Don’t Call Them ‘Garlic Girls’: South Korean Curlers Grow to be Olympic Rock Stars
GANGNEUNG, SOUTHWEST KOREA - Forget Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon. The real rock celebrities on the Pyeongchang Olympics are usually a respectful group involving Korean curlers who else have no idea they’ve turn out to be a international discomfort.
These people are known as this “Garlic Girls, ” this South Korean women’s curling workforce with the fairy story story in whose name demonstrates the locally famed garlic oil grown in their hometown. Certainly not considered a new medal competitor coming into Pyeongchang, many people have risen to No. one in the search positions, earning world-wide attention to get their fierce skill and even funny people.
Yet typically the Garlic cloves Girls are actually practically totally sheltered through the international frenzy both by simply private choice — many people changed off their phones during the games to block outdoor interest — and by simply a shielding coach which is acutely aware that curling is as much a new emotional game as a bodily one.
South Korea's .k Seonyeong, left, sweeps glaciers with a teammate during their complement towards Russian athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics throughout Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. 21 years old, 2018.
? Famous and they no longer know it
After a good latest match, the women were instantly shuffled history waiting reporters, giving media apologetic delight and hola of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before disappearing. None connected with them, says coach Kim Min-jung, are conscious of which they’ve become superstars.
“I’m sorry that I actually could hardly bring the athletes right now, because I’m worried generally there will be a lot force and burden about them, ” Kim said. “Even the particular crowd is too enthusiastic about them. ”
That interest is understandable. The Garlic herb Girls seem tailor-made with regard to stardom.
The significantly qualified underdogs came into this Olympics ranked eighth inside the world plus gone on to crush curling heavyweights including North america in addition to Sweden. They are cute together with comical, mentioning to help themselves by quirky nicknames for instance “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates are usually siblings and all are usually longtime close friends, creating irresistible chemistry within the ice. The particular team’s “skip, ” or perhaps captain, contains a steely gaze and some unattractive, owl-eyed glasses that have come to be hitch for endless Online memes.
Screaming fans
Quite a few Koreans who have never found a curling match include traveled to remote Gangneung for you to peek at their particular nation’s new darlings inside person.
“I’m very extremely pleased of them, ” said Lee Ji Sunlight, the 26-year-old who had certainly not been inside a straightening world before Wednesday’s go with. “They are showing most of us can do well even in new sport occasions. ”
Every match featuring the particular team is packed having screaming, flag-fluttering Koreans that start to their toes to joy on this women’s stunningly precise photographs. 컬링 from the herd Wednesday waved what shown up to be a hand-drawn face of skip Ellie Eun-jung with her hallmark spectacles.
Down Korea's can certainly curling workforce celebrate subsequent to beating European athletes throughout their match in the 2018 Winter Olympics inside Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years of age, 2018.
? Late on the online game of curling
That curling has gained just about any importance in Korea is definitely amazing in itself. Korea did not even have a crew inside Olympic curling till the 2014 Sochi Activities.
It took Koreans a short time to wake up to be able to curling, largely because this region lacked sufficient amenities until recent years, .k Young, a new curling star who started often the Korean Curling Club 23 years ago, said by email. Today, he / she says, Korea has half a dozen dedicated curling circles, and lots of schools have curling squads.
In 2006, South Korea’s initially curling center was initially constructed in the rural community of Uiseong. Four involving the five associates joined Uiseong Women’s School, exactly where they were on the school’s curling team. Uiseong’s status as the nation’s default curling capital slowly but surely grew, plus the curling facility has hosted about twelve major local and intercontinental curling activities.
Garlic and those nicknames
Still, until the women’s team begun their surprise winning streak in Pyeongchang, Uiseong seemed to be better known for the legendary garlic cloves production.
Koreans take into account garlic a health and fitness food items that boosts stamina levels. Web optimization Eun Ha, a good 26-year-old Garlic oil Girls supporter, thinks garlic clove may experience contributed to typically the team’s success. (She likewise credits the women’s good teamwork and strong associations. )
Like many lovers with Gangneung, Seo is particularly attached to of the curlers’ uncommon nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand of yogurt) and ChoCho (a type of cookie).
“I assume their particular nicknames go okay with their energetic design, ” Seo claimed. “I like ‘Steak’ the most. It sounds so funny together with unique. ”
The nicknames started as some sort of gag over breakfast one time, claimed Kim, the mentor. The women were talking concerning how challenging it was initially for different countries’ players to enunciate their particular brands at international competitive events. Most five team members and the coach also share a similar surname — Kim, and that is very common in Korea — making their names far more confounding for outsiders.
The reality star Seon-yeong, who was eating a sunny-side-up stir fried egg, joked that your woman could go by the title “Sunny. ” The other girls loved the idea. They each opted to nickname by themselves after the English words because of their favorite breakfast meals, foreseeing that would end up being easier for others to understand.
While the women’s team is getting the the majority of attention, Korean language fans possess also been proceeding wild for the men, very. Right after Wednesday’s men’s match up, some sort of player from the Korean language team began throwing Tshirts into the crowd, which often increased forward with outstretched arms.
Kim Heae Darm, some sort of fan who hopped way up and managed in order to snag a shirt cruising overhead, pressed it to help her face and even screamed with glee. The woman next turned to capturing this focus of Korean blended doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, which scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
As she struggled to get her breath, she discussed her excitement by noting that Lee was solid, casual and “very handsome. ”
As for this achievement of the women’s workforce, Kim, typically the founder associated with the curling golf club, could not be prouder. “They are usually heroes! ” he or she said.
Yet the Garlic Women do have one ask for: Might be someone could are provided up with a more relaxing team name for these individuals?
“We would prefer typically the name ‘Team .k, ’” Kim, the mentor, explained with a laugh. “Because although our hometown will be Uiseong — which can be related to garlic — many of us have no connection having garlic by any means. ”