Do not Call Them ‘Garlic Girls’: South Korean Curlers Turn into Olympic Rock Stars
GANGNEUNG, STH KOREA - Forget Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon. The real rock celebrities on the Pyeongchang Olympics happen to be a respectful group regarding Korean curlers who also possess no idea they’ve grow to be a global sensation.
They will are known as typically the “Garlic Girls, ” the Southern region Korean women’s curling workforce with the fairy-tale story as their moniker displays the in the area well known garlic grown into their hometown. In no way considered the medal competitor coming into Pyeongchang, these people have risen to Simply no. 1 in the rankings, earning throughout the world attention for their fierce ability together with funny personalities.
However the particular Garlic herb Girls have already been nearly totally sheltered through the international frenzy both by way of personalized choice — they will switched off their phones in the games to block exterior focus — and by a defensive coach who also is acutely aware that curling is as much a good emotional game as the bodily one.
South Korea's Ellie Seonyeong, left, sweeps ice cubes with a teammate during their match in opposition to Russian athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics inside Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21, 2018.
? 컬링 plus they don't know it
After a new latest match, the females were instantly shuffled prior waiting reporters, giving journalists apologetic laughs and hey there of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before vanishing. None of them, says coach Betty Min-jung, are knowledgeable that will they’ve become superstars.
“I’m sorry that I could not bring the athletes nowadays, mainly because I’m worried there will be excessive force and burden to them, ” Kim said. “Even the particular crowd is too serious about them. ”
That attention is understandable. The Garlic clove Girls seem tailor-made intended for stardom.
The largely skilled underdogs came into the particular Olympics ranked eighth at the world in addition to went on to crush curling heavyweights including Canada in addition to Sweden. They are adorable and comical, mentioning for you to by themselves by quirky nicknames like “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates are siblings and all may be longtime buddies, creating remarkable chemistry in the ice. Typically the team’s “skip, ” or maybe captain, provides a steely gaze and cool, owl-eyed glasses or contact lenses that have turn out to be hitch for endless Internet memes.
Screaming fans
A lot of Koreans who have never observed a curling match have got traveled to remote Gangneung in order to peek at their very own nation’s new darlings within person.
“I’m very happy of them, ” claimed Lee Ji Sunshine, the 26-year-old who had certainly not been inside a curling market before Wednesday’s match up. “They are showing all of us can do well even at new sport occasions. ”
Every match displaying the particular team is packed with shouting, flag-fluttering Koreans which soar to their toes to joy on often the women’s stunningly precise photos. One fan within the crowd Wednesday waved what shown up to be a hand-drawn family portrait of skip Kim Eun-jung with her figure spectacles.
Sth Korea's might curling workforce celebrate subsequent to beating Ukrainian athletes during their match in the 2018 Winter Olympics around Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years old, 2018.
? Late for the video game of curling
Of which curling has gained any dominance in Korea is definitely astonishing in itself. Korea didn’t even have a team throughout Olympic curling right up until the 2014 Sochi Game titles.
It took Koreans awhile to wake up to be able to curling, largely because the country lacked sufficient amenities until recent years, Ellie Young, some sort of curling story who started often the Korean Curling Club in 1988, explained by email. Right now, they says, Korea has half a dozen dedicated curling circles, and plenty of schools have curling squads.
In 2006, South Korea’s initially curling center had been built in the rural town of Uiseong. Four regarding the five business friends joined in Uiseong Women’s High School, where they were on typically the school’s curling team. Uiseong’s status as the nation’s default curling capital gradually grew, and the curling center has organised about 15 major domestic and global curling events.
Garlic and even those nicknames
However, until finally the women’s team started their surprise winning skills in Pyeongchang, Uiseong had been better known for it has the productive garlic oil production.
Koreans take into account garlic cloves a health foodstuff that boosts stamina levels. Search engine marketing Eun Ha, a good 26-year-old Garlic oil Girls fan, believes garlic clove may experience contributed to this team’s success. (She also credit the women’s fine teamwork and strong associations. )
Like quite a few enthusiasts with Gangneung, Seo is very fond of the curlers’ strange nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand associated with yogurt) and ChoCho (a type of cookie).
“I imagine their particular nicknames go okay with their dynamic images, ” Seo stated. “I like ‘Steak’ the most. That sounds so funny and even unique. ”
The nicknames started as a gag over breakfast one moment, stated Kim, the prepare. The women had been talking with regards to how challenging it has been for additional countries’ sportsmen to enunciate their own labels at international competitive events. Almost all five team members and the coach also share the same surname — Kim, and that is very common in Korea — making their names a lot more confounding for outsiders.
Betty Seon-yeong, who was eating a good sunny-side-up stir fried egg, joked that the lady could use the brand “Sunny. ” One other ladies loved the idea. Both opted to nickname themselves after the English thoughts because of their favorite breakfast food items, foreseeing that would possibly be easier for others to know.
Even though the women’s team is getting the almost all consideration, Korean language fans possess also been proceeding wild intended for the men, too. Immediately after Wednesday’s men’s match up, the person from the Korean team began throwing Tshirts into the crowd, which often increased forward with outstretched biceps.
Kim Heae Darm, a good fan who leaped upward and managed to be able to snag a new shirt sailing overhead, forced it in order to her face together with cried with glee. The girl in that case turned to capturing typically the focus of Korean mixed doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, that scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
While she struggled to get her breath, she revealed her excitement by writing that Lee was solid, specific sport and “very fine. ”
As for often the accomplishment of the women’s group, Kim, this founder of the curling membership, could not be prouder. “They happen to be heroes! ” he / she stated.
Yet the Garlic Females do have one ask: It could be someone could are available up with a greater team name for these people?
“We would prefer typically the name ‘Team Betty, ’” Kim, the mentor, stated with a laugh. “Because although our hometown is Uiseong — which is definitely relevant to garlic — we all have simply no partnership with garlic at all. ”
They will are known as typically the “Garlic Girls, ” the Southern region Korean women’s curling workforce with the fairy-tale story as their moniker displays the in the area well known garlic grown into their hometown. In no way considered the medal competitor coming into Pyeongchang, these people have risen to Simply no. 1 in the rankings, earning throughout the world attention for their fierce ability together with funny personalities.
However the particular Garlic herb Girls have already been nearly totally sheltered through the international frenzy both by way of personalized choice — they will switched off their phones in the games to block exterior focus — and by a defensive coach who also is acutely aware that curling is as much a good emotional game as the bodily one.
South Korea's Ellie Seonyeong, left, sweeps ice cubes with a teammate during their match in opposition to Russian athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics inside Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21, 2018.
? 컬링 plus they don't know it
After a new latest match, the females were instantly shuffled prior waiting reporters, giving journalists apologetic laughs and hey there of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before vanishing. None of them, says coach Betty Min-jung, are knowledgeable that will they’ve become superstars.
“I’m sorry that I could not bring the athletes nowadays, mainly because I’m worried there will be excessive force and burden to them, ” Kim said. “Even the particular crowd is too serious about them. ”
That attention is understandable. The Garlic clove Girls seem tailor-made intended for stardom.
The largely skilled underdogs came into the particular Olympics ranked eighth at the world in addition to went on to crush curling heavyweights including Canada in addition to Sweden. They are adorable and comical, mentioning for you to by themselves by quirky nicknames like “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates are siblings and all may be longtime buddies, creating remarkable chemistry in the ice. Typically the team’s “skip, ” or maybe captain, provides a steely gaze and cool, owl-eyed glasses or contact lenses that have turn out to be hitch for endless Internet memes.
Screaming fans
A lot of Koreans who have never observed a curling match have got traveled to remote Gangneung in order to peek at their very own nation’s new darlings within person.
“I’m very happy of them, ” claimed Lee Ji Sunshine, the 26-year-old who had certainly not been inside a curling market before Wednesday’s match up. “They are showing all of us can do well even at new sport occasions. ”
Every match displaying the particular team is packed with shouting, flag-fluttering Koreans which soar to their toes to joy on often the women’s stunningly precise photos. One fan within the crowd Wednesday waved what shown up to be a hand-drawn family portrait of skip Kim Eun-jung with her figure spectacles.
Sth Korea's might curling workforce celebrate subsequent to beating Ukrainian athletes during their match in the 2018 Winter Olympics around Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years old, 2018.
? Late for the video game of curling
Of which curling has gained any dominance in Korea is definitely astonishing in itself. Korea didn’t even have a team throughout Olympic curling right up until the 2014 Sochi Game titles.
It took Koreans awhile to wake up to be able to curling, largely because the country lacked sufficient amenities until recent years, Ellie Young, some sort of curling story who started often the Korean Curling Club in 1988, explained by email. Right now, they says, Korea has half a dozen dedicated curling circles, and plenty of schools have curling squads.
In 2006, South Korea’s initially curling center had been built in the rural town of Uiseong. Four regarding the five business friends joined in Uiseong Women’s High School, where they were on typically the school’s curling team. Uiseong’s status as the nation’s default curling capital gradually grew, and the curling center has organised about 15 major domestic and global curling events.
Garlic and even those nicknames
However, until finally the women’s team started their surprise winning skills in Pyeongchang, Uiseong had been better known for it has the productive garlic oil production.
Koreans take into account garlic cloves a health foodstuff that boosts stamina levels. Search engine marketing Eun Ha, a good 26-year-old Garlic oil Girls fan, believes garlic clove may experience contributed to this team’s success. (She also credit the women’s fine teamwork and strong associations. )
Like quite a few enthusiasts with Gangneung, Seo is very fond of the curlers’ strange nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand associated with yogurt) and ChoCho (a type of cookie).
“I imagine their particular nicknames go okay with their dynamic images, ” Seo stated. “I like ‘Steak’ the most. That sounds so funny and even unique. ”
The nicknames started as a gag over breakfast one moment, stated Kim, the prepare. The women had been talking with regards to how challenging it has been for additional countries’ sportsmen to enunciate their own labels at international competitive events. Almost all five team members and the coach also share the same surname — Kim, and that is very common in Korea — making their names a lot more confounding for outsiders.
Betty Seon-yeong, who was eating a good sunny-side-up stir fried egg, joked that the lady could use the brand “Sunny. ” One other ladies loved the idea. Both opted to nickname themselves after the English thoughts because of their favorite breakfast food items, foreseeing that would possibly be easier for others to know.
Even though the women’s team is getting the almost all consideration, Korean language fans possess also been proceeding wild intended for the men, too. Immediately after Wednesday’s men’s match up, the person from the Korean team began throwing Tshirts into the crowd, which often increased forward with outstretched biceps.
Kim Heae Darm, a good fan who leaped upward and managed to be able to snag a new shirt sailing overhead, forced it in order to her face together with cried with glee. The girl in that case turned to capturing typically the focus of Korean mixed doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, that scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
While she struggled to get her breath, she revealed her excitement by writing that Lee was solid, specific sport and “very fine. ”
As for often the accomplishment of the women’s group, Kim, this founder of the curling membership, could not be prouder. “They happen to be heroes! ” he / she stated.
Yet the Garlic Females do have one ask: It could be someone could are available up with a greater team name for these people?
“We would prefer typically the name ‘Team Betty, ’” Kim, the mentor, stated with a laugh. “Because although our hometown is Uiseong — which is definitely relevant to garlic — we all have simply no partnership with garlic at all. ”
