GANGNEUNG, SOUTHERLY KOREA - Forget Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon. The real rock personalities from the Pyeongchang Olympics are usually a simple group regarding Korean curlers which own no idea they’ve turn out to be a worldwide discomfort.

They will are known as the particular “Garlic Girls, ” often the Southern area Korean women’s straightening team with the fairy story story whoever name shows the in your area famed garlic cloves grown into their hometown. By no means considered a new medal competitor coming into Pyeongchang, these people have risen to Simply no. just one in the rankings, earning around the world attention regarding their fierce natural talent plus funny personalities.

And yet the Garlic Girls happen to be practically totally sheltered in the global frenzy both by means of individual choice — they will made off their phones throughout the games to block outdoors consideration — and by simply a shielding coach who also is keenly which being different is as much a emotional game as a physical one.
South Korea's The reality star Seonyeong, left, sweeps ice cubes with a teammate during their complement from Russian athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics within Gangneung, South Korea, February. 21 years of age, 2018.
? Famous and they also have a tendency know it

After some sort of recent match, the females were rapidly shuffled history waiting reporters, giving journalists apologetic smiles and hola of “Anyonghaseyo! ” (hello) before vanishing. None involving them, says coach Kim Min-jung, are knowledgeable that will they’ve become celebrities.

“I’m sorry that My partner and i cannot bring the athletes today, due to the fact I’m worried right now there will be a lot of strain and burden about them, ” Kim said. “Even this crowd is too thinking about them. ”

That curiosity is understandable. The Garlic clove Girls seem tailor-made intended for stardom.

The largely experienced underdogs came into often the Olympics ranked eighth at the world and moved on to crush curling heavyweights including North america plus Sweden. They are adorable in addition to comical, mentioning to be able to by themselves by quirky nicknames like “Pancake” and “Steak. ”

Two teammates will be sisters and all may be longtime buddies, creating impressive chemistry within the ice. The team’s “skip, ” or perhaps captain, contains a steely eyes and funky, owl-eyed cups that have grow to be hitch for endless Web memes.

Screaming fans

Several Koreans who have never observed a curling match possess traveled to remote Gangneung in order to peek at his or her nation’s new darlings inside person.

“I’m very proud of them, ” said Lee Ji Sunshine, a new 26-year-old who had in no way been inside a straightening area before Wednesday’s match up. “They are showing we can excel even inside of new sport occasions. ”

Every match displaying the particular team is packed having shouting, flag-fluttering Koreans who step to their toes to brighten on typically the women’s stunningly accurate shots. One fan within the market Wednesday waved what exactly seemed to be a hand-drawn portrait of skip .k Eun-jung with her trademark spectacles.
Southerly Korea's might curling crew celebrate following beating Russian athletes through their match within the 2018 Winter Olympics throughout Gangneung, South Korea, February. twenty-one, 2018.
? Late into the online game of curling


Of which curling has gained any kind of importance in Korea is usually unexpected in itself. Korea didn’t even have a workforce inside Olympic curling until finally the 2014 Sochi Online games.

It took Koreans a little bit to wake up to help curling, largely because the particular country lacked sufficient features right until recent years, Ellie Young, a good curling story who started often the Korean Curling Club 23 years ago, claimed by email. Nowadays, he / she says, Korea has 6 dedicated curling arenas, and several schools have curling teams.

In 2006, South Korea’s first curling center seemed to be inbuilt the rural village of Uiseong. Four involving the five team members joined Uiseong Women’s School, just where they were on often the school’s curling team. Uiseong’s status as the nation’s default curling capital slowly and gradually grew, as well as the curling middle has located about 18 major national and intercontinental curling activities.

Garlic in addition to those nicknames

Still, right up until the women’s team begun their surprise winning talent in Pyeongchang, Uiseong seemed to be better known for it has the high profile garlic production.

Koreans consider garlic herb a health and fitness food that boosts endurance. Search engine optimisation Eun Ha, some sort of 26-year-old Garlic oil Girls supporter, thinks garlic oil may need contributed to this team’s success. (She likewise credits the women’s fine team-work and sturdy relationships. )

Like several supporters with Gangneung, Seo is particularly attached to of the curlers’ unusual nicknames: Sunny, Steak, Pancake, Annie (a brand connected with yogurt) and ChoCho (a sort of cookie).

“I assume their own nicknames go in fact with their lively design, ” Seo mentioned. “I like ‘Steak’ the most. The idea sounds so funny and even unique. ”

The nicknames started as a good gag over breakfast one day time, stated Kim, the coach. The ladies were talking about how challenging it was initially for different countries’ athletes to pronounce his or her titles at international challenges. Just about all five team members and their coach also share the exact same surname — Kim, which is very common in Korea — making their titles much more confounding for foreign people.

Kim Seon-yeong, who was eating a good sunny-side-up fried egg, joked that she could use the brand “Sunny. ” Other ladies loved the idea. They each opted to nickname their selves after the English words for their favorite breakfast food items, figuring that would end up being easier for others to hold.

Although the women’s team is getting the many awareness, Korean fans currently have been recently heading wild intended for the men, way too. After Wednesday’s men’s go with, some sort of participant from the Korean team began throwing T-shirts into the crowd, which usually surged forward with outstretched arms.

Kim Heae Darm, a good fan who leaped upwards and managed to snag a shirt marining overhead, pushed it to be able to her face in addition to screamed with glee. The woman then turned to capturing the particular interest of Korean mixed doubles player Lee Ki-jeong, which scrawled his autograph in her notebook.

While she struggled to capture her breath, she revealed her excitement by observing that Lee was sturdy, casual and “very good looking. ”

As for this good results of the women’s workforce, Kim, the particular founder of the curling pub, couldn’t be prouder. “They happen to be heroes! ” he / she mentioned.

Yet the Garlic Women do have one request: Could be someone could are provided up with a better team name for these individuals?

“ https://swimsvms.org/ would prefer typically the name ‘Team The reality star, ’” Kim, the instructor, mentioned with a laugh. “Because although our hometown can be Uiseong — which will be in connection with garlic — we have zero relationship along with garlic whatsoever. ”