Seldom Call Them ‘Garlic Girls’: South Korean Curlers Turn out to be Olympic Rock Stars
GANGNEUNG, STH KOREA - Forget Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon. The real rock superstars of the Pyeongchang Olympics can be a respectful group connected with Korean curlers who also own no idea they’ve turn into a international discomfort.
They will are known as the “Garlic Girls, ” the particular Southerly Korean women’s styling crew with the fairy story story as their moniker echos the regionally famous garlic herb grown within their hometown. Never considered some sort of medal combatir coming into Pyeongchang, they will have risen to Virtually no. a single in the search positions, earning around the world attention to get their fierce skill together with funny celebrities.
But the particular Garlic oil Girls have been almost totally sheltered from the international frenzy both by simply particular choice — these people transferred off their phones throughout the games to block outdoors interest — and by means of a shielding coach that is keenly aware that curling is as much the emotional game as a new bodily one.
South Korea's Kim Seonyeong, left, sweeps glaciers with a teammate during their match in opposition to Russian athletes with the 2018 Winter Olympics throughout Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. twenty-one, 2018.
? Famous and they avoid know it
After a new current match, the ladies were quickly shuffled former waiting reporters, giving journalists apologetic laughs and hey there of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before vanishing. None connected with them, says coach Ellie Min-jung, are aware the fact that they’ve become celebrities.
“I’m sorry that My spouse and i cannot bring the athletes currently, due to the fact I’m worried right now there will be an excessive amount of tension and burden to them, ” Kim said. “Even the particular crowd is too thinking about them. ”
That interest is understandable. The Garlic cloves Girls seem tailor-made with regard to stardom.
The largely knowledgeable underdogs came into typically the Olympics ranked eighth at the world together with proceeded to go on to crush curling heavyweights including North america and even Sweden. They are cute together with comical, mentioning for you to by themselves by quirky nicknames for example “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates are usually sisters and all may be longtime friends, creating irresistible chemistry around the ice. This team’s “skip, ” or maybe captain, includes a steely gaze and odd, owl-eyed glasses or contact lenses that have turn into hitch for endless Web memes.
Screaming fans
Numerous Koreans who have never observed a curling match have got traveled to remote Gangneung to peek at their very own nation’s new darlings throughout person.
“I’m very proud of them, ” stated Lee Ji Sunlight, a new 26-year-old who had never ever been inside a curling industry before Wednesday’s complement. “They are showing we all can succeed even at new sport functions. ”
Every match offering the particular team is packed using shouting, flag-fluttering Koreans who step to their toes to joy on typically the women’s stunningly correct photos. One fan in the herd Wednesday waved what seemed to be a hand-drawn symbol of skip The reality star Eun-jung with her brand spectacles.
South Korea's women's curling team celebrate just after beating Russian athletes through their match with the 2018 Winter Olympics inside Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years of age, 2018.
? Late for the game of curling
That will curling has gained almost any prominence in Korea can be unusual in itself. Korea did not even have a workforce throughout Olympic curling until the 2014 Sochi Games.
It took Koreans awhile to wake up in order to curling, largely because the particular country lacked sufficient features right up until recent years, .k Young, the curling star who started the Korean Curling Club 23 years ago, mentioned by email. Today, he / she says, Korea has 6-8 dedicated curling domains, and several schools have curling clubs.
In 2006, South Korea’s first curling center had been built-in the rural town of Uiseong. Four of the five associates joined in Uiseong Women’s School, where they were on often the school’s curling team. Uiseong’s status as the nation’s default being different capital gradually grew, plus the curling centre has published about twelve major national and intercontinental curling functions.
Garlic plus those nicknames
However, right up until the women’s team began their surprise winning talent in Pyeongchang, Uiseong has been better known for their high profile garlic cloves production.
Koreans consider garlic cloves a wellness food that boosts strength. Search engine optimisation Eun Ha, a 26-year-old Garlic herb Girls fan, states garlic herb may experience contributed to typically the team’s success. (She furthermore loans the women’s good teamwork and strong relationships. )
Like a lot of supporters at Gangneung, Seo is specially attached to of the curlers’ strange nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand regarding yogurt) and ChoCho (a type of cookie).
“ 한국 컬링 imagine their very own nicknames go in reality with their energetic pictures, ” Seo stated. “I like ‘Steak’ the best. That sounds so funny in addition to unique. ”
The nicknames started as the fun over breakfast one working day, said Kim, the train. The ladies ended up talking regarding how complicated it was for additional countries’ sportsmen to enunciate their own brands at international competitions. All of five team members and their coach also share the exact same surname — Kim, which is very common in Korea — making their names more confounding for foreign people.
Ellie Seon-yeong, who was eating a new sunny-side-up fried egg, joked that the girl could pass by the label “Sunny. ” The other girls loved the idea. Both opted to nickname their selves after the English terms for his or her favorite breakfast foodstuff, foreseeing that would be easier for others to know.
Though the women’s workforce is getting the most interest, Korean language fans include recently been intending wild regarding the men, very. After Wednesday’s men’s complement, the participant from the Korean team began throwing Tee shirts into the crowd, which in turn increased forward with outstretched hands.
Kim Heae Darm, a good fan who hopped right up and managed to snag the shirt marining overhead, constrained it to her face together with cried with glee. The girl then turned to capturing often the attention of Korean combined doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, that scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
Like she struggled to get her breath, she described her excitement by writing that Lee was tough, sports and “very good looking. ”
As for this achievements from the women’s workforce, Kim, often the founder associated with the curling club, couldn’t be prouder. “They happen to be heroes! ” this individual said.
Yet the Garlic Ladies do have one request: Probably someone could are available up with a better ones team name for these individuals?
“We would prefer the name ‘Team Betty, ’” Kim, the mentor, stated with a laugh. “Because although our hometown is definitely Uiseong — which is associated with garlic — many of us have virtually no romantic relationship having garlic at all. ”
They will are known as the “Garlic Girls, ” the particular Southerly Korean women’s styling crew with the fairy story story as their moniker echos the regionally famous garlic herb grown within their hometown. Never considered some sort of medal combatir coming into Pyeongchang, they will have risen to Virtually no. a single in the search positions, earning around the world attention to get their fierce skill together with funny celebrities.
But the particular Garlic oil Girls have been almost totally sheltered from the international frenzy both by simply particular choice — these people transferred off their phones throughout the games to block outdoors interest — and by means of a shielding coach that is keenly aware that curling is as much the emotional game as a new bodily one.
South Korea's Kim Seonyeong, left, sweeps glaciers with a teammate during their match in opposition to Russian athletes with the 2018 Winter Olympics throughout Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. twenty-one, 2018.
? Famous and they avoid know it
After a new current match, the ladies were quickly shuffled former waiting reporters, giving journalists apologetic laughs and hey there of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before vanishing. None connected with them, says coach Ellie Min-jung, are aware the fact that they’ve become celebrities.
“I’m sorry that My spouse and i cannot bring the athletes currently, due to the fact I’m worried right now there will be an excessive amount of tension and burden to them, ” Kim said. “Even the particular crowd is too thinking about them. ”
That interest is understandable. The Garlic cloves Girls seem tailor-made with regard to stardom.
The largely knowledgeable underdogs came into typically the Olympics ranked eighth at the world together with proceeded to go on to crush curling heavyweights including North america and even Sweden. They are cute together with comical, mentioning for you to by themselves by quirky nicknames for example “Pancake” and “Steak. ”
Two teammates are usually sisters and all may be longtime friends, creating irresistible chemistry around the ice. This team’s “skip, ” or maybe captain, includes a steely gaze and odd, owl-eyed glasses or contact lenses that have turn into hitch for endless Web memes.
Screaming fans
Numerous Koreans who have never observed a curling match have got traveled to remote Gangneung to peek at their very own nation’s new darlings throughout person.
“I’m very proud of them, ” stated Lee Ji Sunlight, a new 26-year-old who had never ever been inside a curling industry before Wednesday’s complement. “They are showing we all can succeed even at new sport functions. ”
Every match offering the particular team is packed using shouting, flag-fluttering Koreans who step to their toes to joy on typically the women’s stunningly correct photos. One fan in the herd Wednesday waved what seemed to be a hand-drawn symbol of skip The reality star Eun-jung with her brand spectacles.
South Korea's women's curling team celebrate just after beating Russian athletes through their match with the 2018 Winter Olympics inside Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years of age, 2018.
? Late for the game of curling
That will curling has gained almost any prominence in Korea can be unusual in itself. Korea did not even have a workforce throughout Olympic curling until the 2014 Sochi Games.
It took Koreans awhile to wake up in order to curling, largely because the particular country lacked sufficient features right up until recent years, .k Young, the curling star who started the Korean Curling Club 23 years ago, mentioned by email. Today, he / she says, Korea has 6-8 dedicated curling domains, and several schools have curling clubs.
In 2006, South Korea’s first curling center had been built-in the rural town of Uiseong. Four of the five associates joined in Uiseong Women’s School, where they were on often the school’s curling team. Uiseong’s status as the nation’s default being different capital gradually grew, plus the curling centre has published about twelve major national and intercontinental curling functions.
Garlic plus those nicknames
However, right up until the women’s team began their surprise winning talent in Pyeongchang, Uiseong has been better known for their high profile garlic cloves production.
Koreans consider garlic cloves a wellness food that boosts strength. Search engine optimisation Eun Ha, a 26-year-old Garlic herb Girls fan, states garlic herb may experience contributed to typically the team’s success. (She furthermore loans the women’s good teamwork and strong relationships. )
Like a lot of supporters at Gangneung, Seo is specially attached to of the curlers’ strange nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Hot cake, Annie (a brand regarding yogurt) and ChoCho (a type of cookie).
“ 한국 컬링 imagine their very own nicknames go in reality with their energetic pictures, ” Seo stated. “I like ‘Steak’ the best. That sounds so funny in addition to unique. ”
The nicknames started as the fun over breakfast one working day, said Kim, the train. The ladies ended up talking regarding how complicated it was for additional countries’ sportsmen to enunciate their own brands at international competitions. All of five team members and their coach also share the exact same surname — Kim, which is very common in Korea — making their names more confounding for foreign people.
Ellie Seon-yeong, who was eating a new sunny-side-up fried egg, joked that the girl could pass by the label “Sunny. ” The other girls loved the idea. Both opted to nickname their selves after the English terms for his or her favorite breakfast foodstuff, foreseeing that would be easier for others to know.
Though the women’s workforce is getting the most interest, Korean language fans include recently been intending wild regarding the men, very. After Wednesday’s men’s complement, the participant from the Korean team began throwing Tee shirts into the crowd, which in turn increased forward with outstretched hands.
Kim Heae Darm, a good fan who hopped right up and managed to snag the shirt marining overhead, constrained it to her face together with cried with glee. The girl then turned to capturing often the attention of Korean combined doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, that scrawled his autograph in her notebook.
Like she struggled to get her breath, she described her excitement by writing that Lee was tough, sports and “very good looking. ”
As for this achievements from the women’s workforce, Kim, often the founder associated with the curling club, couldn’t be prouder. “They happen to be heroes! ” this individual said.
Yet the Garlic Ladies do have one request: Probably someone could are available up with a better ones team name for these individuals?
“We would prefer the name ‘Team Betty, ’” Kim, the mentor, stated with a laugh. “Because although our hometown is definitely Uiseong — which is associated with garlic — many of us have virtually no romantic relationship having garlic at all. ”
