. Shame.

 

[Cloned]

Well crap. Jennifer Jones in curling is out. Didn't even make the playoffs. Seriously they really screwed up by not beating China yesterday when they were leading so much and then blew the lead and at the end of the game Jones had the last shot to win and she missed it and lost and it lead to today where their fate was in other team's hands in order for them to make the playoffs.

It's extremely disappointing that Canada could come away from curling with zero medals. They need to hold some sort of curling summit.

 

[GQS]

USA and Canadas advantages wont be reduced until players can live on hockey in other countries as well and be fulltime pros. USA and Canadas players go through the NCAA program which is very well financed and professional, european countries can not compete with that. The reason Czech Republic is on the rise is because almost their whole national team has gotten stipendiums and went to school and played in the NCAA in the USA.

Well I wouldn't say women's hockey in North America is hugely well financed, but its certainly much better here than anywhere else in the world. If women want more support and to have pro-leagues of their own, then they should get other women to support them. They make up half the population or more and if most aren't interested in sports enough to support their fellow female athletes well there's nothing that can be done.

People here in sweden are complaining about the lack of swedish talent in the SDHL and that the womens team Sweden sucks - yet they are not aware there are barely any girls teams in the country and no junior womens teams at all.

Well maybe girls in Sweden and in other countries just aren't that interested in playing hockey competitively? Also hockey is a hard sport to get better at especially when it comes to women's hockey, so why not invest resources in other sports that can net you more medals?

 

[GQS]

You need the financial support too. Can’t just snap your fingers unfortunately.

Have more women go out and support female athletes and their sports. There's your financial support. Unfortunately as I said most women aren't interested in sports whether its men or women, so while men have no issues supporting male athletes, women athletes are screwed because other women don't do the same. Sucks for women but what can you do?