Seldom Call Them ‘Garlic Girls’: South Korean Curlers Come to be Olympic Rock Stars
GANGNEUNG, SOUTHERLY KOREA - Forget Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon. The real rock personalities of the Pyeongchang Olympics are usually a simple group regarding Korean curlers that have got no idea they’ve come to be a worldwide sensation.
They will are known as the particular “Garlic Girls, ” the particular Southern region Korean women’s curling group with the fairy story story whose moniker reflects the regionally renowned garlic grown within their hometown. Never considered a new medal contender coming into Pyeongchang, they will have risen to Virtually no. one in the search positions, earning around the world attention regarding their fierce expertise together with funny personas.
Nevertheless the Garlic herb Girls have already been virtually totally sheltered from foreign frenzy both by private choice — these people changed off their phones in the games to block exterior attention — and by a defensive coach who is keenly aware that curling is as much a good emotional game as some sort of actual one.
South Korea's Kim Seonyeong, left, sweeps ice-cubes with a teammate during their match up towards Russian athletes with the 2018 Winter Olympics within Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. 21, 2018.
? Famous and they avoid know it
After a new modern match, the girls were rapidly shuffled history waiting reporters, giving press apologetic delight and hello of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before disappearing. None involving them, says coach Kim Min-jung, are aware that will they’ve become celebrities.
“I’m sorry that My partner and i weren't able to bring the athletes currently, due to the fact I’m worried right now there will be a lot of stress and burden with them, ” Kim said. “Even often the crowd is too thinking about them. ”
That desire is understandable. The Garlic Girls seem tailor-made regarding stardom.
The largely qualified underdogs came into typically the Olympics ranked eighth at the world and even went on to crush curling heavyweights including Canada together with Sweden. They are cute together with comical, mentioning to help on their own by quirky nicknames including “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates happen to be siblings and all are really longtime pals, creating impressive chemistry for the ice. Typically the team’s “skip, ” as well as captain, includes a steely look and way-out, owl-eyed cups that have turn out to be fodder for endless World wide web memes.
Screaming 컬링 who have never viewed a curling match have got traveled to remote Gangneung to be able to peek at their particular nation’s new darlings throughout person.
“I’m very happy of them, ” claimed Lee Ji Sunlight, a good 26-year-old who had by no means been inside a styling area before Wednesday’s go with. “They are showing we all can flourish even in new sport functions. ”
Every match showcasing typically the team is packed along with shouting, flag-fluttering Koreans who else leap to their ft to joy on this women’s stunningly correct photos. One fan in the herd Wednesday waved exactly what appeared to be a hand-drawn symbol of skip Ellie Eun-jung with her trademark spectacles.
Southwest Korea's might curling crew celebrate right after beating Ukrainian athletes throughout their match at the 2018 Winter Olympics inside Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years old, 2018.
? Late into the game of curling
The fact that being different has gained any kind of prominence in Korea can be astonishing in itself. Korea did not even have a crew around Olympic curling until finally the 2014 Sochi Online games.
It took Koreans a short time to wake up in order to curling, largely because the particular region lacked sufficient services right until recent years, Kim Young, a curling star who started the particular Korean Curling Club 23 years ago, stated by email. Nowadays, they says, Korea has half a dozen dedicated curling arenas, and many schools have curling teams.
In 2006, South Korea’s earliest curling center was built in the rural town of Uiseong. Four regarding the five affiliates attended Uiseong Women’s School, wherever they were on typically the school’s curling team. Uiseong’s track record as the nation’s default curling capital slowly and gradually grew, plus the curling facility has located about 15 major home and international curling occasions.
Garlic in addition to those nicknames
Nonetheless, till the women’s team began their surprise winning skills in Pyeongchang, Uiseong was initially better known for it has the productive garlic cloves production.
Koreans think of garlic oil a overall health food items that boosts endurance. Search engine optimisation Eun Ha, a new 26-year-old Garlic cloves Girls admirer, is convinced garlic may have got contributed to the particular team’s success. (She also loans the women’s very good teamwork and strong human relationships. )
Like several lovers from Gangneung, Seo is very hintergrund of the curlers’ unusual nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Pancake, Annie (a brand of yogurt) and ChoCho (a style of cookie).
“I think their nicknames go good with their exciting design, ” Seo claimed. “I like ‘Steak’ by far the most. This sounds so funny together with unique. ”
The nicknames started as a new fun over breakfast one moment, stated Kim, the train. The ladies have been talking with regards to how difficult it was initially for some other countries’ athletes to pronounce his or her companies at international competitions. All five team members and the coach also share the exact same surname — Kim, and that is very common in Korea — making their companies much more confounding for foreigners.
The reality star Seon-yeong, who seemed to be eating the sunny-side-up stir fried egg, joked that your woman could pass the identify “Sunny. ” The other women loved the idea. Both opted to nickname themselves after the English terms because of their favorite breakfast foodstuff, figuring that would end up being easier for others to hold.
Nevertheless the women’s group is getting the nearly all focus, Korean fans have got also been heading wild intended for the men, way too. Following Wednesday’s men’s complement, a good player from the Korean language team began throwing Tees into the crowd, which will surged forward with outstretched arms.
Kim Heae Darm, a fan who hopped upwards and managed to snag a new shirt wind-surfing overhead, shoved it to her face plus cried with glee. The lady in that case turned to capturing the particular awareness of Korean mixed doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, who also scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
Because she struggled to catch her breath, she described her excitement by noting that Lee was tough, fitness and “very good-looking. ”
As for the success with the women’s group, Kim, typically the founder of the curling membership, could not be prouder. “They are heroes! ” he mentioned.
Yet the Garlic Girls do have one request: Maybe someone could take place up with a nicer team name for all of them?
“We would prefer often the name ‘Team .k, ’” Kim, the mentor, claimed with a laugh. “Because although our hometown can be Uiseong — which can be linked to garlic — most of us have zero partnership with garlic in anyway. ”