Rarely Call Them ‘Garlic Girls’: South Korean Curlers Grow to be Olympic Rock Stars
GANGNEUNG, SOUTHERLY KOREA - Forget Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon. The real rock stars of the Pyeongchang Olympics can be a modest group connected with Korean curlers which have got no idea they’ve come to be a international sensation.
That they are known as this “Garlic Girls, ” the particular Southern Korean women’s curling group with the fairy-tale story whoever moniker echos the locally famed garlic clove grown inside their hometown. Certainly not considered a new medal contender coming into Pyeongchang, many people have risen to Zero. a single in the ranks, earning around the world attention with regard to their fierce ability in addition to funny personas.
But this Garlic clove Girls are actually almost totally sheltered from the international frenzy both by way of individual choice — that they changed off their phones during the games to block outside attention — and by means of a defensive coach who else is keenly aware that curling is as much a emotional game as some sort of physical one.
South Korea's .k Seonyeong, left, sweeps ice-cubes with a teammate during their complement against Russian athletes on the 2018 Winter Olympics within Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. twenty one, 2018.
? Famous and in addition they no longer know it
After a new current match, the women of all ages were immediately shuffled recent waiting reporters, giving journalists apologetic laughs and greetings of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before disappearing. None involving them, says coach .k Min-jung, are aware the fact that they’ve become famous people.
“I’m sorry that We weren't able to bring the athletes these days, since I’m worried there will be an excessive amount of force and burden about them, ” Kim said. “Even this crowd is too enthusiastic about them. ”
That attention is understandable. The Garlic herb Girls seem tailor-made intended for stardom.
The extremely knowledgeable underdogs came into typically the Olympics ranked eighth found in the world and moved on to crush curling heavyweights including North america together with Sweden. They are cute plus comical, mentioning to help their selves by quirky nicknames including “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates are usually siblings and all are really longtime buddies, creating remarkable chemistry around the ice. The particular team’s “skip, ” or perhaps captain, includes a steely gaze and odd, owl-eyed drinking glasses that have turn into hitch for endless Internet memes.
Screaming fans
Many Koreans who have never observed a curling match have traveled to remote Gangneung in order to peek at his or her nation’s new darlings inside person.
“I’m very extremely pleased of them, ” claimed Lee Ji Sunlight, a 26-year-old who had by no means been inside a straightening arena before Wednesday’s complement. “They are showing all of us can flourish even inside new sport functions. ”
Every match showcasing this team is packed using screaming, flag-fluttering Koreans which soar to their legs to joy on the women’s stunningly specific photos. One fan from the crowd Wednesday waved just what made an appearance to be a hand-drawn face of skip Ellie Eun-jung with her hallmark spectacles.
Sth Korea's could curling workforce celebrate subsequent to beating Russian language athletes while in their match in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years old, 2018.
? Late to the sport of curling
That curling has gained almost any visibility in Korea can be unexpected in itself. Korea did not even have a crew around Olympic curling till the 2014 Sochi Online games.
It took Koreans a little bit to wake up to be able to curling, largely because the particular land lacked sufficient establishments until finally recent years, Kim Young, the curling legend who started typically the Korean language Curling Club in 1988, said by email. Today, he or she says, Korea has six dedicated curling arenas, and many schools have curling squads.
In 2006, South Korea’s first curling center has been constructed in the rural community of Uiseong. Four associated with the five business friends attended Uiseong Women’s High school graduation, just where they were on the particular school’s curling team. Uiseong’s track record as the nation’s default curling capital slowly but surely grew, as well as the curling center has managed about 15 major national and global curling events.
Garlic plus those nicknames
Still, right up until the women’s team began their surprise winning ability in Pyeongchang, Uiseong seemed to be better known for its high profile garlic production.
Koreans think about garlic a health foodstuff that boosts stamina levels. Search engine optimisation Eun Ha, a good 26-year-old Garlic Girls admirer, believes garlic oil may have got contributed to the particular team’s success. (She also breaks the women’s very good teamwork and solid relationships. )
Like quite a few fans with Gangneung, Seo is particularly affectionate towards of the curlers’ strange nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand connected with yogurt) and ChoCho (a style of cookie).
“I consider his or her nicknames go in fact with their vibrant pictures, ” Seo mentioned. “I like ‘Steak’ the most. That sounds so funny in addition to unique. ”
The nicknames started as a new fun over breakfast one day time, claimed Kim, the train. The women were talking concerning how challenging it was initially for different countries’ sportsmen to enunciate their very own companies at international competitive events. Almost all five team members and their coach also share exactly the same surname — Kim, and that is very common in Korea — making their labels a lot more confounding for outsiders.
The reality star Seon-yeong, who seemed to be eating a good sunny-side-up melted egg, joked that the woman could pass by the title “Sunny. ” One other women loved the idea. 컬링 opted to nickname on their own after the English phrases because of their favorite breakfast meals, foreseeing that would possibly be easier for others to grasp.
Nevertheless the women’s group is getting the most awareness, Korean language fans currently have also been going wild for the men, very. Immediately after Wednesday’s men’s fit, the gamer from the Korean team began throwing Tees into the crowd, which in turn increased forward with outstretched hands.
Kim Heae Darm, some sort of fan who hopped upward and managed to be able to snag the shirt going overhead, pressed it to her face in addition to cried with glee. The girl next turned to capturing often the focus of Korean mixed doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, who also scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
Like she struggled to catch her breath, she explained her excitement by observing that Lee was tough, fitness and “very attractive. ”
As for the particular achievements with the women’s staff, Kim, this founder associated with the curling pub, couldn’t be prouder. “They are usually heroes! ” he or she said.
Yet the Garlic Girls do have one request: Probably someone could come up with a more relaxing team name for them all?
“We would prefer this name ‘Team Kim, ’” Kim, the discipline, stated with a laugh. “Because although our hometown can be Uiseong — which is definitely associated with garlic — we have not any relationship together with garlic by any means. ”
That they are known as this “Garlic Girls, ” the particular Southern Korean women’s curling group with the fairy-tale story whoever moniker echos the locally famed garlic clove grown inside their hometown. Certainly not considered a new medal contender coming into Pyeongchang, many people have risen to Zero. a single in the ranks, earning around the world attention with regard to their fierce ability in addition to funny personas.
But this Garlic clove Girls are actually almost totally sheltered from the international frenzy both by way of individual choice — that they changed off their phones during the games to block outside attention — and by means of a defensive coach who else is keenly aware that curling is as much a emotional game as some sort of physical one.
South Korea's .k Seonyeong, left, sweeps ice-cubes with a teammate during their complement against Russian athletes on the 2018 Winter Olympics within Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. twenty one, 2018.
? Famous and in addition they no longer know it
After a new current match, the women of all ages were immediately shuffled recent waiting reporters, giving journalists apologetic laughs and greetings of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before disappearing. None involving them, says coach .k Min-jung, are aware the fact that they’ve become famous people.
“I’m sorry that We weren't able to bring the athletes these days, since I’m worried there will be an excessive amount of force and burden about them, ” Kim said. “Even this crowd is too enthusiastic about them. ”
That attention is understandable. The Garlic herb Girls seem tailor-made intended for stardom.
The extremely knowledgeable underdogs came into typically the Olympics ranked eighth found in the world and moved on to crush curling heavyweights including North america together with Sweden. They are cute plus comical, mentioning to help their selves by quirky nicknames including “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates are usually siblings and all are really longtime buddies, creating remarkable chemistry around the ice. The particular team’s “skip, ” or perhaps captain, includes a steely gaze and odd, owl-eyed drinking glasses that have turn into hitch for endless Internet memes.
Screaming fans
Many Koreans who have never observed a curling match have traveled to remote Gangneung in order to peek at his or her nation’s new darlings inside person.
“I’m very extremely pleased of them, ” claimed Lee Ji Sunlight, a 26-year-old who had by no means been inside a straightening arena before Wednesday’s complement. “They are showing all of us can flourish even inside new sport functions. ”
Every match showcasing this team is packed using screaming, flag-fluttering Koreans which soar to their legs to joy on the women’s stunningly specific photos. One fan from the crowd Wednesday waved just what made an appearance to be a hand-drawn face of skip Ellie Eun-jung with her hallmark spectacles.
Sth Korea's could curling workforce celebrate subsequent to beating Russian language athletes while in their match in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years old, 2018.
? Late to the sport of curling
That curling has gained almost any visibility in Korea can be unexpected in itself. Korea did not even have a crew around Olympic curling till the 2014 Sochi Online games.
It took Koreans a little bit to wake up to be able to curling, largely because the particular land lacked sufficient establishments until finally recent years, Kim Young, the curling legend who started typically the Korean language Curling Club in 1988, said by email. Today, he or she says, Korea has six dedicated curling arenas, and many schools have curling squads.
In 2006, South Korea’s first curling center has been constructed in the rural community of Uiseong. Four associated with the five business friends attended Uiseong Women’s High school graduation, just where they were on the particular school’s curling team. Uiseong’s track record as the nation’s default curling capital slowly but surely grew, as well as the curling center has managed about 15 major national and global curling events.
Garlic plus those nicknames
Still, right up until the women’s team began their surprise winning ability in Pyeongchang, Uiseong seemed to be better known for its high profile garlic production.
Koreans think about garlic a health foodstuff that boosts stamina levels. Search engine optimisation Eun Ha, a good 26-year-old Garlic Girls admirer, believes garlic oil may have got contributed to the particular team’s success. (She also breaks the women’s very good teamwork and solid relationships. )
Like quite a few fans with Gangneung, Seo is particularly affectionate towards of the curlers’ strange nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand connected with yogurt) and ChoCho (a style of cookie).
“I consider his or her nicknames go in fact with their vibrant pictures, ” Seo mentioned. “I like ‘Steak’ the most. That sounds so funny in addition to unique. ”
The nicknames started as a new fun over breakfast one day time, claimed Kim, the train. The women were talking concerning how challenging it was initially for different countries’ sportsmen to enunciate their very own companies at international competitive events. Almost all five team members and their coach also share exactly the same surname — Kim, and that is very common in Korea — making their labels a lot more confounding for outsiders.
The reality star Seon-yeong, who seemed to be eating a good sunny-side-up melted egg, joked that the woman could pass by the title “Sunny. ” One other women loved the idea. 컬링 opted to nickname on their own after the English phrases because of their favorite breakfast meals, foreseeing that would possibly be easier for others to grasp.
Nevertheless the women’s group is getting the most awareness, Korean language fans currently have also been going wild for the men, very. Immediately after Wednesday’s men’s fit, the gamer from the Korean team began throwing Tees into the crowd, which in turn increased forward with outstretched hands.
Kim Heae Darm, some sort of fan who hopped upward and managed to be able to snag the shirt going overhead, pressed it to her face in addition to cried with glee. The girl next turned to capturing often the focus of Korean mixed doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, who also scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
Like she struggled to catch her breath, she explained her excitement by observing that Lee was tough, fitness and “very attractive. ”
As for the particular achievements with the women’s staff, Kim, this founder associated with the curling pub, couldn’t be prouder. “They are usually heroes! ” he or she said.
Yet the Garlic Girls do have one request: Probably someone could come up with a more relaxing team name for them all?
“We would prefer this name ‘Team Kim, ’” Kim, the discipline, stated with a laugh. “Because although our hometown can be Uiseong — which is definitely associated with garlic — we have not any relationship together with garlic by any means. ”
