Mixed doubles curling rocks house with Olympic menu approval
On Monday, the International Olympic Committee announced mixed doubles curling would join the schedule for the 2018 Winter Games, and the new event figured to boost Canada’s medal count.
After all, of the 10 total gold medals awarded in men’s and women’s curling since 1998, five have gone to Canadian rinks. Putting men and women on the same team would only strengthen Canada’s stranglehold on the event. Right? Not quite. Curling experts emphasize that mixed doubles is a related but distinct event, with different rules, lineups and strategies than traditional curling events. And while top curlers dabble in mixed doubles, Olympic champs such as Brad Jacobs and Kaitlyn Lawes rarely play it. The world championship in mixed doubles curling has been contested eight times and Canada has medalled just once, beaten out by curling minnows such as Hungary, Spain and New Zealand.
Curling Canada communications director Allen Cameron says that be- cause the sport is new and evolving, it’s difficult to handicap and easy for the IOC to embrace.
“It touches nations that are nontraditional and that was an appeal to the IOC,” Cameron said.
The mixed doubles format was born in 2002 as a TV-friendly element of curling’s Continental Cup. Instead of using four players of the same sex, teams use one man and one woman, and the person throwing the stone also has to help sweep.
While traditional curling matches span 10 ends, mixed doubles teams play eight. And instead of eight stones per end, each team throws five. Two more rocks are put in place at the beginning of each end, ensuring more scoring. Curlers can’t knock a competitor’s rocks from the circle until at least three rocks have been thrown.
“There are a ton of rocks in play,” says Paul Webster, a national coach with Curling Canada. “A lot of big ends. It lends itself to a lot of scoring.”
The result, Cameron says, is a faster-paced game that is to traditional curling what rugby sevens is to rugby union — the same sport, just one is sped up, condensed and better suited to attract fans unfamiliar with the sport. While four-a-side curling contests last more than two hours, most mixed-doubles matches wrap up within 90 minutes.
But for some diehard curling fans, mixed doubles isn’t an exciting complement to the four-a-side game. It’s a sideshow. “Mixed Doubles Curling is the equivalent of putting a home run derby in the Olympics,” said one Twitter user. Webster and Cameron both acknowledge traditionalists won’t adopt the mixed doubles game quickly as the IOC has, but they say inclusion in the Olympics will help mixed doubles curling win legitimacy among fans and players. At the mass participation level, they say traditional curling still dominates mixed doubles, and among elite players, the four-a-side game still takes precedent.
Toronto Curling Association president Hugh Murphy estimates that among the roughly 15,000 players registered in its member clubs, about 400 play mixed doubles. He says clubs haven’t emphasized the two-aside game because traditional curling allows them to accommodate more players at once.
“I wouldn’t say it isn’t popular, but it isn’t as exposed,” Murphy said. “But it’s also on the rise.” Murphy says mixed doubles leagues and bonspiels are increasingly common locally. And observers agree the prospect of an Olympic medal will inspire top players from traditional curling to attempt the transition to mixed-doubles.
“I’m optimistic our top players are going to embrace this because of the Olympic angle,” Cameron said. “Once people see it in Pyeongchang (South Korea), it’s going to take off.”