2019 Winter Deaflympics: Curling, Chess, Ice Hockey

ALEX: Today for curling, the U.S. team played against Italy at their home country and the U.S. won 13-3. 

Calvin Rausch: There are many strong teams this year so it is very competitive. We won today and it feels really good. 

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Alex: What do you think when you make a throw? What is the most important thing? 

Calvin: Well, the most important thing is the line of delivery. If you can hit where the broom is pointing, then you will make a strike when it arrives or it will hit another stone. If you are off by one inch, it goes way off course. 

Heman Fuechtmann: This is a curling broom. It has a special fabric on it so you can sweep on ice. The color yellow is required because it is approved by the WCF, the World Curling Federation. The color yellow means it is authorized. 

Calvin: Our shoes look like this. This is so it will slip easily and you can glide. 

The other shoe is regular. 

Alex: Although it is very cold, the athletes do have perspiration because of the intense sweeping. They have red faces and look winded. I’ve also observe that deaf athletes have to make up signs to communicate. Hearing athletes use their voice, but Deaf athletes have to communicate through signing. It’s very gesture-based. I’ve seen that various countries has their own signs and gestures. 

Stacy Nowak: Hi! I’m Stacy Nowak. I am on the USADSF Board and I lead the media team here. This morning, four of us from the media team were ready to go from Chiavenna up to Madesimo. But my car’s tires spun as it was stuck. So we pulled over to the shoulder and after discussing it decided to add snow chains for traction. 

Stacy: We were able to drive easily. It felt like a new game, wow! 

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Callie: Look at all this behind me. It’s the Chess Blitz competition. It is a three-minute game. The players will click on a digital device that is a countdown clock. They have two seconds that they can earn on their clock per move. Both players get two seconds each time they take turns. If you’re stalled and thinking of what to do, the countdown time will wind down. So even if you get two more seconds, you’ve lost more time. There are women players and men players in separate groups. When a player wins a match, they get one point. A tie is half a point. A loss is zero points. The goal is to get the most points. The highest score wins the gold medal. 

Abraham Glasser: I lost, but I felt good and fresh. He was a FIDE Master and the 6th ranked person in this room. So I played at the beginning pretty well and almost got in a draw, but he had a bit of an advantage and I lost at the end, but it is a good game and a good start. 

Callie: The men U.S. chess team has several players on it but only three players are in Blitz today. There are no U.S. women. 

Branton Stewart: I just played a game and lost. I was leading and keeping an eye on the time. I had 19 seconds left but as I played, time ran out. I should have looked at the clock more often! 

Callie: Today’s Chess Blitz ended with a gold medal awarded to a Russian woman. The gold medal for the Men’s group went to an Israeli. He is actually a Grand Master, which makes him one of the top chess players in the world. 

Yehuda Gruenfeld’s interpreter: He’s really happy. He’s won the Deaflympics, which is at the top of the deaf world. I’ve worked so hard and I will keep it up. 

Dan DeLuca: It was an exciting day for Blitz chess! 

Oscar, U.S. Player (typing on phone): Participating in the Deaflympics was one of the most amazing and eye opening experiences I’ve ever had. 

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Alex: It’s the first hockey match, which is an intense match between Russia and Canada. It’s now the third period. There are 8 minutes left. Canada is leading 2 to 1. 

I saw a hockey stick break into two. There are many fans. Hockey is regular one of the most popular sports for the Winter Deaflympics. 

The match is over, Canada wins 3 to 1. 

Canadian man: Hi! We’re from Canada! 

Callie: This afternoon I watched you play against Canada. How do you feel? 

Russian hockey athlete: I enjoyed it. At first I was unsure, but I played the game and lost. It’s okay, its normal. 

Callie: You will play against the U.S. How do you feel about that? 

Athlete: That’s okay. I’m watching them play and studying it! 

ALEX: The US played against Finland and won 6-2

When you play against Finland, it’s impossible to count them out!

Their goalie is very talented and respected. They’re able to make it a tight game with little margin for error. It’s stressful, but our team came together, stayed positive and pushed each other  to excel under great pressure. I feel good about the next game.

We all come together to focus on one game at a time, one period at a time, one shift at  a time. It feels like destiny right now.

ALEX: I also filmed the curling Men’s team. Here’s an update: they beat Canada - and for the first time in history 11-2. 

We have a lot of respect for our Canadian neighbors. In the 2007 Olympics, the U.S. played Canada five times. This is the first time we’ve beaten them. It’s a truly special moment - I’ll always remember that we fought for our country.

ALEX: Now it’s time to teach you two new Italian signs. 

This is “mountain”

The second one is this, “winter.” It’s similar. 

Have a great night! Bye.