In Vienna, curling may be for the terminally hip, but everywhere else, it's for everyone (Photo by Chad K) Way back in 2002, I was up late one night during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In a mood to watch the competition, I happened upon a curling match. "Curling?!," I scoffed, "Surely there's something better than that." I stayed tuned, though. There was something about the sport that was gripping, what with its arcane rules, fast-yet-slow action, and alien aspects. I was hooked, and I’ve stayed that way ever since. In 2006, I wrote the piece below, in anticipation of the Turin Olympic Games. In those years since, popular culture has caught up with The Spark. It might be human to feel superior to these Johnny-come-latelys -- I mean, when "The Simpsons" has built an episode around a cultural phenomenon, surely its time has passed -- but in the spirit of curlers around the world, I can't help but feel fellowship with anyone who gets -- and loves -- a bonspiel of any kind, anywhere. One winter's day in the dim past, someone saw that a lake or a river that had frozen over and said to his fellows, "Hey, let's find some heavy rocks, go out on the ice and slide them at a target." From those humble beginnings grew curling, the world's most exciting slow-motion sport. It’s a pastime available to curlers of all ages -- from eight to eighty -- who love nothing better than to find a rink and get a bonspiel going. They lace up their sliders, step up to the hack, and slide a series of 41-pound chunks of polished granite (the "stones") down the ice at a target called "the house." There's more to curling than just sliding rocks, though -- team members (the not-so-cleverly named "lead," "second," "third," and "skip") also get to scrub the ice with brooms! Since the ice the game is played on is deliberately made uneven and stippled by pouring hot water on it -- unlike the glassy surfaces speed skaters, hockey players, and figure skaters perform on -- curlers have to use their brooms to make sure that the stone speeds up, slows down, and goes (or "curls") where they want it -- until the skip shouts "off!" The team that ends the game with the most stones after ten ends (not unlike baseball innings) close to the target -- the "button" at the center of the house (think of it as a bulls-eye in darts) -- wins. If a team somehow manages to get all of its own rocks -- and none of their opponents' -- in the house, though, they score that rarest of feats, an 8-ender -- comparable to a 300 game in bowling. For those with a taste for freezing, wearing funny clothes, and trying not to fall, it's heaven on ice. Suggested Sites... World Curling Federation - source for bonspiels around the globe. Vancouver Olympics: Curling - schedules, news, and highlights. NBC Olympics: Curling - schedules, video highlights, and expert commentary. CBC: Olympic Curling - standings, features, rules, and history. Curling Science - it's more than just shuffleboard on ice.

Directory categories: Curling, Curling at the 2010 Olympic Games , 2010 Olympic Games, Winter Sports, Curling Gear and Equipment

Archived under: Canada, Curling, Games, Ice, Olympics, Sports, Winter, Winter Olympics, Winter Sports, Women's Sports

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(photo by Vincent Wong) One winter's day in the dim past, someone saw that a lake had frozen over and said, "Let's go out on the ice and slide rocks at a target." Those humble beginnings begat curling, the world's most exciting slow-motion sport. Curlers of all ages love to find a bonspiel, lace up their sliders, step up to the hack, and throw 44-pound stones down the ice at the house. There's more to curling than just sliding rocks, though -- team members also get to scrub the ice with brooms! The team that ends the game with the most stones close to the target wins. If they manage to get all their own rocks and none of their opponents' in the house, though, they score that rarest of feats, an 8-ender -- comparable to a 300 game in bowling. For those with the bug for freezing, wearing funny shoes, and trying not to fall, it's heaven on ice. Suggested Sites... NPR: Canadian Curler Rocks History Books - watch the come-from-behind attempt that many think is the greatest curling shot in history. International Olympic Committee: Curling - all about those who go for the frozen gold. World Curling Federation - curling news and results from the four corners of the earth.

Directory categories: Curling, Curling Organizations, Curling Competitions

Archived under: Curling, Sports, Winter, Winter Olympics

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