Curling Rocks

The Winter Olympics most disrespected sport has to be curling.  Every four years when the Winter Olympics comes up, people across the country can be heard making comments like “What the heck IS curling anyway?” and “How can this be an Olympic sport?” As a young man in northern Wisconsin, I learned this sport (where it was actually part of our physical education program) and have been a fan ever since.

From Wikipedia: Curling is a team Olympic sport in which stones are slid across a sheet of carefully prepared ice towards a target area.

Two teams of four players take turns sliding heavy, polished blue hone granite stones across the ice towards the house (a circular target marked on the ice). The purpose is to complete each end with the team’s stones closer to the centre of the house than the other team’s stones. Two sweepers with brooms or brushes accompany each stone and use stopwatches and their best judgment, along with direction from their teammates, to help direct the stones to their resting place, but without touching the stones.

Curling has been around since the early 16th century. In fact, a curling stone inscribed with the date 1511 was found when an old pond was drained at Dunblane, Scotland.

There are four people on a curling team. The Thrower, Two Sweepers, and a Skip.  Each member of the curling team has a specific job.  The Skip stands at the far end near the “house” and will usually give the Thrower a mark to aim at and a direction of English (or spin) to put on the rock.  The thrower must determine the right amount of weight (or speed) with which to release the rock and how much English to put on it.  The Sweepers job is to gauge how accurately the rock has been thrown and compensate accordingly by “sweeping” the ice to make the rock move faster or slower or even to change the direction. 

While sweeping can certainly be exerting, this is more a sport of strategy and skill than brute strength or physical effort.  That’s probably why I like it. My only problem with curling is that the only way to participate is to be a member of a curling club.  You can’t just go and pay to play – like bowling.  That and the fact there are very few curling clubs per capita in the U.S.  I haven’t played since high school, but its great fun to play and fun to watch… even if it is only once every four years.

(Side note: everyone who knows me knows I’m no sports authority, so if I inadvertently misspoke above in my paraphrasing of the sport, try to find it in your heart to forgive me.)