drop-in update

Draw 1

Me:  on-ice observer, sheet A (home end).  Australia vs. Scotland.  On a missed hit by Scotland, Australia steal 2 in the 10th to tie the match and force it to an extra end.  Scotland do not allow them to steal again, but it comes down to skips' rocks.

On other sheets:  sheet B, Germany vs. Norway; Norway wins.  (I don't remember much about that game, except that it was close.)  Sheet C, Finland vs. Switzerland; Switzerland were up 10-3 after 8 ends, and Finland concedes.  Sheet D, where flt was observing, Sweden vs. Canada; Canada wins, but I understand it was a good game.


Draw 2

Me:  off.

Sheet A, Switzerland vs. Germany; Switzerland wins.  Sheet B, Denmark vs. Japan; Japan wins.  Sheet C, where flt is working, USA vs. Ireland; USA wins, but it's a squeaker.  This is surprising, because Ireland have never competed at the world level before.  Sheet D, Finland vs. Norway; Finland wins.


Draw 3

Me:  off.  So is flt.

Sheet B, Canada vs. Australia.  Australia wins in the 11th end.  This is shocking.

Sheet C, Sweden vs. Scotland.  Scotland wins.


Draw 4

Me:  timer, sheet C (and flt is on the ice observing).  Germany vs. Finland.  It was a good game, better than the score makes it seem.  Germany wins.

On other sheets:  sheet A, USA vs. Japan; USA wins handily.  Sheet B, Norway vs. Switzerland; both teams play with northern-European precision and it's some of the best curling I've ever seen.  They're neck and neck the whole time.  Switzerland wins.  Sheet D, Denmark vs. Ireland; both teams play badly, but Denmark manages to get more points at it.  Ireland concedes after 8 ends.


Draw 5

Me:  on-ice observer, sheet A (home end) (with flt timing).  Scotland vs. Canada.  In the first five ends I'm a little baffled by how badly Scotland is playing.  They're down 4-2 at the break, but they must have had some kind of pep talk in the locker room, because they came back after and stole one (on a huge mistake by Canada -- a missed wide-open hit that must have rattled the skip's confidence for the next four ends, because otherwise there's no excuse for it), stole two, and stole one, so now it's 6-4 in favor of Scotland going into the ninth.  They gave up one, and thus had a one-point lead with the hammer coming home, and Canada couldn't manage to steal.

On other sheets:  sheet B, USA vs. Denmark; USA wins, but it's touch and go there for a while.  Sheet C, Ireland vs. Japan; Ireland wins easily.  Sheet D, Australia vs. Sweden; it's not pretty.


Tomorrow

I'm not working the draw 6, but the games are:

Sweden vs. Finland (smart money is on Sweden)
Canada vs. Germany (hard to say; normally I'd bet on Canada, but they've been having a rough time so far)
Australia vs. Switzerland (again, hard to say; Australia shouldn't do well, but they shouldn't have beaten Canada and given Scotland a run for its money, either)
Scotland vs. Norway (I predict a win for Scotland)

Draw 7:  Sheet A, Germany vs. Ireland; sheet B, Finland vs. Japan; sheet C, Norway vs. USA; sheet D, Switzerland vs. Denmark.  I don't figure any of these will be especially challenging or interesting, more's the pity.  (Winners should be Germany, Finland, USA, Switzerland.)  I'm observing on sheet D, away end.

Draw 8:  Sheet A, Denmark vs. Australia (anybody's game, I think); sheet B, USA vs. Scotland (ditto, but for opposite reasons); sheet C, Japan vs. Sweden (Sverige, Sverige, Sverige); sheet D, Ireland vs. Canada (Canada should win, but whether they will or not remains to be seen).


Aren't round robins fun?  :-D