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| AO Forum :: > Competition Archives > AOCC2 Rosters and roleplaying thread |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 17 2007, 01:15 AM |
| You know what to do! RP bonus is: 5 points - Excellent!! 3 points - Well, it's a good 'un... 1 point - At least he RPed... 0 point - Crikey, mate. Style modifier Each team gets 7 points to modify their style between offensive curling and defensive curling. Offensive curling is when you play to knock your opponent's rocks from the house in each end of the match, so that you can use your last rocks to try to win points. Defensive curling is the method of playing your rocks in a formation and then playing your point-getting stone inside the formation to guard it from an opponent's counterattack. An example of a style modifier would thusly be, OFC 3, DFC 4; OFC 7, DFC 0 or OFC 1, DFC 6. |
| Posted by: Demot Feb 17 2007, 02:59 AM |
| Team Demot First: Bellowar Mazii - age 22 Second: Ricky Manttalow - age 28 Third: Triad Deno - age 24 (Vice) Fourth: Jammal Rellings - age 26 (Skip) OFC: 3 DFC: 4 |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Feb 17 2007, 06:42 AM | ||||
| Curled Bazalopes First: Malcolm Fostington Second: Jerry Haven (skip) Third: Douglas Mawson (Vice) Fourth: Kevin Lawson OFC:5 DFC:2 -------- BazSport's bringing the sports that matter to you. The Atlantian Oceania Curling Cup is back in on the regional sporting arena. Yes, the sport in which 4 Bazalonians made it into the quarter finals of the 1st winter Olympiad all that time ago is back. But still what exactly is Curling? Many Bazalonians are probably stumped as to what exactly curling is. To Answer this we would like to talk to Wayne King the Athletic Head of the Bazalonian delegation to the winter olympiad in commerce heights. Good Afternoon Wayne and welcome to BazSports. Thank you for havaing me, I've heard that Curling is similiar to bowling. can you explain exactly how a game of Curling works? A Game of Curling is remarkably similiar to a game of Lawn bowls in the fact that the object of the game is to score points by having your teams Curling Stones closest to the button. However that is where the similiarity ends. A curling team is made up of 4 people each one throws 2 stones, with the objective to get your stones into the scoring area , known as the house and as close as possible to the button. Each throw 2 players have brooms and can "sweep" the surface and control the speed of the stone. So what strategies are there in curling? There are basically 2 strategies, drawing, that means attempting to get you stones in a better position or blocking attempting to stop your opponents stones from getting in a good position. Or you could try to knock you opponents stone out of the way. Bazalonia is currently 9th seed in the region with our Winter Olympic experience, what do you think will happen, particularily as we were just unlucky enough to be the 3rd seed in our group. I'd say we have a very good chance of putting up a good fight. Qualification is a certain possibility however Chacor have played in the AOCC before and that experience may be just enough to get them over the line. One final question, will the Curled Bazalopes be under any real sort of presure like the Bazalopes, the national soccer team, to perform? Not really, Though we did get to the quarter finals in the first Winter Olympics in Curling it's been a long time and no one is really expecting anything dramatic like a series of wins against the number 1 team in the region. We'll now just look at the teams that the Curled Bazalopes will face.
And here are the fixtures...
Any comments Wayne? The Curled Bazalopes will have their work cut out for them, They can't forget Sarzonia and let them through but they still have to take Chacor down a peg or two. This is going to be a hard group for the Curled Bazalopes to handle but handle they can. Okay, thank you wayne that is where we are going to leave it, See you during the tournament. That's alright, I'll look forward to being with you in the commentary team with you too. From one Ice Sport to another, yes, I'm talking about the Hockey World Cup... --- Jerry Gulped as he got on the AeroPacitalia flight to Pacitalia. No one would remember if they qualified. No way they would win this nor come close, however if they came last, particularily if they lost to a nation that had no Curling experience at all that would be another matter all together. He needed to defend the desicion to send a team to Pacitalia and the only way he could do that was to ensure that they won the games they needed. Including the first. |
| Posted by: Az-cz Feb 17 2007, 07:38 AM |
| Submission of the Az-cz roster for AOCC2 To-Sr (vice) though-Ir Olaf Svenderson (skip) Swi-Pr OFC: 5 DFC: 2 This is the same squad that won the Silver medal in the recently completed olympics in Commerce Heights Jasi'yun. OOC: This post has been edited because 3wide's spell check keeps changing the name of my freaking player. The second players name is is T-H-O but the spellchecker keeps changing it to though for reasons I can't figure out. If anybody knows how to keep that from happening let me know please. |
| Posted by: Az-cz Feb 17 2007, 08:43 AM |
| The four curlers just finished practicing when they heard that the schedules had been announced for the AOCC2. Svenderson was first to examine the schedules and was simply flabbergastered. "I don't get this freaking region. Why are there so many nations that are averse to the world spotlight? We were the silver medalists of the olympics and the gold medalists are in a different region, yet we're ranked sixth. How does that work?" To-Sir answered back, "yeah I know. It's the same stuff as in AOCAF. I don't know what's wrong with some of these nations like the hosts or Amarenthe or Myrtannia. Well let's see if they're really as good as advertised or if the rankings are just retarded." though-Ir added to the complaining. "Not only that, but the schedule is just poorly designed. Is Pacitalia really unable to come up with a schedule for a group of four that is balanced. Why do some teams have three consecutive matches with the hammer or without the hammer. That's just ridiculous. It's 6 matches in a group of four. The Az-cz world cup comitteed made a schedule with 18 matches for a group of 10, non-repeating and never had teams have more than two times in a row home or away." Swi-Pr continued to harp on the hosts "well they're a bunch of brain dead capitalists. Someone from their country made the claim that not for-profit TV was capitalist because it competed against capitalist TV. Which is like claiming that cuddling with my wife is capitalist because instead we could be out shopping. So it's not suprised they don't know what in heck they're doing." Svenderson then tried to bring the group back on focus. "True true, but either way we just have to deal with it. Let's analyze the teams in our group. Amarenthe, well they won the silver medal here last time so they must be pretty danged good. However that doesn't mean they're really that good. They dropped a couple of matches in the group play last time and some pretty badly about that." Swi-Pr confidently added "and we've never really heard of them in anything else. We ought to get the better of them, but it certainly will be a tough way to start. Who's next?" To-Sir replied quickly "Ubundi." though-Ir looked confused and asked "Who? Have they ever competed in anything here in Atlantian Oceania?" Svenderson said "I don't think so. I think they're pretty new here, which means they could be suprisingly good, but probably we'll be able to take them down. Then we finish with Nojika. They're pretty mediocre at everything near as I can tell. I don't see any problems there either." The team generally agreed that they ought to crush their group and roll into the knockouts on a high note. It wouldn't be till later rounds where they really expected to be challenged. |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Feb 17 2007, 02:16 PM |
| Manhattan Prime First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) OFC: 3 DFC: 4 |
| Posted by: Ubundi Feb 17 2007, 05:44 PM |
| Team Ubundi Roster Lead: Otto Uotila Skip: Mvula Utni Third: Azaan Daktari (Vice Skip) Fourth: Gero Sipho OFC: 4 DFC: 3 The Eclipse Sporting Grounds, Ubundiville, Ubundi Team Ubundi was working on basic strategy when their British coach, Jonathan Wells rushed in holding a stack of papers. "What is it, John?" asked the skip, Mvula Utni. "Our AOCC2 opponents and schedule has been released." Wells handed the papers over to Utni, who read. "Looks like we're in Group B with Amarenthe, Az-Cz, and Nojika. Amarenthe is ranked second and Az-Cz sixth, so those will be the ones toughest ones to beat. Nojika is ranked with us equally, and seems to be new to AO curling tourneys." "And the schedule?" Otto Uotila questioned? "Day 1 - Nojika Day 2 - Az-Cz Day 3 - Amarenthe. Days 4, 5, and 6 are when we play the teams, again." "It's a tough group, guys, but since we are new, no one quite knows our strategy," Utni announced. "We will win using surprise." UNCradio Sport Transcript Folami Tafari: Welcome back to UNCradio Sport. This is Folami Tafari and joining me now is Ubundi Now! sports columnist and curling specialist, Teemu Vaara for a quick interview. Welcome! Teemu Vaara: It's great to be here. FT: Today, Team Ubundi's AOCC2 schedule was announced, and by looking at their group, it seems that the Team will have to get through some difficult opponents. TV: Right. Team Ubundi is the newcomer to Atlantian Oceania curling events. First seeded in the group and second overall is Amarenthe and second seeded Az-Cz will be hard opponentes for Team Ubundi to beat. Against equally ranked Nojika is when Ubundi should win. FT: How would you rank Team Ubundi? TV: Team Ubundi is a young and talented bunch who have been training for many months. Being new, Team Ubundi could surprise their opponents with strategy and talent. I believe that this team has a good chance of doing well in the AOCC2. FT: I see. How much support will Team Ubundi find here? TV: Interest in Ubundian curling has grown magnificently over the past decade, so Team Ubundi will find much more support here than before. FT: One last question… While on the topic of popularity, do you ever believe that curling will reach the amount of following of say football or rugby? TV: You never now. Football and rugby became popular in Ubundi about a century ago, so their big head start has helped them. FT: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. TV: My pleasure. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 17 2007, 07:06 PM |
| Woodstock Daily Mail Just what is curling, anyway? By Dave O'Halloran Daily Mail Staff Writer WOODSTOCK (17 February) -- The Sarzonian Curling Federation had a major problem on its hands. No, the organisation didn't have problems securing visas for any of its players or coaches. It didn't have to deal with sold out hotels and having to shack up its players at some fleatrap in a nation that has few such hotels. The SCF had a much more fundamental problem. It couldn't find players who even knew the game. "We believe that sending a team to Pacitalia is the right thing to do," Vice President for Health and Athletics Jimmy Marshall said in a news release. "Considering the efforts the [Pacitalian Prime Minister Fernando] Chiovitti government has made with Operation Pentacle to restore Paci-Sarzonian relations, it is only fitting that we send our best and brightest curlers to Pacitalia as a statement of confidence in those efforts. The problem, however, is that after the SCF was formed just two months ago and filled a staff into three temporary trailers in southern Woodstock, it had to find players to fill the team. That proved to be no easy task. "I don't know how we managed to do it, to be honest," said Coach Patrick Conway. "It took some creativity on our parts to find four people who knew anything about the sport, let alone were physically able to play." In fact, the fourth player, vice Piotr Bershayev, only received his green card six hours before the deadline to submit a roster. Had the clearance not come through, Conway would have had to suit himself up. And for a 53 year old who admitted to suffering from vertigo whenever he strapped on ice skates, that would not have been pleasant. "Oh no," Conway said, literally shuddering at the prospect of having to play in the tournament. "According to doping regulations in Pacitalia and in the international governance of the sport, I wouldn't have been able to take my medication. It would not have been pleasant." However, the Sarzonian team still isn't out of the woods just yet. Rosian goverment officials still haven't sent notarised documentation that Bershayev didn't compete in the nation's international curling matches, which would render him ineligible to suit up for Sarzonia. However, a legal aide with the Rosian government said it was "simply a matter of finding someone who's not too lazy to notarise it." Meanwhile, Conway laughed when he saw the news report from Bazalonia that told their players not to discount his team from advancing past the group stage. "You've got to be kidding me," Conway said. "We're still working on the basics of just trying to learn each other's names." Sarzonia Spokes First: Charlie Orem - age 19 Second: Ross Spencer - age 32 Third: Piotr Bershayev - age 24 (Vice) Fourth: Mathew Renney - age 27 (Skip) OFC: 3 DFC: 4 |
| Posted by: Amarenthe Feb 18 2007, 03:10 AM |
| The Mynia Daily Amarenthe returns to international curling At which, we previously discovered, we're half decent. Not bad for a country who rarely sees ice unless artificially maintained. The Amarenthian team is in Pacitalia for round two of the AOCC, with a slightly modified team - girls, you've some representation this time around - but a little more confidence. Last year's second place finish was a pleasant but welcome surprise, and 25-year-old Dylan Craig, the returning skip, has high hopes for his team this time around. "We walked into this last year with basically no expectations," said Craig, "Because we'd never played internationally. This year, we've some idea where we stand. I think we'll do well." Amarenthe's first match is against Az-Cz. --- Roster: Kayley Brian, 26 – first (new) Brennan Luther, 23 – second (returning) Aaron Doves, 29 – third/vice (returning) Dylan Craig, 25 – skip (returning) Shaelynn Corinnagh, 25 – reserve (new) Keith O’Maley, 26 - reserve (returning) Coach: Sean Loughen OFC: 4 DFC: 3 |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 18 2007, 03:11 AM |
| RP Cutoff for MD1 |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 18 2007, 12:44 PM |
| This scene occurred in the newsroom at the Woodstock Daily Mail. "Good to have ya on board kiddo. We need someone to fill a hole in our coverage." "Right, sir. I'm looking forward to it." Assistant Managing Editor for Sports Marcus Downie eyed the bright eyed kid just out of Somerset State University. He was very eager, almost too eager, but Downie liked what he read from his clips. There was something there about this kid that Downie thought would make a great journalist someday. But right now, he had a hole to fill. Dave O'Halloran wasn't available to cover the team in Pacitalia since his passport expired and he was too busy on deadline to go renew it right now. Since the kid was the newest member of the Daily Mail staff, he would have to do. For his part, Travis West was bright and eager, but he also had a knack for doing a great job. After all, he'd won awards from the Somerset Press Association for his work on his college's newspaper. His writing even made Downie jealous, and Downie had 16 years in the profession. Considering all of this, Downie was about to drop the bomb on West. "I'm going to need you to get on a plane tomorrow to Timiocato. You're going to be covering the curling team." "The what?" "You know, curling. That sport with the brooms and that... thing." "I don't know the first thing about curling!" Downie gave a glance into West's eyes that started out as a withering scowl from a grizzled editor but quickly morphed into one of compassion. West's eyes were certainly widened with fear, but Downie also saw something else in the kid. Determination. A willingness to do whatever it took to get the story right. The clips proved it. The references certainly pointed to it. Now Downie saw it in the kid. "Well, that's what research is for, my boy," Downie said with a smirk that he hoped would convey his expectation that the kid would take on the assignment, but also his realisation that he was throwing the kid to the wolves. If he wrote well enough and he got enough positive feedback, the kid would likely earn a more prestigious beat before very long. With the salaries at The Daily Mail, the opportunity to move up was possible for those who did well enough. "All right sir," West said. "I'll do my best." Within hours, West was on the plane to Timiocato and was in the press box watching Sarzonia fall in its curling debut, 5-3 to Bazalonia. Downie laughed and smiled often when he read the kid's story. Not because it had holes in it or that it was poorly written, but there was a little injection of humour into the story. The tensions between Sarzonia and Chacor after the Warm War also factored into the preview of the next match. "Sounds like this kid's going to be something," Downie said with a not so subtle air of approval as he sent the story on to the copy desk. Downie also had another premonition. Perhaps if West wrote well enough on the beat, the Sarzonian Curling Federation would have no trouble filling out a team for AOCC3. |
| Posted by: Az-cz Feb 18 2007, 03:48 PM |
| Svenderson was absolutely pissed after the match. "These Pacitalians need to learn somethings about maintaining an ice sheet. What the hell kind of crap was that?" To-Sir was just as ticked off "Indeed. I've never seen the ice crack and a stone fall into the crack before. No way Amarenthe would've gotten that four end opener without that stupid cracked ice." though-Ir continued "But it was the geyser that cost us. We had the seventh end absolutely won until the geyser sprung up from under the ice sheet and blasted my rock over towards the Quakmybush - Krytenia match. At least it didn't hurt any of our friends from Quakmybush and they still won their match." Swi-Pr tossed in his two Ex-gx. "Well to quote from the hosts of the olympics, '-explicitive removed-ing slani hell'. They should have asked the people from JSY for advice on how to run the curling. But I suppose you can't expect too much from people who think 4+2+2+1 = 10. " Svenderson "Yeah that's definitely true. Maybe we can get Az-cz to host the next one of these competitions so that the results can be treated with a certain level of respect rather than just being random ass. There's no way Amarenthe is that good. Now I know why they didn't bother showing up to the olympics. Bears Armed would've kicked their ass so hard" Swi-Pr "True. Those guys could curl. Whod've thunk that Bears have the technique, but they certainly did." though-Ir "Do you guys think it strange that Pacitalia itself doesn't compete in these tournaments?" To-Sir "Not really, they know that their ice sheets are death traps and stay the hell out of there. When that stone went flying good lord." Svenderson "Well our next match is against Ubundi. It's hard to tell if they're any good at all. Yes they won 14-1 but Nojika is possibly the worst curling squad in existence." To-Sir "Whatever. These results are crap. This whole tournament is a joke. Let's go down and see if we can at least find some good pubs round here." And with that they headed out to try to find some good brewskies to kick back on. |
| Posted by: Myrtannia Feb 18 2007, 05:51 PM |
| AO Curling Returns, Team Myrtannia Ranked #1? PACITALIA - Time to get the brooms out of the closet and shake off the cobwebs. After an eerie silence, the AO Chapmionship of Curling has returned. With the reigning champions no longer in existance, that means that somehow Myrtannia has managed to come in with the best preliminary regional ranking. This after a good outing in the first AOCC, despite a heavilly dissapointing fourth place finish. With most of the original Team Myrtannia busy with their day jobs, a new team has had to be crafted around the coaching talents of Filiberto Luangxay. Laungxay, as a few Myrtannians may remember, was the captain of that original team. Now, he's the coach for a team of Myrtannian high school and college students. After the last AOCC, the domestic curling league folded, so non-professionals will represent the United Isles this time around. "We've got the top ranking for a reason. Now, we're going to go out there and prove that we deserve it. I think these kids have a real opportunity to.. well, to be honest, I think they go out there and do a lot of damage to other teams," Luangxay explained after the team's arrival in Pacitalia. The Second Team Myrtannia's roster was announced just before the team left for the other side of the region: Coach: Filiberto Luangxay Ellyn Mockler Sachiko Noia (Skipper) Harland Hansrote Renaldo Givliani (Vice) OC: 5/DC: 2 In their first match, the Myrtannians faced a team of unknowns from a nation that none of the UIM's curlers had ever heard of. Regional newbie Jasi'Yun put up little resistance for most of the matchup, scoring just once until the final end. With this matchup, Myrtannia was able to get a feeling for the ice again, scoring just a single stone in each end in a total of six ends. "It wasn't the all out attack we sometimes had in AOCC 1, but it was a steady, deliberate attack all the same. If we can take someone out of the match early, that's good. But gradually forcing them out is just fine too," coach Luangxay told reporters after the match. By the time that Jasi'Yun managed to piece together two scores in the tenth end, it was a case of too little, too late. Myrtannia played enough defense to keep the newcomers at bay and seal the win. Now, Team Myrtannia sits atop its group, awaiting Day Two's showdown with Ereeland. The Errish curlers defeated Vilita & Turori in the group's other Day One fixture. "That wasn't so surprising for us to hear. V&T are from a tropical location, while Ereeland, from what we know, is damp and cold. It's no wonder that they were better in a winter sport," said Team Myrtannia's Vice Skipper, Renaldo Givliani, "We'll just have to give them a proper lesson in offensive curling." The match is scheduled to be carried on the newly formed Sports Network Myrtannia (SNM), though there will likely be a tape delay. The final score: MYR 6-3 JAS (10 ends) |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Feb 18 2007, 09:18 PM | ||||
| BazSports - Bringing you the Sports that matter Welcome to the coverage of Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling, with me is the studio is Curling connosieur Wayne King. Good evening Wayne. Good Evening. The first results have come in from Pacitalia, let's have a look at the results from group A. Milchama 9, Chacor 4 (8 ends)
Bazalonia 5, Sarzonia 3 (10 ends)
So Wayne let's look at the performance of the curled Bazalopes. The team started well; wining the the first three ends by 1 point each, this must have built up their confidence immensely however the Sarzonians crawled back 2 points. in the 4th and the 5th ends. However another Bazalonian win in the 6th round knocked the Sarzonian charge on the head. The 7th and the 9th resulted in no stones resting in the home area and so no one got any points. And in the 8th End the Curled Bazalopes were up 5-2, even with the Sarzonians getting the last point in the game in the 10th end. It was over the Curled Bazalopes had worked well as a team, their aggressive strategy of knocking the other teams stones away was working well against the midly defensive strategies of the Sarzonian team. This game was indeed both a low scoring and a hard fought match. The Curled Bazalopes gained the early advantage but nearly gave it away to the Sarzonians. This game could have easily gone either way but the Curled Bazalopes used their strong start to their advantage and never let go. Thank you Wayne, now let's have a few highlights from that game. <4 clips of drives that effectively knocked the Sarzonian stones away, including 2 of the really close deliveries of the stone right next to the button. As well as a few clips of the Sarzonians good shots> Now what the Milchamian and Chacor match? The Milchamians seemed to dominate 9-4, the game ended 2 ends early that was how much the Milchamians dominated, even with what must have been a fluke 3 stone score in the 2nd end the Milchamians only allowed Chacor 1 more point and replied with a 3 point end a a number of 2 point ends, and with the 2 - 1 point ends that was scored. Unike the Bazalonian - Sarzoninian match Chacor actually managed to take the lead at one point. <clips of the scoreboard ticking over showing how the score progressed over the 8 ends> Now Bazalonia's upcoming match is against Milchama, What do think of their prospects? Not good, not good at all, you have seen how the Milchamians dominated the Chacorians though as in every sport it's never over to the fat lady sings, Milchama just has way more international experience. and can handle alot of varied situations as well as being scarily accurate. Thank you Wayne, this has been BazSports Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling 2. |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Feb 19 2007, 03:34 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 18th February 2007 Chips on Ice Notch Up Early Victory Demot 5, Manhattan Prime 7 (10 ends) CODE 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 [ 5 ] 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 [ 7 ] The decision to send a Manhattanite team to the AO Curling Championship, being hosted in Pacitalia, has been met by general bemusement in Manhattan Prime, with few truly understanding the sport. However this is a growing Curling movement and the Sports Ministry has released a ‘beginner’s guide to curling’ pamphlet to aid new fans, and to give advice to those who want to join a team. The sport has been described by sources within the newly founded Curling Association as ‘bowls on acid’, and involves teams trying to score points by sliding stones along an ice arena, in order to get their team’s stones closest to the button, whilst teammates sweep the surface of the ice to control the stone’s speed and curve. Demot won the first end by 1 point, with the Chips on Ice taking the 2nd with 2 points. Both teams continued to trade points the whole way through the game, with both showing some steady play. Manhattan Prime looked the flashier side though, winning several round 2-0, whilst their opponents only scored the 1 point on the 5 ends they won. Second Chad Brown was up next for Manhattan Prime, and found it hard in his first end, with most of his shots going fairly wide, and Demot capitalizing to win the point. He proved luckier in his 2nd end however, with his final stone curving to knock the Demot stone away, thanks to some well coordinated sweeping from the Manhattanite team. Vice Skip Hopkins seems to be emerging as the main flair player for the Chips on Ice; although proving unlucky in his first end, with Demot’s last stone knocking his carefully placed shots aside, he picked up 2 points in his 2nd end for skilled positioning, leaving the score 5-3 to Manhattan Prime. Finally up stepped Owen Westwood, for stones 7 and 8. The Skip far from excelled at throwing, with Demot wining his first end, and the 2nd resulting in the first draw of the game, but his co-ordination of the sweeping throughout the game had proved crucial for Manhattan Prime. With the score now pulled back to 5-4, the match continued and Hopkins stepped up to take what proved to be the last two ends of the game. Demot pulled the game back to 5-5 in end 9, only for Hopkins to disappoint Demot fans at the death with a stunning display in the 10th end. Manhattan Prime clinched two points in that final end to win their first match of the tournament 7-5. After the football team’s disappointments at the AOCAF, the question on most fans’ lips seems to be ‘have we actually found a sport we’re good at?!’ |
| Posted by: Milchama Feb 19 2007, 03:36 PM |
| Roster: First: Tommy Lesterman (Skip) Second: Davy Kinnani Third: Morf Stevens (Vice) Fourth: Garth Edel 7 OFC 0 DFC Curling Weekly-Monthly-Quarterly-Daily-Digest-Illustrated-News Milchama Team win first match In their first match in the new curling championships the Milchama Slashers beat Chacor 9-4 in only 8 ends. It was a great match from start to finish for the Slashers who got things started in the first end as a great effort from Edel in the final throw led to two Chacorian stones being unblocked and a center victory for the Slashers. It only got better from there as despite letting a 3 in (couldn't past the great Chacor blocker stones) the second end as the Slashers soon picked up points in the 3rd, 4th and 6th overs. Getting at least two points every time with a rare 3 in the 6th over. After that the game was all but over and was called after only 8 overs a magnificent Milchama victory. If we can keep it up only good things can come. |
| Posted by: Ereeland Feb 19 2007, 06:41 PM |
| From the EBC 11 o'clock news broadcast.. And now to sport, live from the Furious Colleen Pub in downtown St. Peter's. Our correspondent Harvey Baze is on the scene to bring you all the latest sporting news. Good evening, Harvey. Good evening, Pat. The big news tonight isn't football as usual. With all the leagues out of season at the moment, Errish sport fanatics have had to turn to curling. Many are wondering just what this 'curling' thing is? Is it truly a sport? Apparently it is, and Ereeland has a team in the regional competition. <Several drunken men behind Harvey Baze are seen slapping each other on the back and shouting triumphantly in Gaelic> The patrons here at the Furious Colleen are in high spirits due to the scoreline just in from Pacitalia: Ereeland 4, Vilita & Turori 3 (14 ends) CODE 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 [ 4 ] 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 [ 3 ] So Ereeland has defeated Vilita and Turori's combined team in extra ends. A two point seventh end put them up a point, but V and T tied in the tenth. In the extra ends, it was defense, defense, and defense just for good measure. The final score was brought about on Ereeland's last stone; it pushed out all the other stones and secured the point for the Republic. But to most Errish people the team remains a mystery. That's why we have an official roster given to us by the Holy Sweepers curling club of Hope Abbey in St. Peter's: First - Sister Letha Deines Second - Sister Mary Nevitt (vice) Third - Sister Selma Giles (skip) Fourth - Sister Margaret Wichman Reserve - Sister Alexandria Schoch Reserve - Sister Cornelia Gow You heard correctly, Ereeland: the national curling team is a group of nuns. Those nuns defeated Vilita and Turori and next face teenagers from Myrtannia. One patron had this to say about the match: "Nuns against teenagers? Sounds like a good time to me!" Myrtannia holds first in the group, followed by Ereeland. Slightly more people will be tuning in when Ereeland Public Radio broadcasts the match. This is Harvey Baze saying good night from the Furious Colleen Pub in St. Peter's. |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 19 2007, 09:47 PM |
| RP Cutoff for Draw 2 |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 19 2007, 10:49 PM |
| Woodstock Daily Mail Spokes shut out Chacor By Travis West Special to the Daily Mail MONTERIO, Margheria, Pacitalia (19 February) -- Patrick Conway admitted after tonight's Sarzonia-Chacor curling match that he can't take too many more fixtures like this one. More than just a curling match, the battle between the nations was a revenge match for the few Sarzonians who bothered to show up to the venue. His Spokes side played the first seven ends against Warm War rivals Chacor with neither side able to notch a single stone. However, Piotr Bershayev broke through for Sarzonia both offensively and defensively and the Spokes notched a 2-0 win over Chacor that evened the team's record at 1-1 and the team's point differential at 5-5. "I really don't know how we managed to pull this one out tonight," Conway said. "I tell ya, Chacor missed a couple of chances to bury us in the fourth and fifth ends. If they score there, it's a totally different match." Chacor's team was unavailable after the match in spite of Pacitalian organisers' best effort to ensure they arrived at the interview room. However, Sarzonia's players and coaches were more than willing to talk about the match. "I don't know how much stock we want to put into the whole political situation between Sarzonia and Chacor," Bershayev said, admitting that he didn't know most of the circumstances behind the Warm War between the two countries. "It's better that I don't know and just stick to curling, you know?" Not so for the estimated 400 Sarzonians in attendance out of the capacity crowd of 14,574 at the Palestrato Santo Bernardo. Even though the navy clad nationals were few in number, they were quite vocal. Several chants questioning the manhood of Chacoran players and supporters rang through the air while several Pacitalians in the audience showed various stages of disapproval. The Chacoran side was loudly booed at introductions and four Sarzonians were escorted out of the venue after spitting on the Chacoran flag. "It's really disappointing," said Andreo Terabbecco, 28, who hails from Sambuca and said before the match he was supporting Sarzonia. "I thought the Sarzonians would show more class since our government is making strides toward repairing relations. I guess I was wrong." "It's really embarrassing for our country," said Ryan Carter, 33, who came to Pacitalia both to take in the curling action and to show his support for Timiocato's outreach to Woodstock since President Mike Sarzo returned to office. "I tried to reason with a couple of them, but they said 'shut the [expletive] up'." Sarzonian authorities said they would ask Monterio police officials to extradite the assailants to Sarzonia to stand trial. However, Spokes team officials said they were "already on the lookout" for extra security for the team's next match against Milchama. "There's a rivalry there but it isn't nearly as tense as the one with Chacor," said skip Mathew Renney. "The political ramifications just aren't the same with Milchama. Our teams don't like each other out there, but our governments haven't even exchanged embassies yet." |
| Posted by: Ubundi Feb 20 2007, 07:12 AM |
| UNCprint Magazine Sport Team Ubundi Wins Big in Opening Match and then Loses in Second! by Amina Ghipe for UNCprint Magazine Nortopalazzo, Antigonia NORTOPALAZZO — Team Ubundi scored big in their opening match the the AOCC2 in Pacitalia. Facing Nojika, Team Ubundi showed its talent as a newcomer defeating their opponent decisively in only eight ends. The results from Team Ubundi's match is as follows: "Team Ubundi: 4 3 1 0 1 3 0 2 [ 14 ] Team Nojika: 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 [ 1 ]" In Team Ubundi's second match against Az-Cz, Ubundi lost 8-4. The scoreboard: "1 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 [ 8 ] 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 [ 4 ]" Amarenthe defeated Nojika easily, as well, 7-2, and has taken Team Ubundi's first place spot. Team Ubundi still retains the second place spot, although, and the race for qualifying has heated up. The current ranks in Group B, Team Ubundi's group: "1st -- Amarenthe [ 2-0, 17F / 9A / +8D, 6 pts ] 2nd -- Ubundi [ 1-1, 18F / 9A / +9D, 3 pts ] 3rd -- Az-Cz [ 1-1, 15F / 14A / +1D, 3 pts ] 4th -- Nojika [ 0-2, 3F / 21A / -18D, 0 pts ]" Team Ubundi and Az-Cz are not, tied, because although with the same number of points, Team Ubundi has scored more in its matches. Looking ahead, Team Ubundi will face second seeded overall Amarenthe, who has won both their matches, but with less points than Amarenthe. Then, Team Ubundi will play Nojika for the second time after Team Ubundi's incredible 14-1 victory. Team Ubundi will move on to Az-Cz, a rematch of Ubundi's 8-4 defeat, and then its back to Amarenthe. There is still no outright winner in the Group B. Coach Jonathan Wells finds Team Ubundi's prospects of placing in the top two "enlightening." In a press conference in Nortopalazzo, Antigonia, Wells said, "Our guys have really performed brilliantly in the first two matches. I have a good amount of confidence that Team Ubundi will qualify." When asked specifically about the team's next match against Amarenthe, Wells responded, "Amarenthe will, no doubt, be the toughest match in our group. If Team Ubundi is on the top of our games, we can, and will, win." |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Feb 20 2007, 02:21 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 20th February 2007 AOCC2 Update – Another Victory in Timiocato for the Frozen Chips!!! Quakmybush 5, Manhattan Prime 8 (10 ends) CODE 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 [ 5 ] 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 [ 8 ] Manhattan Prime continued their fledgling winning streak today, with an 8-5 win over Quakmybush at the Arena dell' AeroPacitalia in Timiocato. They got off to a bad start however, finding themselves losing 2 point to 0 at the end of the 2nd end as the Quakmybushian stones proved closer both times. The 2nd end was extremely close, leading Manhattan Prime to question the result, however a detailed measure proved the umpire’s decision correct. The 3rd end was much better, with Chad Brown positioning 2 stones closer to the button than the nearest opposing stone. He also grabbed a point in the 4th end to make up for his poor showing last match. With the score at 3-2 to Manhattan Prime, Vice-Skip Jimmy Hopkins stepped up. The 5th end went to Quakmybush with their final stone smashing a well place Manhattanite stone out of the way – the Frozen Chips got their revenge by taking two points on the 6th end to leave the score 5-3 to Manhattan Prime. Manhattan Prime once again showed their best play at the end, grabbing 3 additional points to Quakmybush’s 3, and with Hopkins taking the 10th and final end with 2 points, to make the final result an impressive 8-5 victory, leaving Manhattan Prime top of Group C. Krytenia will be Manhattan Prime’s next challenge, and a win there would put the team in a fantastic position to qualify. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Feb 20 2007, 05:10 PM | ||||
| BazSports - Bringing you the sports that matter Welcome to the Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling, with me is the studio is Curling connosieur Wayne King. Good evening Wayne. Good Evening The 2nd lot of matches have come in from Pacitalia, let's look at the results Chacor 0, Sarzonia 2 (10 ends)
Milchama 7, Bazalonia 9 (10 ends)
So Wayne let's look at the performance of the curled Bazalopes. It was almost the opposite start, the Milchamians dominated the first 3 ends scoring 4 points, it looked like the result was doomed however a rather unique pep talk which involved shouting, something you might expect at a hockey game rather than Curling re-focused on the team at the task at hand which resulted in the teams first 3 point end another single point end tied the game at the end of the 5th round. The Milchamians responded with their own 3 point end in the 6th. Trying to use their experience to intimidate the Bazalonians, however it didn't work for in the 7th end they responded, tying it up again at 7-all. The next two ends where hard fought aggressive play, neither team having a stone in the home area when the end finished so no one got points. It was the 10th end which the Curled Bazalopes got 2 points, thus preventing it from going to extra ends. Thank you Wayne, now let's have a few highlights from that game. <Clips from all the 3 point ends including the Milchamian 3-pointers, A brief clip of a pep talk as well as the winning 2 point 10th end.> Now what about the Chacor-Sarzonian match? Now while ends 1-7 may make you think that it was a widly inaccurate match don't let the scoreboard fool you. It was a hard fought game with a number of good scoring opportunities throughout the match. Sarzonia ended the match with the only points on the board. <Clips of a number of th more spectacular 'stone manipulation' that occured during the match> Are you surprised that the Bazalonians did so well against the Milchamians? Whatever the captain, or skipper, Jerry Haven did for the pep talk changed the whole dispossition of the game, if it was not for what Jerry did it would have been a quite different result. As any other game like this style, Curling is just as much as a mental game as it is skill. And once the Curled Bazalopes actually became a decent contender in their match. The Milchamians must of paniced. And so now anything is possible do you think we have a good chance against, in the upcoming match, against Chacor? Especially now I think that for the Curled Bazalopes anything is possible now, We might even finish at the top of the group table. Thank you Wayne, this has been BazSports Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling 2. |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 20 2007, 08:01 PM |
| RP Cutoff for Draw Three |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 20 2007, 10:02 PM |
| Woodstock Daily Mail Spokes have enough in tank, 5-2 By Travis West Special to the Daily Mail MONTERIO, Margheria, Pacitalia (20 February) -- Stop the presses. A Sarzonian team that consists of players that barely knew each other's names when training began now finds itself in position to qualify for the knockout stages at AOCC2 after yesterday's 5-2 win over fourth-ranked Milchama brought the Spokes a 2-1 record. This time, an unofficial count of 644 Sarzonians showed up out of the total paid attendance of 13,924 at the Palestrato Santo Bernardo. As was the case during the Sarzonia-Chacor match, the Sarzonians in attendance were vocal in their support of the Navy and Silver. This time, their focus was supporting the team rather than slamming their Milchaman rivals. Coach Patrick Conway said his team decided before the match that they would "ride out the storm" when the Warriors came at the Spokes with an expected offensive onslaught. However, he said he reminded the team to be "intelligent" in its counterattack. "We don't have the experience to come out and play their style," Conway said. "We have to be a little more disciplined out there." As proof of his statement, a look at the standings shows that Sarzonia's 10 points is only above Chacor's eight in total offence, a figure vice Piotr Bershayev called "worrying." "We've averaged just over three points a match and we haven't scored more than five a game," skip Mathew Renney said. "That's usually not going to get it done." However, Conway would gladly take the team's defence throughout the rest of the tournament. Besides the "highly unusual" clean sheet posted by the Sarzonian team against Chacor, the Spokes have allowed only seven stones in three matches, and two in the last two matches. Conway said the team wasn't especially defensive-minded. "We're probably more defence-oriented than we might be if we were more experienced," he said, "but we're just getting solid play right now. It's gratifying to see that we're not just stinking up the joint." However, the Spokes said to a man that they welcomed the break since they said they would go into the pause feeling good about their play. "We're going in with a chance to iron out a few of our problems," second Ross Spencer said. "We're also going in with a two match win streak. If we play our cards right, we can be very successful at this sport in Sarzonia." Word from the Sarzonian Curling Federation has been that the average of "one or two" phone calls the organisation gets after matches increased to "four or five" after the win over Chacor. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that the federation may be getting a donation from a "big ticket donor" who "has a vested interest in seeing Sarzonian sport succeed." The SCF referred all questions about the prospective donor to the Incorporated Sarzonian Government's Department of Health and Athletics. Calls placed to the Department weren't returned by deadline. Regardless of whether the donations materialise, one thing is certain about curling, or any sport in Sarzonia, for that matter. If Sarzonians win, they're interested. "Oh yeah," said Blake Carney, 23, a university student from Portland. "I've been looking up everything I can on the sport so I can know more for the next time we play. I'm enjoying seeing us win matches when we don't have a bloody clue. I'd love to see what happens when we actually know what's going on." |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Feb 21 2007, 06:29 AM |
| Manhattan Herald – 21st February 2007 AOCC2 Update – Krytenia Frozen Out! Krytenia 4, Manhattan Prime 13 (8 ends) CODE 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 [ 4 ] 0 3 3 0 3 1 2 1 [ 13 ] The Manhattan Prime Curling team has achieved a memorable victory today in Pacitalia, defeating 3rd ranked Krytenia 13-4 to maintain their hold on the top of Group C. They even managed to finish off their highly ranked opposition in just 8 high-scoring ends to take partial revenge for the football team’s numerous defeats at the hands of Krytenia. Losing two points in the 1st end, the Frozen Chips scored their first 3 points to keep their noses in front in the 2nd end. They promptly scored another in the 3rd, with Kowalski and Brown in high-scoring form. Krytenia too seemed to scoring well, picking up 2 points in the 4th end to bring the score to 6-4. However they declined after that, experiencing 4 blank rounds, with Manhattan Prime fully capitalizing by grabbing a further 7 points to complete the 13-4 rout. Coach Rich Bergman said: “I’m very proud of my boys. They’ve training extremely hard for this tournament and are getting exactly the success they deserve. They were really working as a team out there, and I’m very pleased by how the country has got behind them”. Indeed despite being a new sport to most Manhattanites, televised coverage is attracting record ratings that are soaring as the tournament goes on, and the hardcore of Manhattanite fans at the tournament are being increasingly vocal in their support as the Manhattanites lead the group 6 points clear, and look in good form to qualify for the quarter finals in their first tournament. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) |
| Posted by: Az-cz Feb 21 2007, 09:45 AM |
| After the Ubundi match the team went out to dinner to plot their strategies against Nojika. Little did they no that Nojika was plotting somethiing far more nefarious. You see the Nojikans had figured out where the Az-cz team was staying and planted open containers of noxious spores in the room of each of the players. When the Az-cz team came back they breathed in heavily of the noxious spores. All four players became dreadfully sick and were taken to the hospital. Az-cz started to scramble for players. They first checked to see if there were any Az-czzers living in Pacitalia. Unfortunately there weren't any, as no self respecting Az-czzer would be seen living in a country of capitalists who couldn't add to 10. Then they checked recent passports to see if there were any Az-czzers travelling or on business. Unfortunately they had no luck there either. Eventually they found a family of four vacationing in Amarenthe. They hopped the border and got in fast enough to make the match. However seeing as how none of them had ever seen an ice sheet before they were beaten by the Nojikans 8-4. In a testament to the poor skill of the Nojikans the family earned four points on sheer bad luck. Now the team was on the brink of missing the knockout rounds on two fluke events. |
| Posted by: Ubundi Feb 21 2007, 01:16 PM |
| UNCprint Magazine Sport Team Ubundi Performs Brilliantly, but Falls Just Short of Victory By Amina Ghipe for UNCprint Magazine Nortopalazzo, Antigonia NORTOPALAZZO — Team Ubundi nearly tasted first place yesterday. In Team Ubundi's Atlantian Oceania Curling Championship II match, yesterday, first ranked Amarenthe was almost defeated by the newcomers. Let's look at the scores from last night: Amarenthe: 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 [ 8 ] Team Ubundi: 1 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 [ 7 ] Going into the twelfth end, the score was tied between the teams at seven apiece. It wasn't until the last end where Amarenthe just pulled ahead. In a late-night interview on UNCtv, Skip Mvula Utni was encouraged by the Team's performance. "Our team worked hard and never gave up. I strongly believe we will qualify," Utni said. The fourth draw is scheduled for Sunday, when the teams begin playing each other for the second time. "We now know our group's style of play and strategies," stated the Finn and Lead for Team Ubundi, Otto Uotila. "We can definitely do even better this time around." | Watch UNCsport for live coverage of the AOCC2. | ********** Vice Skip Azaan Daktari slided down the ice and let go of the stone. "Bulls-eye," he said. Team Ubundi was ready. |
| Posted by: Demot Feb 21 2007, 01:41 PM |
| Demot Daily ~ Curling? and we win? Many Demotians have no idea what the sport of curling is, and those that do rarely enjoy the sport. It's not that they don't like the nature of the competition, it's just that like all of Demot, we hate the cold. And since the sport is played on ice sheets, it is no wonder why this attitude has become prominent in the nation. Yet, despite this disdain for the cold, a few number of Demotians do dabble in the sport, and suprsingly, there is a national team. That national team has been sent over to Pacitalia to take part in the second AO Curling Competition, and has been playing better than expected, with them even taking a victory in the last match. This could be a spotlight for future curlers in the nation, as they now have a group to admire and try to strive to be. Regardless of the final standings, this has been an important first step in trying to branch out by the Demotians, and hopefully wash away such hatred of the cold. Article by James Onrell |
| Posted by: Chacor Feb 22 2007, 02:28 AM |
| "That's it, we're sending this team home." "But Sir!" "No buts, coach. Oh, and you're fired." "I guarantee you I can turn this around! Give me one more shot! Just one more game. If we lose the next one I'll quit." "Fair enough. But we're still sending in the new team." Alfred Dubois (First) Turner Casey (Second) Hunter McKenzie (Skip/Third) Lucas Evans (Fourth/Vice) Freddie Masters (Reserve) Coach: Jan Kolb OFC: 3 DFC: 4 "Oh. And these four guys have been scrubbing my toilets the past two weeks practicing, unlike your current useless team. Here are their tickets for the flight home. Make sure they don't miss the plane, or you're gone before the next game starts as well. Got that?" "Yes, Sir." |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Feb 22 2007, 06:16 AM | ||||
| BazSports - Bringing you the sports that matter Welcome to the Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling, with me is the studio is Curling connosieur Wayne King. Good evening Wayne. Good Evening We are broadcasting live tonight not from our studio in Bazalonia, but from Palestrato Santo Bernardo in Monterio, Margheria, Pacitalia the location of the Group A matches in the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling. The Matches for both just finished and now let's look at the results. Chacor 4, Bazalonia 10 (10 ends)
Milchama 2, Sarzonia 5 (10 ends)
So Wayne let's look at the performance of the curled Bazalopes. The team struggled in a to-and-from affair in the first 6 ends, 3 going to Bazalonia and 3 going to the Chacorans. After the 6 ends Chacor had a single point lead as they managed a 2 point end while the Curled Bazalopes only had their singles, however it seemed something with the Chacoran team happened and a real battle turned into a white wash. 7 of the Bazalopes 10 points were scored in the last 4 ends giving a final score of 4-10 which failed to really give a true indication of just how hard the battle was for the most part of the game. Infact, I'm just hearing that the Chacorans had scrapped their team and are sending a new team. Wether or not this move will pay off for the Chacorans is unknown and I'm sure we'll be keeping up on their latest. We sure will, and now to some clips. <Video clips of a to-and-froing with the Chacorans gaining the upper hand before a total Bazalonian blitz surprised the Chacorans who failed to provide any response> Now what about the Milchamian-Sarzonian match? Another Low scoring affair the Sarzonians dominated early with 3 single point ends, the Milchamians seemingly struggled and barely got a single point of their own, however for the next 3 ends both teams where playing too defensively and failed to get any stones in the home zone. another 2 single point ends in the 8th and 9th ends gave Sarzonia their 2 extra points while Milchama scored a consolation point on the 10th end. Both teams that have had AOCC experience seem to be struggling while the Curled Bazalopes whose only experience is the Quarter Finals of the 1st Winter Olympics and the Sazonians who have had no experience at all seem to be dominating their matches. We don't have any clips for the Milchamian-Sarzonian match so we will go directly for the analysis of our next game. Against Sarzonia, what are your thoughts Wayne? This one will be an interesting match both teams are performing very well, Way above what was expected of them, the Curled Bazalopes have already beaten them so history is in our favour but this will certainly once again be a close match and nothing is certain, whatever the results I would bet that the Bazalonians would stay on the top of the table, and indeed based on recent history would be certainly surprised to not see the team qualify. Thank you Wayne, and that ends the BazSports Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling. |
| Posted by: Myrtannia Feb 24 2007, 02:09 AM |
| Team Myrtannia Splits Matches Palazzofrica in Sambuca, Pacitalia - The domination shown in AOCC 1's group stage by Myrtannia's national team has been eerily missing in AOCC 2. Not that that should be remotely surprising for the select few Myrtannians who actually follow culing. A team full of teenagers with little experience at the international level is bound to struggle while adjusting to AOCC play. There was reason for hope on the second match day when Myrtannia faced the (no, we're not making this up) curling nuns of Ereeland. Despite a surprisingly spirited attack by the Errish team, the young Team Myrtannia didn't crumble in the crunch. While they blew a 6-2 lead, they never quite lost their grip on things, save for the tenth end when Ereeland scored twice. Keeping their wits about them, Myrtannia managed to sweep its way to an exciting (or about as exciting as curling gets) extra-end victory over Ereeland, 9-8. But that hope was dashed a bit in their next match, which was not covered by SNM due to lack of preparation on the media's part. Of course, the moving up by 24 hours of the match's start time had something to do with it too. The scheduling seemed to affect the Myrtannian team's performance as well when they faced Vilita & Turori's first-ever curling team. V/T got off to a great start, taking a 3-0 lead after just three ends. Then the slow, deliberate Myrtannian rally started, with one point in each of the next four ends. With the end of the match drawing near, Team Myrtannia had the 4-3 lead and a shot at going unbeaten in the first slew of matches. But where they held on just enough to top Ereeland the day before, their efforts weren't enough this time. The combined opposing side struck one home to tie it in the eigth end, and once again Team Myrtannia blew its lead late. It got worse in the final end, when V/T scored again to secure the victory - Myrtannia's first in the group stage of any AOCC. After losing to the Errish nuns on the first day, V/T won its second match in a row, having dispatched Jasi'Yun on the second day by the score of 11-7. "It's really hard, especially when your opponents are surging at the same time you're trying to get everyone familiar with the international level of play. We're good, but we make too many dumb mistakes out there. With this three day furlough, we have a chance to recover, and figure out what we need to do in order to get back into the driver's seat," said coach Luangxay. In other Group D action, Ereeland's 'Holy Sweepers' destroyed Jasi'Yun by the score of 8-2, snatching up second place in the standings for the moment. If things keep going the way they have, the nuns could be sticking around for the knockout stage. Myrtannia has what should be a warm-up match against winless Jasi'Yun on day four before facing Ereeland again, followed by V/T. SNM will be carrying the Team Myrtannia matches, followed by a special new AOCC update segment. This is scheduled to air at 1:30 a.m., due to the tape delay in match broadcasts. |
| Posted by: Ereeland Feb 25 2007, 12:14 AM |
| Harvey Baze reporting again from the Furious Colleen Pub in St. Peter's, where a severe case of curling fever has gripped the patrons. Anxious to watch sports of any kind they've come to view coverage of the regional Championship of Curling. Some still debate whether this is actually a sport. They content themselves with the half price brews offered by the pub on match nights. Whatever has led to this interest in curling, the Holy Sweepers of Hope Abbey have become overnight celebrities. Sales of Holy Sweeper merchandise have soared since the AOCC began - all proceeds go to charity. The police have even informed us that fist fights have broken out over this obscure sport. That is definitely a good sign for the sport's chances in Ereeland. Perhaps it's because Ereeland's been waiting for a winner for while now. Our national football team didn't make much noise in AOCAF. The basketball teams floundered in AOCAF 4's playoffs. So when a team of nuns with brooms starts winning in a sport no one here had heard of, the nation takes notice. After their first win over Vilita and Turori, Ereeland took the ice against Myrtannia. Against the highest ranked nation in the region, the Holy Sweepers did surprisingly well. The official scoreline: Myrtannia 9, Ereeland 8 (11 ends) MYR 2 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 [ 9 ] ERE 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 0 [ 8 ] Despite falling behind early the Sisters of Hope Abbey came back to draw even in the tenth end. It was another extended match for Ereeland. Unlike the fouteen end showdown with Vilita and Turori, this ended much sooner. In the eleventh end Myrtannia scored a stone and won the match. The Holy Sweepers took the defeat well; they shook hands with the Myrtannians. At the Furious Colleen, the atmosphere was subdued but hopeful. One slightly enibriated fan told us, "Bah! We'll get 'em next time." Ereeland followed the close defeat with its match against group door mat Jasi'yun. As if to prove naysayers at home wrong, the Holy Sweepers went out and took the Jasi'yun-ers to school. It was Ereeland's biggest margin of victory: Jasi'yun 2, Ereeland 8 (10 ends) JSY 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 [ 2 ] ERE 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 2 1 [ 8 ] The Sisters scored early and then often in the second half of the match - a combined five stones home in the final four ends. Patrons in the Furious Colleen were elated to see their Holy Sweepers hand Jasi'yun a holy thrashing. Their elation grew when they saw the standings: GROUP D 1st -- Ereeland [ 2-1, 20F / 14A / +6D, 6 pts ] 2nd -- Vilita & Turori [ 2-1, 19F / 15A / +4D, 6 pts ] 3rd -- Myrtannia [ 2-1, 19F / 16A / +3D, 6 pts ] 4th -- Jasi'yun [ 0-3, 12F / 25A / -13D, 0 pts ] So the Sisters go into Sunday afternoon's match atop the group standings for the first time. Their first test will be against Vilita and Turori, winners of their last two over Jasi'yun and Myrtannia. It could go down to the wire as the two nations battle for knockout positioning. Myrtannia is still threatening as well. All three sides have a chance to take first in the group. Will it be the nameless but apparently talented tropical denizens of Vilita and Turori? Or teenagers from curling power Myrtannia? Or perhaps the Holy Sweepers of Ereeland. The upcoming matches will begin to make the knockout matches a lot clearer. Errish fans, at least, are confident in their team's chances. One exclaimed, "Vilita and Turori? Bring 'em on! Our nuns'll make 'em wish they'd stayed at their hotel!" This is Harvey Baze, signing off from the Furious Colleen Pub in St. Peter's. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 26 2007, 12:56 AM |
| Sarzonia skip Mathew Renney stared at the sheet once again after his Spokes team lost its second match against Bazalonia, this time by the score of 7-4. The Spokes had yet to score more than five times in a match and the statistics pointed to a team that was fortunate to be 2-2. "We've got to do a better job of scoring," he said. "We're last in the AOCC2 table in scoring." Indeed, Sarzonia had scored a total of 14 times. Even a Chacoran team infamous for being a shutout victim of Sarzonia's have scored more than Sarzonia did. The only saving grace for Sarzonia was in the points against column, and Renney knew it. The Spokes had also conceded 14 times, which was the best total among the 16 teams competing in AOCC2. Renney called his mates over to his hotel room to have a players-only meeting. Thus, Coach Patrick Conway was nowhere to be found. He and his assistant coach began looking at the tapes to see what they could do to break the team out of its scoring funk. "You'd think we could score more than five one of these days," Conway muttered to himself as he saw the Curled Bazalopes score twice in an end, the first time that's happened to either Sarzonia or an opponent. That seventh end would be the backbreaker for Sarzonia since the teams were deadlocked at 3-3 going in. The search for answers would find Sarzonia back in the Palestrato Santo Bernardo tomorrow night against Chacor. The loss wasted a surprisingly strong showing by Sarzonian supporters, as an estimated 1,800 showed up in Monterio, Margheria for the tilt against Bazalonia. Sarzonian team officials are predicting a crowd of 2,400 Sarzonians in attendance at the Palestrato Santo Bernardo tomorrow. In Group A, the Curled Bazalopes win clinched a spot in the knockout stages, but the second spot in the knockouts is still in play for all three teams. Even though the debutante Sarzonians are considered in the driver's seat with two matches remaining, it wouldn't take much for the Spokes to head back home after the group stage is done. However, all the players know they're going to have to find a way to score to win. "We can't continue to struggle on the offensive end," Conway said he told his team. "We've got our work cut out for us." |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Feb 26 2007, 02:13 AM | ||||
| BazSports - Bringing you the sports that matter Welcome to the Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling, with me is the studio is Curling connosieur Wayne King. Good evening Wayne. Good Evening Once again we are broadcasting live from the Palestrato Santo Bernardo in Pacitalia the location for the Group A matches in the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling's 2nd installment. Today saw the start of the second leg with Bazalonia facing Sarzonia for the second time this cup. Let's look at the group results. Chacor 8, Milchama 6 (10 ends)
Sarzonia 4, Bazalonia 7 (10 ends)
So Wayne let's look at the performance of the Curled Bazalopes. As always the Curled Bazalopes seemed to do the job in the last 4 ends as the first 6 ends resulted in a 3-all tie between the Sarzonian Spokes and the Curled Bazalopes. However the spokes got the first points on the board wining the first 2 ends by 1 point. A strong defence could not hold up as in the 7th end the Curled Bazalopes scored the first 2 point end in any match against the Sarzonians, this had obviously rattled the Sarzonians but not enough so that they were not able to score on the 8th end, a single point. This single point was not enough and the Curled Bazalopes in the 9th and 10th ends put the result in no contention scoring single point ends for both of them. This leaves the Bazalopes with a perfect 4 win record, and also are now guaranteed entry into the knockout stages with the 3rd and 4th placed teams, Milchama and Chacor being unable to being unable to mount a points challenge on the Curled Bazalopes with 2 games remaining. However the second spot is still up for grabs and as long as the Curled Bazalopes win one of their next 2 games or the Sarzonian Spokes lose one their next 2 games then top spot on the table is assured. There weren't really any clips that were worth showing but, what about attendance to the Championship? 9,200 people in total were in attendance, of those an estimated 2,400 were Sarzonian, 3,800 were Bazalonian and another estimated 3,000 were Pacitalians. Curling it seems is fast gaining popularity with a number of local Bazalonian leagues poping up, The questions that Bazalonians must now ask, do we need a national body to co-ordinate these leagues? So what about the Chacoran-Milchamian match? This seems to be a battle of who is worse Chacor or Milchama and so far the answer is Chacor by the Differential, Chacor scored 11 less points than it conceeded, where as Milchama has only conceeded 2 unanswered points, but this is nit picking as both are currently at 3 pts in the group table. What about the other groups? We just got the results from other matches just a second ago and it seems that in group B Amarenthe is dominating their group also with an undefeated run, Manhattan Prime in Group C also with an unbeaten run. Bazalonia, Amarenthe and Manhattan Prime have all qualified, however group D is a different matter, We have one team that is unable to qualify but no teams that are guaranteed to Qualify, Jasi'yun the only team in the tournament to have no wins against their name. And of those left it is still anyones game. One more question before we have to go, What are your opinions on the upcoming match against Milchama. The Team have to be careful, Milchama are ranked 4th in the region for a reason and just because both Chacor and Milchama have been performing terribly doesn't mean they will continue to do so. The Curled Bazalopes better be ready for anything. But still I beleive that a continuation of the Curled Bazalopes is still on the cards, at least against Milchama. Thank you Wayne, and that ends the BazSports Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling. |
| Posted by: Demot Feb 26 2007, 02:21 AM |
| Diary Entry 013 I seek the truth to this world, be that whatever it might, so that I might find out to where the immortal soul roams to and fro from, and part of that journey in this. Time clarifies the truth in our overly glazed eyes, How all things came to be, How chaos can be bottled, Imperfection and rejection lead to, Elegant words of literature. The vibrant storm existence still holds over us, The tsunami of life's stress and its silent strike, How do you wade such a flood, Let the current of the river take you away, Or become a wave and put on a show, For all the world to see. Transition from shadow to pitch-black is tearing me into pieces, Shred by shred my skin dissolves and the mind regresses Rubbing away the feeling, Silently dieing by my own hand, Never to know where to turn to for help. In this graveyard that is my conscious, Everything seems so distant, Its as if I'm living in the background of a portrait where, No arms are here to hold me, No light to unblind the empty source. How do you release a pain that no one sees, How do you get rid of the burning inside your soul, How do you purify the essence of your very being, How do you hold onto what you should never know, Do you crawl away in the darkest corners of shame, Fly away to a place that can never be found, Or do you spill away your spirit into lines that will be remembered, Engrave a memory into someone's mind, Find a way to mystify them with your feelings, Personify the silent heartbeat that they will never know? Salvation is supposed to come with time, Yet here in a conglomerate of feelings, I remain alive but not well of mind, To ease the passage I turn to the taste of ink, The harmony that comes with every turn of the page, The tip of the utensil making its way, The kiss of underlying perfection, And the whisper of paper. Chaos is always vibrant inside the catacombed tunnel, So many resolute views trying to coax me and hide the truth, Nomadic thoughts of isolation inside a sky so blue, I try to express my simple view, Try to ease an erratic pain, Bury the uneasiness that’s this icy domain, Free my soul and never let it go Words will never whisper that of which I hold inside, All that remains to find is, The true valor of a hollow soul. ~ Jammal Rellings |
| Posted by: Ubundi Feb 26 2007, 07:28 AM |
| Hotel Restaurant, Pacitalia Losing to Nojika?! Team Ubundi was appalled that they could have lost to team 10-8 that they once defeated by thirteen points! The entire team was feeling morose. "There must have been something wrong on the ice...," said Gero Sipho, sighing, while sitting with Team Ubundi at a breakfast table. "Not only did we lose," spat Azaan Daktari," but we've also dropped to third place and Nojika's team has taken our spot." "Winning a match against us and Az-Cz, who we lost to, seems a bit strange." "Do you happen to have to actual standings?" asked Otto Uotila. "Yes... Right here. It reads: 1st -- Amarenthe [ 4-0, 34F / 21A / +13D, 12 pts ] [ Q ] 2nd -- Nojika [ 2-2, 22F / 35A / -13D, 6 pts ] 3rd -- Ubundi [ 1-3, 33F / 28A / +5D, 3 pts ] 4th -- Az-Cz [ 1-3, 26F / 32A / -6D, 3 pts ]" Daktari responded. "Well, Amarenthe has rightly qualified, but we nearly beat them! We were a point away." Skip Mvula Utni spoke for the first time,"We must stop fussing over yesterday's match and the current standings. We have a match against Az-Cz tonight that we must win to have some hope of qualifying." "Right, let's finish up eating to talk strategy," interjected Team Ubundi's coach Jonathan Wells. "We just need to think positively." At the Practice "How many times will Mvula make us run this drill?" asked Uotila to Sipho. "Don't you think we should be working on something else?" "Well, Mvula's been right most of the time in fixing our problems, so he might have a reason. But this seems a bit excessive." "Again!" cried Team Ubundi's skip. Sighing, Uotila began the drill. Coach Wells and Mvula were in conversation on the side of the ice. "The news has filled the papers and the TV," Uotila heard one of them say. "This win is absolutely neccesary to regain our confidence and Ubundi's support. Are you sure we're ready?" This was Wells. "Yes." was Mvula's response. He turned and slid back out on the ice. |
| Posted by: Az-cz Feb 26 2007, 11:31 AM |
| Lsa-Slt: I'm here for -SN covering the Atlantian Oceania Curling Championships. Joining me tonight are the four replacement curlers for the team. Ul-Roy and Za-Gt and their children son Jo-El and daughter Sx-Pt. Welcome. Ul-Roy: Nice to be here tonight. Lsa-Slt: First for those of us who don't know, tell us how you came to be here. Za-Gt: We were vacationing in Amarenthe when out of the blue we got a telephone call saying we were needed for this competition. None of us had seen a curling sheet before, but we're committed Az-czzers. Lsa-Slt: So how did you get out on the ice. Ul-Roy: Some of the Bazalonians taught us the basics before we went out. Those Bazalonians are a right helpful bunch. Lsa-Slt: What are your thoughts about competing in the competition so far. Ul-Roy: It's certainly interesting. And it's thrilling wearing the Az-cz colors and competing, even if we are quite poor. Za-Gt: Plus the kids our getting e-mails from friends back in Az-cz talking about them being on TV. Lsa-Slt: What's your take on Pacitalia. Za-Gt: They need to work on their visitor information centers. We kept trying to find good places to take the kids and the only place we kept getting recommended was this one depressing old zoo. Ul-Roy: It was almost like they didn't have anywhere else to direct us. (Jo-El pops his head up) Jo-El: That zoo sucked. All of the animals looked like they were dying. Ul-Roy: Yeah, capitalists. If they can save a buck who cares if the animals suffer or not. Za-Gt: Yes, it's regrettable that our hosts are such capitalists. Lsa-Slt: Yes well it's not easy to point out the flaws of the nation, but let's not get into that..... back to the curling. If the team comes back will you give up your spot? Ul-Roy: Of course we will. It's their team and that's what's best. We're just doing what we can while they're out. Lsa-Slt: Are you suprised by the level of competiton? Za-Gt: Yes. We expected it to be much higher. Based on what we saw in the olympics we expected these teams to be good. But we now understand why none of them sent teams. They were afraid of getting embarassed. Ul-Roy: Indeed, only in a tournament as poorly run, I mean, creatively mismanaged would such results be occurring. Some of the hijinx that have gone on are just too much to explain. Lsa-Slt: Well that's all the time we have. Good luck against Ubundi. |
| Posted by: Ereeland Feb 26 2007, 05:08 PM |
| Hello all, this is Harvey Baze live at the Furious Colleen Pub in St. Peter's - better known as curling central these days. The Holy Sweepers' triumph over Jasi'yun last week thrust Ereeland into first place in the group. That was enough to tip off parties over the weekend. On Sunday the Sisters attended mass before heading out for their match. This one wasn't expected to be easy. Vilita and Turori had peeled off two impressive wins since last facing Ereeland; they sat in second heading onto the ice Sunday. The last clash between the nations was a 4-3 Errish victory in fourteen end in the first draw. After last week's 8-2 win over a seemingly defenseless Jasi'yun, the Sisters of Hope Abbey seemed more confident this time. The scoreline as reported from Pacitalia: Vilita & Turori 1, Ereeland 7 (10 ends) V T 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 [ 1 ] ERE 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 2 [ 7 ] As you can see, both nations struggled to score stones in the first six or so ends. Combined they managed only two points, with one stone for each side. When the seventh end came around the Holy Sweepers became a holy terror for Vilita and Turori. They scored once in the seventh and eight, then twice in each of the final two ends. All of this culminated in a suprising 7-1 throttling of Vilita and Turori by Ereeland. Whatever went wrong for the Vilitans, the victory kept Ereeland in the Group D driver's seat. With two draws remaining Ereeland has an excellent chance to actually move on to the next stage. Myrtannia were also winners - they ensured elimination for Jasi'yun with a 10-5 beating. Thus far only Jasi'yun has been eliminated from knockout contention. It's all a part of what has become AOCC 2's toughest group. Regional power Myrtannia and Ereeland both have three wins in four tries. Vilita and Turori aren't far behind, breaking even in the win-loss column. Any one could still win the group - Myrtannia and Ereeland would seem to be the top candidates for that. What is certain is that the next draw will make things clearer. Ereeland and Myrtannia clash for the final time in the group stage, and the winner will secure passage to the knockouts barring an unfortunate accident. The Holy Sweepers could take the group with a victory Monday and another against lowly Jasi'yun Tuesday. Myrtannia could do the same with wins over Ereeland and Vilita and Turori. "We'll show 'em! No one stops the nuns on ice!" one pub patron shouted earlier. In the other groups, three nations are already through. Bazalonia, Amarenthe, and Manhattan Prime all secured knockout spots by continuing their unbeaten streaks. That leaves the rest of the nations scrambling for the other knockout spot for their respective groups. At the moment, I'll go out on a limb and make some predictions for those groups. Group A will see Sarzonia join Bazalonia in the KOs. Group B will send Nojika along with Amarenthe. And Group C will be topped by Manhattan Prime and Krytenia, in that order. As for Group D? Most likely to be Myrtannia and Ereeland, but Vilita and Turori will be lurking in the shadows. This is Harvey Baze signing off from the Furious Colleen Pub in St. Peter's. |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Feb 26 2007, 07:20 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 26th February 2007 AOCC2 Update – Manhattan Prime Overcome Demot in Close-Fought Match! Demot 6, Manhattan Prime 7 (10 ends) CODE 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 [ 7 ] 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 [ 6 ] The Manhattan Prime Curling team continues their quiet winning streak with a close 7-6 win over Demot today, to clinch automatic qualification from their group. Despite having achieved 4 victories out of 4, and dominating Group C at AOCC2, the Frozen Chip’s achievement has warranted only one mention in the foreign media thus far; and that from close friends Bazalonia, themselves enjoying a good run of form. The teams started off evenly, with Manhattan Prime grabbing a point in the 1st end through Pete Kowalski, and Demot equalizing in the 2nd end. Chad Brown showed some good form, picking up 2 points for the Frozen Chips in the 3rd end, only to see his team concede two points to bring the score to 3-3. Hopkins had what seemed an off day for him, managing to pick up a point in the 5th end, but generally lacking his usual confidence. Demot equalized in the 6th end to keep right on Manhattan Prime’s heels, and it was up to the Skip, Owen Westwood to break the deadlock. This Westwood did, without drama, by picking up a point in both of his ends to see the Manhattanites lead 6-4. Seemingly fired up, Demot gave Manhattan Prime a scare with their instant resurgence, pulling back the two points they trailed in just the one end. With the scores knuckle-bitingly close, Kowalski proved the hero of the day, grabbing the winning point in what proved to be the final end, to ensure his team’s passage to the next round. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) |
| Posted by: Amarenthe Feb 26 2007, 09:00 PM |
| The Mynia Daily Amarenthe sweeping along undefeated in the AOCC2. So far, so good; with four out of six matches of the group stage behind them, the Amarenthian curling team is one of three teams overall with a 4-0 record, and has qualified for the quarter-finals. Their latest victory over Az-cz - for the second time, we might add - marks another year of outstanding curling from a nation that one might not expect to excel in a sport played on ice. However, our boys and girls have proven that there may be no natural ice in Amarenthe, but there is natural talent. "I went into this saying that I had high hopes for my team," says 25-year-old Dylan Craig, the returning skip, "And so far, we've done about as well as I expected us to. I can't say I expected it to be easy, but I definitely had faith. We got a taste of international play last year, and we rather enjoyed it." Winning 9-5 after ten ends, we'd certainly say they do. Kayley Brian, the sole female member of the team and the only new addition who has seen ice time so far, shares Craig's hopes for the next couple of matches, and the tournament in general: "We've already seen what the other two teams have to offer, and it's nothing we can't handle; of course, as soon as I sound cocky, something terrible is going to happen, isn't it? Our goal is just to finish first in our group, and then we'll see how it goes." Amarenthe's next match is against Nojika; their previous meeting resulted in a 7-2 victory for our guys. Tune in and keep your fingers crossed. Good luck! --- Match results: Az-Cz 5, Amarenthe 9 (9 ends) 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 [ 5 ] 0 1 0 5 0 2 1 0 0 [ 9 ] |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 26 2007, 09:03 PM |
| RP Cutoff for Draw Five |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 26 2007, 10:41 PM |
| "They lost?" "Yep." "That damn offence can't score more than five points, that's why." "Huh?" "Didn't you say Sarzonia lost?" "No! We won." "What? What was the score?" "Five to three over Chacor." "So who lost?" "Bazalonia." "What?" "Yeah, Milchama beat 'em." "Don't we face them next?" "Who? Milchama?" "Yeah." "They're fourth ranked in this tournament." "I know, but they haven't played to form all tournament. At least until yesterday." "But if they can beat Bazalonia, who were unbeaten coming in, they may be catching fire at just the right time. And our offence isn't exactly setting records for efficency." "True. Only Quakmybush have scored fewer points than we have. And Chacor's level with us. I don't know how long our defence can carry us." "It can't." "Guess we'll find out what happens tomorrow." "Yeah." |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Feb 27 2007, 02:11 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 27th February 2007 AOCC2 Update – Manhattan Prime Clinch 1st Place in Group Quakmybush 2, Manhattan Prime 9 (8 ends) CODE 1 2 2 0 1 1 1 1 [ 9 ] 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 [ 2 ] Amidst mass popular support at home the Manhattanite national Curling team has clinched their place as winners of Group C with 15 points by thrashing Quakmybush 9-2 in just 8 short ends. Curling has captured the imagination of the sports fans back home, and Manhattanites are delighted to see their team doing so well. The Frozen Chips put the match beyond doubt very quickly, picking up 5 points in the first 3 ends. Quakmybush’s sole 2 points came in the 4th end, and then they were frozen out for the rest of the game. Vice Skip Jimmy Hopkins and Skip Owen Westwood both picked up 2 points to finish the match with a short, but convincing 9-2 win. The group is now settled with one game still to play; Manhattan Prime win the group with 15 points, with Krytenia in 2nd place with 9 points, sending Demot and Quakmybush home. With both teams already through, the final match against Krytenia is for pride only, but the team will be looking to keep their spotless record. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) GROUP C 1st -- Manhattan Prime [ 5-0, 44F / 22A / +22D, 15 pts ] [ Q / G ] 2nd -- Krytenia [ 3-2, 47F / 29A / +18D, 9 pts ] [ Q ] 3rd -- Demot [ 1-4, 23F / 39A / -16D, 3 pts ] [ E ] 4th -- Quakmybush [ 1-4, 17F / 39A / -22D, 3 pts ] [ E ] |
| Posted by: Ubundi Feb 27 2007, 05:51 PM |
| UNCprint Magazine Sport Team Ubundi Defeats Az-Cz and Moves to Second Place! by Amina Ghipe, Curling Specialist, for UNCprint Magazine Nortopalazzo, Antigonia NORTOPALAZZO, Feb. 27 — In a crucial match that could have had Team Ubundi packing their bags and heading home from the Atlantian Oceania Curling Championship 2 in Pacitalia, Ubundi pulled out ahead of Az-Cz to win 11-9. Team Ubundi performed extremely clutch in the twelfth end, scoring two points to break the tie and Ubundi's five-end scoring drought. This was what the scoreboard looked like at the end: "Ubundi: 0 3 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 [ 11 ] Az-Cz: 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 [ 9 ]" This needed victory boosted Team Ubundi into second place in Group B with a provisional qualification and eliminated the struggling team from Az-Cz. After Team Ubundi pulled ahead for victory, coach Jonathan Wells could be seen jumping in excitement off to the side and the Ubundian players expressed their happiness with wide grins. In an interview with UNCtv directly after the match, Team Ubundi's skip Mvula Utni called the performance of his teammates "incredible" and "more than we could have expected." When asked how he felt about leading the team, Utni modestly replied, "Curling is a team sport and everyone plays a crucial and important role. Team Ubundi did it as a whole, not by just one person." In Round Two of the AOCC2, Team Ubundi was defeated by Az-Cz 8-4. Team Ubundi will face top-seeded and unbeaten Amarenthe in Round 6, who they previously lost to by one point. "We can do it," said Wells. |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Feb 27 2007, 06:31 PM | ||||
| BazSports - Bringing you the sports that matter Welcome to the Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling, with me is the studio is Curling connosieur Wayne King. Good evening Wayne. Good Evening We're Broadcasting live from the Palestrato Santo Bernardo in Pacitalia the location for the Group A matches in the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling's 2nd installment. Today saw the penultimate game in the group stages The Curled Bazalopes faced Milchama and the Spokes of Sarzonia faced Chacor. Let's take a look at the results. Bazalonia 5, Milchama 6 (10 ends)
Sarzonia 5, Chacor 3 (10 ends)
So Wayne let's look at the performance of the Curled Bazalopes. What can I say we lost, something that many would have thought should have happened a long time ago, both teams played really well neither team getting a real major hand over the other team, what had made the difference was a 2 point end in the fifth end. A momentary lapse by the Curled Bazalope Defense let the Milchamians in, each team won 5 ends with ones being scored for most of them, all infact apart from the 5th end. I warned about this the last time, the Milchamian's are fourth in the region for a reason and they managed to show the spark that took them there in this match-up. Let's have a look at some clips. <2 ends for each team where they won and the 2 point end and another final Bazalonian end. Also a bit of the clip where the team graciously congratulated the Milchamians on their win.> Instead of our normal look at the results of the other match, we have a special guest, the skipper of the Bazalonian Curling team in the AOCC2, Jerry Haven. Welcome Jerry. Thank you, Nice to be here. Nice to see you again Wayne. Nice to see you too, What do you think of the teams performance, especially in-light of this 5-6 loss? No one was expecting this team to do well, some where even predicting us to be last on the table, but I can't complain we beat the Milchamians and then barely missed out by one point. We are going extremely well and are still on top of the Table. What are your thoughts about the upcoming game, Jerry? We are preparing hard for this one, we are going to do our best, and whatever happens will happen. Another, thing we have reports that you guys went to Az-cz and helped their team out, What did you do down there? Basically we introduced them to the rules and general behaviour and then played a few games with them so they could the hang of some strategies. And despite only winning one match the gnomes are getting the hang of the game. They have a Points Differential of negative 8 which is pretty good compared to third place team in that group, Nojika who have won 2 games and lost 3 who have a negative 18 point differential. I think next AOCC they could be a challenge. Since they have some experience under their belt the up coming match against Chacor, What is your opinion of it? The results matters, but most likely not to the over standings, We'll still most likely retain top of the table if we lose but it's more of a matter of proving that our wins in the first leg of matches were not flukes. One Final question, what do you predict for the upcoming Milchama-Sarzonia match? Well , I don't really no what to expect... The Milchamians seem to be back in the game, if they win they will challenge the Sarzonian spot and almost guaranteed to do so unless they only win by one again. I dunno, but it would be interesting to watch. Thank you for coming Jerry, and Thank you Wayne, BazSports will bring you live coverage of the AOCC2 final group matches, switching between both matches here at the Palestrato Santo Bernardo, and that ends the BazSports Coverage of the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling. |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 27 2007, 09:22 PM |
| RP Cutoff for Draw Six |
| Posted by: Amarenthe Feb 27 2007, 11:50 PM |
| The Mynia Daily - 27 February 2007 Amarenthe reaches quarterfinals with a spotless record With another tight victory over Ubundi, who proved to be Amarenthe's toughest competition in the group stage, we're now heading into the AOCC2 quarterfinals with a spotless - that's right, spotless - record. All right, we're bragging a little. But Amarenthe is one of only two out of sixteen teams with a 6-0 record, and it's worth a little pride. Our team is doing a good job of proving that last year's second place finish wasn't a fluke, and if we keep this up, we might be looking at a similar result - though coach Sean Loughen is warning against overconfidence. "We did pretty well, no doubt about that, but it's so easy in any tournament to get cocky - and it's so easy to slip and wind up flat on your back before you know it. The group stage, with no disrespect for our competition, wasn't too bad; Ubundi gave us the hardest match on day three, with an 8-7 final after ten ends, and giving us another go earlier today with 6-4 finish and scoring one late in the last end. But now that we're into the quarterfinals, you've got to expect that it's going to get a hell of a lot harder. The effort was already there, but we're going to have to step it up a bit; our international experience is still severely limited." Amarenthe's next match is Thursday, 1 March 2007 in the Arena dell' AeroPacitalia in Timiocato - let's hope for a win to bring in the new month. We're facing Krytenia, the second-place finisher from Group C, with a 3-3 record so far. Ubundi, who finished second to us with a 2-4 record, faces Manhatten Prime, the Group C leader - and the only other team that finished undefeated. Bazalonia, first from Group A, versus Group D second Myrtannia, and Milchama faces Ereeland to complete the day. --- Day Six results: Ubundi 4, Amarenthe 6 (10 ends) 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 [ 4 ] 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 [ 6 ] For another story concerning Amarenthian curling, see page E3 ------------------------------------------------------------ The Mynia Daily - 27 February 2007 The girl knows her rocks Eric Britton And we're not talking the sparly kind you women wear on your fingers. Or stick on little metal pegs through your ears. Not that they don't look lovely, ladies, really, we appreciate the time and effort you put into looking wonderful for us. Really. Especially you honey. Am I still on the couch? No, we're talking the curling rocks - and Kayley Brian, the sole female representing Amarenthe in the AOCC2 who's seen ice time so far, knows how to throw them. "It's been good so far," Brian agrees, "And I'm having the time of my life here in Pacitalia." So how are the boys treating their lady companion? "They're being good. My boys are a ton of fun to be around and play with, and boy are they skilled. I was a little nervous coming into this, as the only new team member this year and the only girl, but they're family now, and it's awesome to represent the Amarenthian women internationally, along with Shaelynn [Corinnagh]." Good to have you out there, ladies. We're wishing you the best. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 28 2007, 10:06 AM |
| "Have a seat," Downie said, gesturing to the chair in front of his very cluttered desk back at The Woodstock Daily Mail's newsroom. West nervously sat down, not sure what to think of Downie's demeanor. It seemed entirely too much like putting on airs, like an editor who would seem collegial but then rip you a new one. Downie took a look at West and allowed himself to think for a second. He was genuinely trying to convey something that wasn't seeming to get across to West. That was a cause for concern, but it's one he decided he would deal with another time. "I see the Spokes lost to Milchama," Downie said. "They're 3-3." "Yes, sir." Downie nodded. He glanced back at the match report and clicked his mouse. He then looked back with that smile that seemed to make West squirm. "Seems like we've got some potential at this curling," Downie said. "But we just didn't have enough of what it takes to succeed." West was too nervous to respond, so Downie decided to. "Unlike you." West's eyes widened. "You've got the potential," Downie said. "And you've got more than plenty of what it takes to do well in this business," he said, breaking into a genuine smile. "I truly enjoyed reading your copy. Besides the fact it was clean," he said with a chuckle, "it had some personality to it. We've gotten a lot of calls from people who picked up the sport here because of your stories." "Wow that's great," West said, finally allowing himself to smile. "I've got another assignment for you now," Downie said. "Bob Tracy's leaving The Daily Mail to go to that new sports weekly in Portland. We're going to need someone to cover the Wild. I want you to be the man." "The Wild!" West was taken aback by this. It was the premier beat for The Daily Mail sports staff. In fact, it was one that Downie himself volunteered to take on when Tracy turned in his resignation, but the paper's managing editor told him the sports editor shouldn't be taking on a beat with all the responsibilities of putting out a newspaper. "The other writers and I, and the editorial board were discussing it," Downie said. "We all feel you've got the potential to be a great one and we think you'd do well there. Your curling stories proved that, especially since you took on a sport you didn't know at all and you did well with it. People we know who do know the sport were very high on your stories. If you can do that well with a sport you know nothing about, we'd like to see you work with a sport you've won collegiate awards for covering." "Thanks!" Downie looked at the broad, high-wattage smile that formed on West's face and nodded. "Now get to work, kid!" |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Feb 28 2007, 03:06 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 28th February 2007 AOCC2 Update – Frozen Chips End Group Stages With Perfect Record Krytenia 13, Manhattan Prime 14 (17 ends) CODE 4 0 0 3 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 [ 14 ] 0 3 4 0 0 3 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 [ 13 ] Manhattan Prime have edged past old footballing rivals Krytenia in a painfully close 14-13 win to maintain their spotless record of 6 wins out of 6 in Group C. The Frozen Chips seemed to be off to a fantastic start when Kowalski picked up 4 points in just the first end, but the team then saw themselves frozen out for 2 ends whilst their opponents scored 7 points in quick succession. The teams proceeded to trade points, with Brown and Hopkins scoring 3 each for Manhattan Prime and Krytenia picking up an additional 6 points to leave the score 13-13 going into the 11th end. The game then took a bizarre twist, with 6 no scoring ends in a row before MP clinched the winner with Kowalski picking up the vital point. Manhattan Prime has reached the quarter finals in their first Curling tournament, and now face the runners up of Group B; regional newcomers Ubundi in Nortopalazzo. Krytenia also progress to face Amarenthe from Group B, the only other team with a perfect record thus far. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) GROUP C - Final 1st -- Manhattan Prime [ 6-0, 58F / 35A / +23D, 18 pts ] [ Q / G ] 2nd -- Krytenia [ 3-3, 60F / 43A / +17D, 9 pts ] [ Q ] 3rd -- Demot [ 2-4, 32F / 43A / -11D, 6 pts ] [ E ] 4th -- Quakmybush [ 1-5, 21F / 48A / -27D, 3 pts ] [ E ] |
| Posted by: Ubundi Feb 28 2007, 04:29 PM |
| UNCtv Sport Giconi Nthanda: From the UNCtv Headquarters in Ubundiville, this is your host Giconi Nthanda and you're watching UNCtv Sport. Let us start with the big headline that Ubundian sports fans have been looking forward to since earlier this month. Our Team Ubundi has qualified for the quarter-finals of the Atlantian Oceania Curling Championship II despite a six to four point loss against second-seeded overall Amarenthe in Nortopalazzo, Pacitalia. And, joining me now to discuss Team Ubundi and the AOCC2 is the editor of the Ubundi Sport Journal, Luc Wicklif. Welcome, Luc! Luc Wicklif: It is great to be here! Nthanda: To start off, what do you think of Team Ubundi's performance in Group B of the AOCC2? Wicklif: Considering them being newcomers to the AOCC2 and other curling tournaments, I would say brilliant. Coming in with little experience in Atlantian Oceanian sporting events, Team Ubundi faced a tough group of teams – among them, as you said earlier, second-seeded Amarenthe and sixth-seeded Az-Cz. In the beginning match of the AOCC2, Team Ubundi crushed equally ranked Nojika in a fourteen to one blow-out and continued on to give Az-Cz and Amarenthe a difficult opposition, nearly defeating Amarenthe. Nthanda: Compared to some of the other teams competing, Team Ubundi seemed quite up-beat and positive throughout the beginning matches. Do you think this helped? Wicklif: Oh, without a doubt! Just listening or reading over the team's various interviews and press conferences, anyone could tell they felt good and confident all the way through, even after losses. Losing confidence can really hurt a team's performance, as we've seen in the AOCC2. Also, the Ubundian people are giving Team Ubundi a massive base of support. If you look to the stands at Team Ubundi's matches, it seems as if you're watching a match back home in Ubundi, not in the Arena dell' ABNAmro in Nortopalazzo. Nthanda: I see. Now let's look at Team Ubundi's performance yesterday night. Here was the final scoreboard: "Ubundi: 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 [ 4 ] Amarenthe: 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 [ 6 ]" Wicklif: Team Ubundi faced a two point deficit going into the fourth end, and they were only able to score one point then. Amarenthe then scored another in the fifth end to increase their lead to four to two, and although Ubundi scored one in the sixth to decrease the difference to one, Amarenthe then scored a point in both the seventh and eighth end to take control. It looked as if there might have been some hope in the tenth and final end, but Team Ubundi managed to only gain one point. Team Ubundi did well, but Amarenthe did a bit better. Nthanda: Here are the final standings in Team Ubundi's Group B and the upcoming schedule for Team Ubundi: "1st -- Amarenthe [ 6-0, 49F / 29A / +20D, 18 pts ] [ Q / G ] 2nd -- Ubundi [ 2-4, 48F / 43A / +5D, 6 pts ] [ Q ] 3rd -- Az-Cz [ 2-4, 46F / 48A / -2D, 6 pts ] [ E ] 4th -- Nojika [ 2-4, 31F / 55A / -24D, 6 pts ] [ E ]" "Ubundi v Manhattan Prime [ Arena dell' ABNAmro, Nortopalazzo, Antigonia, Pacitalia ]" How do the quarterfinals look for the Team? Wicklif: Team Ubundi's quarterfinals match against Manhattan Prime will be quite tough. Manhattan went unbeated in Group C, which included Krytenia, and performed even slightly better than Amarenthe. If the Team can keep focused, I believe they have what it takes to taste victory and the semifinals. Nthanda: That's all we have time for tonight. Thank you for joining us, Luc. Wicklif: Thank you for having me on. |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Feb 28 2007, 06:51 PM |
| While the BazSports people were doing there live broadcast thing from Palestrato, whatever that means. The Curling team were slightly stunned, not only had they qualified for the knockout rounds, and not only had they qualified at the top of their group. Which was an amazing feat in itself but there was one more thing. After finding the schedule for the upcoming Quarter final, they found out they were up against. Myrtannia, but not just anywhere they were right here at the Palestrato Santo Bernardo in Monterio, Pacitalia. This was going to be a big test for the Curled Bazalopes, Myrtannia are the number 1 ranked team in the tournament, however that does not mean anything, what does matter is that they had qualified for the Quarter Finals. Any of the teams, would be able to mount a decent Challenge and now that it is knock-out, all the efforts of the past 6 matches will mean nothing unless The Curled Bazalopes can beat the Myrtannians, but certainly the Myrtannians can beat the Bazalonians. The team were left wondering about the result of the upcoming match. Each of the members in between their usual practice session, Jerry was wondering through the city looking at the various sites and came upon by accident the University of Margheria, there was an open field where the requisite numbers of people playing a game of Ultimate, A group of 4 students were hacky sacking as well as some sort of a study group sitting down on the grass working together. And then an idea hit him, no it was not to join a Pacitalian university, but there was something else, something he did while at University that would perhaps give them the edge that they needed, and no neither is drugs. Jerry made his way into the CBD of Monterio and bought some items that he needed, the next night everything was ready. They just had to wait for the Quarter Final. |
| Posted by: Myrtannia Mar 1 2007, 12:47 PM |
| Team Myrtannia Qualifies for Knockouts; Bazalonia Awaits PACITALIA - AOCC 2 has been an eye-opening experience for the second Team Myrtannia in curling, if nothing else. They've seen that just because they're number one in the pre-tournament regional rankings doesn't mean they're gauranteed to win their group. A loss to Vilita/Turori earlier brought that about, though that team had won two in a row including that match. After recovering from the loss with a return to form against Jasi'Yun (10-5, 10 ends), Team Myrtannia found itself still very much in the runnning for the group title. Ereeland toppled V/T in their second meeting, setting up the biggest match of Group D. And unfortunately for the teens in blue and orange, that's where reality hit them like a speding brick in the face. While Myrtannia may well have been looking forward to a knockout spot already, Ereeland took the ice and forced them to wake up from that daydream. The nuns took an early lead and ran with it, forcing Team Myrtannia to play catch up all the way. Not even a late two-point end could rouse the orange and blue to being close enough to threaten the Errish. In the end (of the match), Ereeland took away a big 10-6 win that punched a ticket to their first AOCC Quaterfinals appearance. Myrtannia was left vying with Vilita/Turori in the final group match for second place and that elusive knockout seed. A day of closed-door, intensive practices paid off for Team Myrtannia, who came out ready to curl. They showed it early, scoring four points in the first three ends, which by itself would have been enough to put away V/T. The V/T curlers secured two points over the next two ends to cut the lead in half by halfway through the match. That would be as close as they got, as Team Myrtannia went on a late rally and held the V/T team to just one point in the final five ends. This concentrated attack ensured Myrtannia's progression to the Quarterfinals with an 8-3 victory. Elsewhere in the group, Ereeland made an easy time of it in pounding Jasi'Yun to secure Group D's top seed. So much so that the match ended early; it was called after eight ends. Finishing second place in Group D, Myrtannia (4-2) now finds itself paired with the top seed from Group A. That would be Bazalonia (5-1). Save their one stumble against Milchama by all of one point, the Curled Bazalopes have been just about perfect this AOCC. That could pose problems for Team Myrtannia, who are just now seemingly finding their groove again. "They're an excellent team, no question about it. We're going to use our day off to make sure we're ready for anything the Curled Bazalopes can throw at us," said vice skip Renaldo Givliani. In other Quarterfinals match-ups, Amarenthe (6-0) takes on Krytenia (3-3), Ereeland (5-1) faces Milchama (3-3), and Manhattan Prime (6-0) goes up against Ubundi (2-4). From our perspective, Amarenthe - the runner-up last AOCC - is too strong for Krytenia and will sweep them aside en route to the Semis. Manhattan Prime has done VERY well for themselves, and should continue the trend against Ubundi, the team with the worst qualifying record. Ereeland/Milchama could get pretty interesting, but we feel the Errish tendency to actually play some defense will carry them into the semis. As for Bazalonia/Myrtannia, we're going to be cautiously optimistic. The top ranked team in the region just barely edges out Bazalonia in extra ends, 9-8. But predictions have been way off before, and that won't change now. All of the Quarterfinals action will be carried on SNM, due to the cancellation of the National Rodeo Clown Chess Tournament. |
| Posted by: Ereeland Mar 1 2007, 03:09 PM |
| Harvey Baze reporting live from Green Square in St. Peter's. Just behind me is the Furious Colleen Pub, where the house is packed. So packed that they don't have room for us tonight. The reason for the spike in patrons is easy to discover if you ask around. "Our Sisters of Hope Abbey are kicking buttocks and taking names! All in the name of the Lord of course," fan Brigett Thomas told us. The curling nuns have indeed done well for themselves in their first AOCC appearance. A win over Vilita and Turori by such a decisive margin (7-1) has turned out to be a sign. Meaning a sign that Ereeland had all the gears running in fine order. In a crucial Draw Five contest, Ereeland faced regional power Myrtannia for first place in Group D. What was expected to be close ended up being another solid performance by the Holy Sweepers. Myrtannia beat the sweepers in the eleventh end last time. This time, the Sweepers were ready and the Myrtannians had their heads in the clouds. The scoreline from Draw Five: Ereeland 10, Myrtannia 6 (10 ends) ERE 2 0 2 1 1 0 2 0 0 2 [ 10 ] MYR 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 [ 6 ] The Holy Sweepers did their damage early, leaping out to a commanding 6-2 lead in five ends. Myrtannia got some back with a two stone sixth end, but the Sisters answered with their own two stone end. After that Myrtannia scored its final two stones to get within 8-6. That preceeded another two stone end in the tenth for the Holy Sweepers. All in all, a 10-6 win over the region's top ranked team is nothing to shake a broom at. This was the win that locked up a quarterfinal spot for Ereeland, but didn't gaurantee the group. While Myrtannia battled Vilita and Turori for survival Ereeland battled to secure the group. Their opponent in the sixth and final group draw: Jasi'yun, coming off an upset of Vilita and Turori. Their previous contest was an 8-2 drubbing by Ereeland in the third draw. This match would prove to be different in one respect - it would not go the full ten ends as normal. The scoreline: Jasi'yun 3, Ereeland 10 (8 ends) JSY 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 [ 3 ] ERE 0 2 0 0 2 2 2 2 [ 10 ] As you can see by the score this was a very lopsided contest. The Holy Sweepers wanted to take the group, and no one was going to stand in their way. Jasi'yun got a quick one stone lead in the first and went on to lead 3-2 heading for the fifth end. That's when the Errish Sisters took command by scoring four consecutive two stone ends. The match was called after eight ends and gave Ereeland a big seven stone victory, 10-3. It also won the group for the Sisters of Hope Abbey. In other action Myrtannia beat Vilita and Turori to secure passage through to the QFs. So what do the knockouts look like? Here is the official QF schedule released by the Pacitalian officials: Bazalonia v Myrtannia Amarenthe v Krytenia Milchama v Ereeland Manhattan Prime v Ubundi It's intersting to note that Ereeland's next opponent is Milchama. This sets up a contest between the Jewish Warriors of Milchama and the Catholic nuns of Ereeland. That alone may make this the game to watch in the quarterfinals. Since I made predictions for the group stage, I may as well do some for the knockouts. I feel that Bazalonia will end Mrytannia's tournament early, while Amarenthe stays unbeaten in a close one with Krytenia. Manhattan Prime remains undeafeted and will face Ereeland in the semi finals. The local government in St. Peter's has erected a giant television screen that you can see behind me for the quarterfinals. Errish citizens will be able to watch the Milchama v Ereeland match on this screen in Green Square live as it happens. This is Harvey Baze signing off from Green Square in St. Peter's. |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Mar 1 2007, 08:17 PM |
| RP Cutoff for knockouts - quarterfinal stage |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Mar 2 2007, 12:57 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 2nd March 2007 AOCC2 Quarter Finals – Kowalski Sucker Punches Ubundi Ubundi 2, Manhattan Prime 6 (9 ends) CODE 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 [ 2 ] 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 [ 6 ] Manhattan Prime has convincingly defeated Ubundi in AOCC2, to progress to the nation’s first sporting semi final in any sport since unification in 2005. Continuing their strong record of 6 wins on the trot, the Frozen Chips killed the game in just 2 high scoring ends. Ubundi starting strongly, clearly determined to progress by grabbing a point in the opening end. Pete Kowalski showed his desire was equally strong, responding by grabbing 3 points in the 2nd end. 3 tense no-scoring ends followed, with both team’s sweepers looking uncharacteristically nervous and jumpy, leading to mistakes and very defensive play as both sides were desperate not to let the other score again. Ubundi broke the deadlock in the 6th end, grabbing another point to pull Manhattan Prime’s lead back to 4-2. Skip Westwood’s two ends likewise proved scoreless, but cometh the hour, cometh the man – Pete Kowalski stepped up to throw for the 9th end, and proceeded to deliver a sucker punch to the Ubundian team, scoring 3 more times to record a convincing 6-2 win. With public interest at home in sport exploding, the semi finals, and a draw with Ereeland in Sambuca beckon. Manhattan Prime’s opponents are also in good form, having defeated Milchama in the quarter finals, but the team’s morale has never been higher. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) |
| Posted by: Bazalonia Mar 2 2007, 07:32 PM |
| After an amazing performance in the Group stage the Curled Bazalopes choked in the quarter finals. Maybe it was facing the top ranked team in the region, perhaps it was the stress of a knockout match, perhaps it was the quarter-final curling curse. As in the first Winter Olympiad the Curled Bazalopes were knocked out. Despite this, the team had alot more experience and interest in Curling was renewed in Bazalonia. Local leagues started to ban together to form regional leagues. Perhaps it's not much longer until a fully national curling league is formed like there is for it's sporting cousin, Lawn Bowls. |
| Posted by: Myrtannia Mar 3 2007, 01:15 AM |
| Myrtannia Eliminates Bazalonia, Faces AOCC 1 Finalist in Semis MONTERIO, Margheria, Pacitalia - When all was said and done on Thursday evening, Myrtannia showed that apparently they are ranked number one in regional curling for a reason. Fourth place finishers in the last AOCC, Team Myrtannia finished second in a competitive Group D behind Ereeland, and drew Group A winner Bazalonia in the Quarts. There was speculation at home that the team would be on board the next flight to Halosen even as the match was almost underway. Team Myrtannia banished those thoughts with a strong start to its second-ever Quarterfinal match. Last time around, the orange and blue curlers knocked out Iksonic in their first KO match. It was going to be a bit tougher this time, but they still managed to make a strong showing early. Sachiko Noia helped score two points in the opening end, and set the trend for the offensive display that followed. It wasn't one-sided either, as the Curled Bazalopes came right back in the second with their own two-point performance. Come the third end, it was Myrtannia again with two points, this time courtesy of the on-ice tactics of Ellyn Mockler. Then came the fourth end, when Bazalonia again swept one home to draw closer at 3-4. "Halfway through the match, we were still tense," said vice skip Renaldo Givliani, "We knew Bazalonia had a good team, and they certainly weren't going home without a fight today." Taking control momentarily, Myrtannia scored one point in the fifth, and another in the sixth to go ahead 6-3. Then came another Bazalonian rally, an amazing display of curling ability when they scored thrice in the seventh end to make it all even once again. A three point lead became even-Steven going into the eigth end. And then came Team Myrtannia's rally. Using the offensive tactics that are the brainchild of coach Luangxay, the youngsters in orange and blue dominated the Bazalopes in the next two ends. Each one saw Team Myrtannia strike home two, leading to a comfortable 10-6 lead heading into the final end. Bazalonia tried to make something happen, but only managed one point by the final sweep. The win ensured that Team Myrtannia stays in Pacitalia for another few days, and guaranteeing them no worse finish than fourth. A highest-ever finish (such as third?) isn't completely out of the question either. But veteran curler Filiberto Luangxay says he intends to keep the team's heads out of the clouds. "We've got our toughest matchup yet coming 'round the corner, and we need to be focused and ready. Our team underestimated these guys last AOCC, and we paid the price, big time," the coach commented on SNM's Curling Tonight porgram. 'These guys' Luangxay referred to are the as-yet unbeaten team from Amarenthe, runners-up to Dorian & Sonya in the inaugural AOCC. Amarenthe surprised a heady Myrtannian team in the Semi-Finals then, and now might be the favorite to progress to the Final. It's also a matchup of two regional curling powers: Amarenthe is ranked second, while Myrtannia is ranked precariously at first. Sachiko Noia offered this point of view, "We can't take anything for granted at this level of competition. Amarenthe has performed extremely well, so we're going to be at the top of our game to get past them." Domestic odds-makers have Amarenthe as an early 1 point favorite over Team Myrtannia. In other knockout action, that Amarenthe side eliminated Krytenia 4-3, while Manhattan Prime easily ousted Ubundi 6-2 in nine ends. The surprise of the tournament, Ereeland's nuns, continued to play well. Ereeland put an end to Milchama's stay in Pacitalia with a close 6-5 victory. They face Manhattan Prime on Saturday, and the Chippers are the early 3 point favorite to advance. Just a reminder, don't forget to catch all the Semi-Finals highlights on Curling Tonight - every matchday night at 1:30 AM, only on Sports Network Myrtannia. |
| Posted by: Ereeland Mar 3 2007, 02:23 PM |
| Harvey Baze reporting from Green Square in St. Peter's. It was a grand scene in the city center on Thursday for the live curling broadcast. On the big screen, no less. Seating was hard to come by as citizens occupied the Square for the biggest sporting event in Errish history. Well, maybe not the biggest. Important at least. The sponsors of the event handed out free drink and snacks to fans, and souveniers were sold at several tables. As always all proceeds for the souveniers went directly to charity. Of course, the purpose of the big screen was the main reason Errish sporting fans made their way to the Square. The Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling 2 quarterfinal contest between Ereeland and Milchama. As Group D winners Ereeland's Holy Sweepers faced stiff competition from the Group A runners up. On the big screen, every aspect of the match was broadcast - right from the national anthems. In Green Square volunteers raised Milchaman and Errish flags up as each anthem was played. The cheer was deafening when 'A Soldier's Song' concluded. But the real show was yet to come. The Holy Sweepers had taken Group D seemingly out of nowhere. Milchama fought its way through to the knockouts with a .500 record. Nobody was quite sure just what to expect when the first end finally got underway. It was a close contest, but the fans in the Square needn't worry. The official scoreline: Milchama 5, Ereeland 6 (10 ends) MIL 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 [ 5 ] ERE 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 [ 6 ] Things got underway ominously when Milchama cast the first scoring stone of the match. Was this going to be the end of the line for the nation's favorite curling nuns? The Sisters of Hope Abbey responded in a manner that cast away those doubts of success. Over the next two ends they knocked three stones home to surge ahead of Milchama 3-1. Milchama came back with another two stones to draw even at the halfway point. The Sweepers responded in kind to go back up by two. After Milchama cut the lead in half, the Sisters put home a miraculous two stones in the ninth end. At the start of the tenth Ereeland led 6-4. Or should it have been 7-4? The scoreline makes this unclear. Whatever the case Milchama could only come up with one stone in the final end. Victory went again to the Holy Sweepers. Back in St. Peter's the assembled curling mob went absolutely bonkers. You'd think that St. Peter's FC had just won the Errish Cup or something. Festivities continued for another hour or so before people started to head home. A similar setup is planned for today's semi final match - big screen and all. Event goers are advised to arrive half an hour early in order to get a seat. With the victory Ereeland joins Myrtannia, Amarenthe, and Manhattan Prime in the semi finals. While the two highest ranked nations in AO duke it out, our beloved Sisters of Hope Abbey take on the unblemished Frozen Chips. With Olympic experience Manhattan Prime has a slight advantage in... well, experience. But the Holy Sweepers have been on a roll, and rankings wise aren't far behind the Chips. A sober fan identified as Parker O'Toole offered his take on the match, "Frozen Chips? What in the blazes is a Frozen Chip? Whatever it is, our Holy Sweepers'll sweep them off the ice." An oversized banner proclaiming 'EREELAND HOLY SWEEPERS v MANHATTAN PRIME FROZEN CHIPS' has been raised up at Green Square. The national flags are ready to be raised during national anthems. Before the broadcast, the ladies' choir of St. Peter's cathedral will be singing the Errish anthem as part of a free concert. Win or lose, the curling nuns have found a place in the minds of Ereeland. This is Harvey Baze signing off from Green Square in St. Peter's. |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Mar 3 2007, 09:27 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 4th March 2007 AOCC2 Semi Finals – Nuns Outdone as MP Reach Final Ereeland 4, Manhattan Prime 7 (10 ends) CODE 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 [ 4 ] 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 [ 7 ] Manhattan Prime has defeated Ereeland in the semi finals to progress to the AOCC2 final, leaving the average Manhattanite on the street wondering “The final? How did that happen?!” The atmosphere had everything the semi final of a major tournament deserves; two sets of fanatic fans, gigantic flags and colourful banners, and plenty of noise. Manhattanite fans widely found their counterparts from Ereeland to be fantastic sports, and both sets of fans mixed well, with plenty of fans meeting at local pubs before and after the game, and several drinking contests being spotted against our new friends. A large Pacitalian contingent was also seen at the game, cheering on their Manhattanite allies and sporting banners reading “Timiocato Chippers”, and “MP for the Gold, Sambuca Fan Club”. Clearly the Frozen Chips had won the hearts of the hosts as well, despite little being expected from them at the beginning of the tournament. With the first end finishing scoreless as both teams felt each other out, the Holy Sweepers grabbed the first point of the game in the 2nd end. Chad Brown responded with 2 points in the 3rd end, and Jimmy Hopkins grabbed another 2 in the 5th end to put the Chips 4-1 up. Owen Westwood had a fantastic game, scoring 3 points in his 2 ends to leave the Holy Sweepers trailing. Although they rallied admirably with 2 skillful points in the 10th end, it proved to be not enough, and to the roar of their delighted support, Manhattan Prime took the game 7-4. The MPNN has reported coverage attracted the highest viewing figures for any event since Manhattan Prime’s first successful space launch in 2005, and several Pacitalian bars offered free beers for every end MP won, and quickly found themselves packed out with Manhattanites who couldn’t get game tickets. Manhattan Skip Owen Westwood took a moment from celebrating to hail his opponents - “they gave us a good game out there, and they were damn good sports. We hope to see them again at the next tournament, and I’m sure it’ll be a classic game” he commented. Whilst Ereeland face Amarenthe for the Bronze Medal, one last hurdle awaits our boys; top seed Myrtannia in Timiocato on Monday. Can the team go all the way and bring the cup home to Manhattan Prime? Certainly the whole nation will be behind them, and the President himself has sent a letter of good luck to the team in Pacitalia. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Mar 4 2007, 11:21 PM |
| Woodstock Daily Mail Once more unto the breach, Pacitalia By Dave O'Halloran Daily Mail Staff Writer TIMIOCATO (4 March 2007) -- Even though their team was eliminated at the end of the group stage, Sarzonian supporters have steadily made their presence felt in the knockout stage matches by the hundreds and later thousands in the arenas. In some cases, Sarzonian supporters have taken to the odd seeming sport in droves, with the Sarzonian Curling Federation the obvious beneficiaries. Organisers of the AOCC3 Spokes side are optimistic they would have no trouble fielding a team. "We think we'll even be able to make some cuts or develop a reserve side after what happened in Pacitalia," said a spokesman for the SCF. "After we had to struggle to field a team for this go of it, we don't foresee that being a problem next time around." The Sarzonian team finished the group stage with a 3-3 record, which most observers would have been thrilled about considering the country's lack of pedigree in the sport. The team finished 15th among the 16 teams competing in points scored with 22, an average of 3.67 per game. "We just were never in sync offensively," said first Charlie Orem. "We need to look at the tapes and see what we did wrong. More importantly, we need to see what other teams did well and learn from it." While the team's offence was anemic, the defence kept the Spokes alive until the group stage finale against Milchama. Sarzonia's 24 points allowed tied with Ereeland for the fewest conceded in the tournament. "I can't say enough good things about our defence," said skip Mathew Renney. "If we could only have scored a few more points, we'd be in the thick of things in the knockouts." Officials at the Arena dell' AeroPacitalia in this nation's capital are estimating that a full 6,200 Sarzonians may be in attendance for tomorrow's gold medal match between Manhattan Prime and Myrtannia. They've confirmed the mailing addresses of 5,700 tickets already purchased as coming from Sarzonian homes. "It's huge," said one ticket broker. "They've averaged maybe 2,400 supporters in the stands even when their team flew back to Woodstock. But there's definitely a spike in interest." The broker said he couldn't account for which team supporters were cheering for, saying he didn't keep close track of those calculations. However, several media outlets are reporting a definite rooting interest for most Sarzonians they spoke to. "Manhattan Prime," several university students shouted when asked who they supported. That response came consistently, according to several journalists in the work room of the Arena dell' AeroPacitalia. According to a straw poll done in the work room, 84 percent of the responses were from Sarzonians who cast their lots with Manhattan Prime. Most sober Sarzonian responses cited the political climate involved in Manhattanite-Sarzonian relations being close before President Mike Sarzo's abrupt resignation last August. Others simply cited Manhattan Prime's underdog status entering the tournament. However, several Sarzonians who said they planned to attend the final said they were doing so for another reason, one they said was even more important than a sporting event. "We're making a statement about our hopes for Paci-Sarzonian relations," said David Leslie, who is on holiday from Saugerties. "We may not have won a title on the ice, but politically, we have much to gain from being there even without our team." Laura Crofton, a former aide to Deputy Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer Grant Haffner, said she was attending the match as a guest of Pacitalian Prime Minister Fernando Chiovitti. She said "ideological differences" led to her departure from Haffner's office, but External Affairs thought highly enough of her work to continue giving her assignments. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Crofton would be the likely pick for the next ambassador to Pacitalia should the two nations restore full diplomatic relations. "I'm hoping I can just send away for my clothes," Crofton said, laughing. "I like it here; plus, I believe it would be a hugely positive step in the right direction for us to restore relations in the wake of Operation Pentacle." |
| Posted by: Myrtannia Mar 5 2007, 02:12 AM |
| Revenge is Sweet: Myrtannia Ices Amarenthe, Advances to Final NORTOPALAZZO, Antigonia, Pacitalia - For the second consecutive AOCC, Myrtannia's national team reached the Semi-Finals and clashed with Amarenthe. This wasn't just any curling battle between two AO nations, but a test of will on ice with rocks and brooms. Last AOCC, Amarenthe handed the Myrtannian team a stunning defeat that put the orange and blue in a funk. That funk foiled Myrtannia's attempts to end the tournament respectably with a medal, as they fell apart against Bettia. This time, the Bettians aren't around for AOCC, but Amarenthe has looked unstoppable so far. This time, however, it was they who entered the match undefeated, with Myrtannia the lower knockout seed. Coach Filiberto Luangxay remembered what happened the last time the two nations clashed. "It was a huge dissapointment for us to finish AOCC 1 that way. Amarenthe caught us with our heads in the clouds, and we needed to make sure that didn't happen again. We knew how dangerous they were this time. This time, we were going to be ready," Luangxay told SNM on Curling Tonight. A sight not seen since the heady days of AOCC 1, the Myrtannian contigent in Nortopalazzo's Arena dell' ABNAmro was vocal and visible. The Sun Burst once again proudly and defiantly waved in the crowd, with fans shouting their support for the young Team Myrtannia curlers. Air Myrtannia confirmed that all of the flights to Pacitalia over the last week have been sold out. For the Semi-Final match, all of the tickets that were left to be had were snatched up by fans in orange and blue. Against this backdrop, Team Myrtannia took the ice with steely glares for their opponents. It was clearly their intent to show they meant business from the get-go; to establish themselves early instead of waiting until late in the match. No last end comebacks this time, they wanted the win against Amarenthe. With the other members of the first Myrtannian curling team present in the crowd, there was some added pressure for the new edition. If they felt that pressure, they didn't show it. Sachiko Noia and Ellyn Mockler set the tone for Myrtannia's offense, helping the national team storm out of the gates. In the first end, Team Myrtannia scored thrice, taking a comfortable lead early in the match to the delight of their roaring fans. Amarenthe responded by scoring once in the second, and again in the third. With the score standing at 3-2, Myrtannia didn't crumble this time - they attacked again, swiftly and deliberately. Renaldo Givliani led the way to a two-point fourth end that extended Myrtannia's lead to 5-2 heading into the fifth. Again, Amarenthe put up a single point in the next end to draw that much closer. Myrtannia answered again with a multiple-point end, scoring twice in the sixth to go up 7-3, a fairly comfortable lead. "We felt comfortable with that lead, sure, but we knew better than to just ride on that alone. These guys aren't ranked second in the region for nothing," Givliani told Curling Tonight. Amarenthe did make another effort to reduce the defecit, and this time did so by striking home two points in the next end. All of the sudden, it was 7-5, and the chance of another Team Myrtannia Semis collapse seemed all too certain. That is, until Team Myrtannia took care of business in the eighth end; they scored twice again to make it 9-5. With a loud approval from their cheering section, Myrtannia went on to play defensively enough to stop Amarenthe from making a big comeback. Despite two more points (one in the ninth, one in the tenth), Amarenthe couldn't make up the entire defecit. As the final point was tallied, the sea of orange and blue went insane, cheering at the top of their lungs, waving about the brightly colored national flag, and occasionally chanting catch phrases. On the ice, the team simply nodded acknowledgement to the crowd, then shook hands with their defeated opponents. As their cheering section continued to party, Team Myrtannia calmly headed off the ice for a post match meeting with coach Luangxay. Twenty minutes later, they headed back to their hotel to rest up before practice on Sunday, and then the ultimate match on Monday. "We came out and did our job on Saturday. Now we just have to finish the job on Monday and we'll have gone out the right way," said coach Luangxay. Myrtannia advances to its first AOCC Gold Medal match at the Arena dell' AeroPacitalia in Timiocato, where it will face an opponent that seemed unlikely at the start of the tournament. Manhattan Prime has been on fire, most recently ending the unlikely run of Ereeland's nuns with a 7-4 win on Saturday. It seems as if Myrtannia is, for whatever reason, now the overdog in the match. But for all the talk about Manhattan Prime's run, and their popularity due to underdog status, Team Myrtannia doesn't seem the least bit bothered. Their own cheering section will be present and as loud as ever. Popularity amongst foreign fans doesn't seem to be a factor for the youngsters on Team Myrtannia. "We're here to curl and do our best to win for the United Isles. If we're not so popular, so what? It's kind of fun to be the 'bad guy' every now and again," said Sachiko Noia, "The 'bad guy' meaning the guys who end the Cinderella's run, and turn their carriage back into a big old gord." Noia went on to add, "But that doesn't mean we're going to be too confident out there. The Chippers are here for a reason. We've just got to go out and do this our way - we've got to play Myrtannia-style curling." SNM will broadcast both the Bronze Medal match (Amarenthe/Ereeland) and the Gold Medal match (Myrtannia/Manhattan Prime) live - the first such broadcast of AOCC matches in the United Isles. On a related note, ratings for Curling Tonight skyrocketed after the Semi-Final victory over Amarenthe. When polled, a whopping 90% of Myrtannians said they planned to watch the broadcast of the Gold Medal final. "Curling is back, and better than ever," was how Sophea Hakkon, host of Curling Tonight summed up the resurgence of Myrtannian interest in the odd sport. |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Mar 5 2007, 10:05 AM |
| Manhattan Herald – 5th March 2007 AOCC2 – Rundown to the Final Westwood to Myrtannia: “Don’t Underestimate Us!” Taking a break from his team’s intensive training preparation for today’s final, Manhattan Prime Skip Owen Westwood had defiant words for Myrtannia in his match day interview to the MPNN. “I don’t like to put words in other people mouths”, he said “but I get the feeling certain sections of the Myrtannian press, and possibly even their team don’t think we deserve to be here. He admitted that “we are certainly the underdogs here, and they have the experience as last tournament’s semi-finalists, whilst this is our first international Curling tournament full stop” but maintained that that was no reason to underestimate his team’s skill and fantastic run of form. “Maybe we are the underdogs here” Westwood commented, “but if they don’t rate us then that only gives us an advantage, and hopefully we’ll show them not to underestimate us”. Westwood was unwilling to comment about the team’s preparation, other than to say that he was pleased with how they were progressing. When asked how he felt about the large majority of foreign support planning to back the Frozen Chips, including significant contingents from close allies Pacitalia and Sarzonia he replied: “Relations have always been warm between the Imperial Republic and our Sarzonian and Pacitalian friends. The Sarzonian system has suffered upheavals with the resignation of their President, but I’m happy to see our positive relationship has survived. I thank them for getting behind the team, and I hope to reward their support by bringing home the Gold” |
| Posted by: Ereeland Mar 5 2007, 01:24 PM |
| Harvey Baze back at the Furious Colleen Pub in St. Peter's. It was bound to happen sooner or later and we all knew it. The Sisters of Hope Abbey finally met their match in the surging Manhattan Prime Frozen Chips. Inspired play had gotten the Holy Sweepers into the semi finals, but that was where the wins stopped. For now, at least. The massed crowd in Green Square and fans who made the trek to distant Pacitalia found themselves dissapointed Saturday. Rather than another shot at Myrtannia they'll have to settle for the bronze medal match. More than dissapointment, they found themselves proud of the Sweepers' accomplishments. Not every day that a team of nuns reaches the semi finals in a sporting competition. The scoreline from Saturday's semi-final: Ereeland 4, Manhattan Prime 7 (10 ends) ERE 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 [ 4 ] MP 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 [ 7 ] Things started off well enough for the Sweepers when they scored a stone in the second. But things came back around to stop them dead as Manhattan Prime scored with determination. Four stones in three ends for the Chips before Ereeland scored again. By then Manhattan Prime was too far ahead to catch. The Frozen Chips added three more stones for assurance purposes. That was all she wrote as Manhattan Prime advanced 7-4. Manhattan Prime advances to face Myrtannia for the gold. The Holy Sweepers head to the bronze medal contest where AOCC1 runner up Amaranthe awaits. This' still the best run by any Errish team in a regional competition. Support for the team hasn't faltered - signs reading 'C'mon Sweepers!' still decorate buildings in Ereeland. In Pacitalia the Errish fans are happy to see their team with a chance at a medal. "Manhattan Prime was very, very good out there. We hope to see them again on the medals podium when this is all over," said an anonymous Errish fan staying in Timiocato, Pacitalia. To beat Amarenthe the Holy Sweepers will be needing the kind of effort that beat Myrtannia in the group stage. That win has convinced us that in this sport nothing is impossible. So as strange as it seems our rallying cry now is 'Nuns for the Bronze!'. Regularly scheduled match day festivities in Green Square have been cancelled due to Sunday's election results still being uncertain. Fears of partisan violence have cancelled mass gatherings all across Ereeland. So far they've been unfounded. A major announcement is expected from the apparent election winning National Law party. Until next time this is Harvey Baze signing off from the Furious Colleen Pub in St. Peter's. |
| Posted by: Manhattan Prime Mar 5 2007, 09:41 PM |
| Manhattan Herald – 5th March 2007 AOCC2 Final – CHAMPIONS!!! Gold Medal Game: Myrtannia 10, Manhattan Prime 11 (12 ends) CODE 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 [ 10 ] 0 2 0 2 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 1 [ 11 ] Amidst incredible scenes in Timiocato Manhattan Prime’s own Frozen Chips have come from behind to defeat top seeds Myrtannia, clinch the gold medal and emerge as this year’s champions in the Atlantian Oceania Championship of Curling; the nation’s first sporting trophy since Unification in 2005. Street parties continue in Timiocato tonight, with fans of all nations coming to celebrate the victory and a fantastic tournament. It’s certainly a treat for Pacitalian bar owners, with celebrations continuing long into the morning. In front of a packed house in the Arena dell' AeroPacitalia in Timiocato, the match kicked off to a riot of noise as both teams took to the ice. From the outside the game showed none of the initial nervousness unlike the quarters and semi finals. Both teams looked fixed on one aim only; victory. Team Myrtannia took the 1st with two points, with Pete Kowalski equalizing in the 2nd end. Both teams took 2 more points each in the 3rd and 4th ends, leaving the score at 4-4 with 4 ends played. The scores remained level by the 6th end, with both team picking up a further point. Manhattan Prime were on high form, and fired up by their Skip’s fighting words this morning – Westwood himself grabbed 3 points in the 7th end and 2 more in the 9th. With Team Myrtannia keeping pace all the way, the score was 10 a piece going into the 10th end. The tension of neither team being able to make a breakaway seemed to be telling at last, with a no scoring end being registered, before Pete Kowalski made history by scoring the 11th point that gave the Chips the game. It was a very close run thing – after a game that was back-and-forth right to the end, the final round saw Myrtannia on course to grab the win, with their rock being the only one in the house at the time, until Kowalski, with a measured throw knocked the opposing rock out, and kept his own in to seal the victory. After being mobbed by his team, Kowalski led his team to the podium to receive their Gold medals, and to see their opponents also get their well-earned rewards. Lofting the medals high, the team celebrated with the roaring crowd for a time, savouring the moment, before the PBC’s own ‘native’ Manhattanite journalist Lloyd Hunter ran towards the barriers in search of an interview with the team.. It wasn’t that long ago that the man dodging bullets, so security weren’t too much of a problem, although it appeared they let him alone after recognizing him, allowing him the first exclusive interview with his countrymen at this historic moment for Manhattan Prime. Obviously overcome a very choked up Owen Westwood managed “Wow, I don’t know what to say, just wow. I never imagined going into this tournament that we’d be standing here today – I was just looking forward to showcasing our skills and making some new friends. But champions? Wow! I’d like to thank everyone who turned up to watch us play – you guys are the best, and your support means everything to us.” Westwood thanked the Myrtannia Team for a thrilling game, and the Pacitalian hosts for putting on such a successfully run tournament. The Frozen Chips found themselves the guests of honour at what has got to be one of the biggest street parties Timiocato has ever seen, as ecstatic Manhattanites rushed to congratulate their heroes. Inviting along any other teams remaining in the city to watch, the Frozen Chips bought the first round for Team Myrtannia and things really never looked back from there as fans from Manhattan Prime, Pacitalia, Sarzonia, Myrtannia and many other nations mixed freely to enjoy the last day of the tournament. By all accounts the celebrations went off peacefully, and were kept in order by the Pacitalian authorities, although there are bound to be more than a few sore heads in the morning. President Andrew Cuthbert, known for following Manhattan Prime’s performances in any sport they enter made a brief announcement wearing a replica Frozen Chips shirt. He too thanked the organizers and teams for contributing to a most enjoyable tournament, and praised the team for bringing glory upon themselves and the whole nation. He also noted that the cup has had a positive impact on youth interest in the sport within Manhattan Prime. A parade through the streets of Manhattan in a tour bus in said to be planned for Chippers fans unable to get tickets to be able to greet their heroes. Myrtannia take home the silver medal for their achievements whilst in the Bronze medal game Amarenthe took home 3rd place, defeating the Holy Sweepers of Ereeland 8-3 over 10 ends. First: Pete Kowalski - age 22 Second: Chad Brown - age 25 Third: Jimmy Hopkins - age 26 (Vice) Fourth: Owen Westwood - age 28 (Skip) |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Mar 6 2007, 10:17 PM |
| Curling hits widely-publicised high point within region after AOCC2 Originally a "niche sport", curling is now in the regional top-10 of sports TIMIOCATO, PACITALIA (PSN) -- Forgive the Federazione di Cambarada Pacitaliana (Pacitalian Curling Federation) for celebrating just a teensy bit. Attendance is way, way up at draws across the region, new curling federations are being formed in other countries, the Atlantian Oceanian Championship of Curling drew nearly a million spectators over 56 matches in its second issue, and general interest in the sport has spiked beyond belief. Those celebrations are with good reason. A niche sport going in; curling has come out smelling like roses, capturing the hearts and minds of Atlantian Oceanians but especially those nationals whose countries were among the sixteen hitting Pacitalian ice for the region's top tournament in this oddball sport. FCP-PCF officials thought they were boasting when the ten-team AOCC1, which had a total of 48 draws, drew 137,130 spectators. A great chunk of those attendees only took in the semifinals, and the Amarenthe-D&S gold medal draw in Mandragora. So it's not hard to say they find a number like 958,817 over 56 draws simply magical. "We didn't expect such a reaction from the regional sports fans," FCP-PCF president Giordana Semperesta told PSN Tuesday. "Such a spike in interest was not anticipated, suddenly we have more than a handful of countries that are curling powers let alone even interested in the sport. It's fantastic. We can't wait for AOCC3 now." The tournament's gold medal draw between Myrtannia and Manhattan Prime saw a packed house, a sellout crowd in the 29,220-seat Arena dell'AeroPacitalia in Timiocato: the first time in the AOCC's short history that an arena sold out. The bronze-medal matchup between Amarenthe and Ereeland in Monterio was 94 percent sold, another first. To compare, the final in Mandragora in the last tournament saw the arena 76 percent filled; the arena for the bronze-medal draw in Timiocato only about half-full. The big winners in this were the local economies, especially in Monterio, where the nearly six million residents found a vehicle for "new"-sport interest. Matches held in Monterio had the highest number of spectators in attendance, in proportion to the capacity of the arena, for the entire duration of the tournament. Revenue for the province of Margheria is expected to hit Ð 10.43-bln as a result of the AOCC, its advertising contracts and the province's 9.3 percent tax on sporting event tickets. From start to finish The second Atlantian Oceanian Championship of Curling got off to a roaring start in Monterio with Milchama rocking fellow top-five-ranked Chacor 9-4 on Sheet A at the Palestrato Santo Bernardo. On the second sheet it was Bazalonia taking control early with a 3-0 lead in as many ends over the inexperienced Sarzonians, going on to steal one in the 8th to win 5-3 despite a last-end try by the Spokes in what was the competition's first real defensive battle. Down in Nortopalazzo, Group B was heating up with regional neighbours Amarenthe taking on Az-Cz in a battle between two nations whose curling foursomes had earned second place in two separate tournaments: Amarenthe in AOCC1 and Az-Cz in the winter Olympiad. In the end, Az-Cz's squad just couldn't keep up with the more matured and battle-hardened Amarenthians, going down 10-7. Nojika received a wake-up call; hoping to make waves in their first major curling tournament, they were essentially knocked out of contention after just one draw, egged 14-1 by fellow newcomers Ubundi. Group C contained a top-three squad in Krytenia (or so everyone expected), a nation with previous Olympic experience in Quakmybush and two newcomers: Demot and Manhattan Prime. From the get-go it was supposed to be Krytenia's group to win with either the Frozen Chips or the Quackers getting second berth. But Manhattan Prime's squad proved you don't need previous experience to prove that you can play with the big boys: sometimes, what you're doing the moment you need to do it is proof enough. The Chips showed grit and wisdom, stealing two in the last end to defeat Demot 7-5, while the Kryties kept pace with their upstart group rivals, earning a 6-5 shaving on Quakmybush. In Group D, Myrtannia's squad of hand-picked teenage phenoms was ready to improve upon its fourth-place finish in the last championship, a final standing that both fans and the team alike thought was a sharp underachievement. Myrtannia doubled up on Olympic-experienced Jasi'yun from the UCS, 6-3, in its opening match, looking more comfortable than the average PSN reporter on a pillowy-soft sofa. Vilita & Turori battled hard for every stone against fellow newcomers Ereeland but in the end fell victim to their own fatigue and dropped their opening draw 4-3 after an exhaustive 14 ends. More to come, stay tuned... |