Eight out of ten ain't bad
February 9, 2022 7:21 PM Subscribe
Why did the Canada vs. Denmark men's curling game end after only eight ends? I thought that there were supposed to be ten ends in a game.
In principle Denmark still had enough stones to win (even if such an outcome was unlikely—the final score was 10-5). Is there a "mercy rule" in Olympic curling? Or did Denmark just concede defeat?
In principle Denmark still had enough stones to win (even if such an outcome was unlikely—the final score was 10-5). Is there a "mercy rule" in Olympic curling? Or did Denmark just concede defeat?
All the Olympic curling matches I’ve watched were 8 ends.
posted by advicepig at 7:50 PM on February 9, 2022
posted by advicepig at 7:50 PM on February 9, 2022
Mixed doubles are eight ends -- I think it's in part an attempt to create a faster event to draw new audiences; men's and women's are ten ends. (Women's used to be eight ends I'd guess a couple of decades ago, but turns out their fragile womanly bodies can handle the stress of ten full ends of curling after all.)
posted by Superilla at 7:55 PM on February 9, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by Superilla at 7:55 PM on February 9, 2022 [10 favorites]
Best answer: It is very common to concede if you know you’ll never catch up. In fact, curling is well known for courteous sportsmanship. It is expected that you call yourself out when you make an error, for example, and the winning team absolutely MUST take the losing team out for drinks after the match. Really.
posted by Melismata at 8:43 PM on February 9, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 8:43 PM on February 9, 2022 [11 favorites]
ROC women’s team conceded to the US after 8 ends. In mixed doubles, a team conceded to Italy after, I believe, 6 ends. It’s a matter of the math just not working out.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:48 AM on February 10, 2022
posted by Thorzdad at 3:48 AM on February 10, 2022
Response by poster: Thanks everyone — that makes more sense. I picked up a bit of curling vocabulary & strategy growing up in Canada but apparently I didn't absorb the curling culture.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:37 AM on February 10, 2022
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:37 AM on February 10, 2022
All the Olympic curling matches I’ve watched were 8 ends.
You were watching the 'mixed doubles' curling, I would guess. Only two players per team, with 8 ends played (unless there is a tie breaker end), each player throws 5 rocks per end.
The 'reglular' curling has 4 players on each team, with 10 ends played (tie breaker also possible), each team throw 8 rocks per end.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 8:11 AM on February 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
You were watching the 'mixed doubles' curling, I would guess. Only two players per team, with 8 ends played (unless there is a tie breaker end), each player throws 5 rocks per end.
The 'reglular' curling has 4 players on each team, with 10 ends played (tie breaker also possible), each team throw 8 rocks per end.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 8:11 AM on February 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
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There's no mercy rule, but curling culture says that a team that's far enough behind they don't think they can catch up can concede by shaking hands (it looked like fist bumps, COVID, I guess) with the other team and congratulating them "good game"; this is normally what's done when a game is over, so doing it before the finish of the final end (or at least running out of rocks in the final end) is essentially admitting the game is over. Saying the Danes "shook hands" after the eighth end would be understood as them conceding.
It's considered good sportsmanship on the behalf of the team conceding -- in other sports quitting before the official end of a game would be harshly thought of -- although their position wasn't so impossible that it would be held against them or considered poor sportsmanship if they had opted to continue for another end.
posted by Superilla at 7:49 PM on February 9, 2022 [10 favorites]