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i hope you ppl are kidding about the whole curling thing lol
Erm, absolutely not.
It's not a sport for everyone, but it's basically a sport for anyone. It knows practically no age limit, and it is done by people in wheelchairs and the blind. As a matter of fact, the Special Olympics of Vancouver fields a team that's in our league.
The social aspect of the sport is terrific. And, if you're not the "skip" (the shot-caller who throws the last two rocks in each end), it can be quite a good form of exercise.
It's a sport that's relatively easy to learn, but difficult to master. A lot like golf. (And, as a matter of fact, a lot of curlers *do* golf in the "off-season".)
A couple of weeks ago, there was an exhibition match in New York, right in the Rockefeller Center ice rink. It was the US champion and his team against a top Swedish team. It was definitely fun for me to watch, since I'm a native New Yorker, and I've gotten comments about "what's a girl from NY doing curling" when I go over the border on the weekends, but it was also interesting from the standpoint that the commentators actually *explained* what was going on. Even though I know the game, when I was watching the Canadian championships, I was practically falling asleep. With watching curling, so much of it has to do with the way it's presented.
So, no, I'm not kidding about curling.
Now, what about your support of the Jets? I'd like to ask if you're really serious about that one....
Curling requires a lot of practice. Each position on the team requires a different set of skills. It's tough, honestly. Calling a shot, and then determining when to sweep for the optimal position isn't easy at all.
There's a lot more to sweeping in curling than you would think, actually. Direction, pressure...all of that physics stuff that I thought that I had left behind after barely passing Physics 101 in college.
But, yeah, for a "curling novice" like myself, I can't help but say, on occasion, as we're digging our brooms into the ice...."what a silly sport". I don't do this at home, why am I doing it in my free time?
About 90% of everything in the olympics is boring. I see alot of people saying curling. I actually think that is one of the only interesting sports in the olympics. And the US women's team is hot.
Curling requires a lot of practice. Each position on the team requires a different set of skills. It's tough, honestly. Calling a shot, and then determining when to sweep for the optimal position isn't easy at all.
There's a lot more to sweeping in curling than you would think, actually. Direction, pressure...all of that physics stuff that I thought that I had left behind after barely passing Physics 101 in college.
But, yeah, for a "curling novice" like myself, I can't help but say, on occasion, as we're digging our brooms into the ice...."what a silly sport". I don't do this at home, why am I doing it in my free time?
Well, good to hear from a real curler. The only curling I do is w/ dumbbells and barbells.
The only ones I have ever watched willingly is ice skating and ice dancing and I don't even watch that anymore. Thank god for directv and Tivo, there is plenty of other things on to watch.
If you're a sweeper and your broom is similar to a household broom, is it considered bad form if you use the heel, or upper end of the broom straws when redirecting or slowing the stone. Y'know, like leaning real heavy on the broom and bending the softer part flat on the ice. I'm thinking that that might have a bit of an advantage if trying to slow the it.
Additionally, I can't help but imagining the stone to be filled with baked beans. Just looks like a natural place for them to be.
If you're a sweeper and your broom is similar to a household broom, is it considered bad form if you use the heel, or upper end of the broom straws when redirecting or slowing the stone. Y'know, like leaning real heavy on the broom and bending the softer part flat on the ice. I'm thinking that that might have a bit of an advantage if trying to slow the it.
Additionally, I can't help but imagining the stone to be filled with baked beans. Just looks like a natural place for them to be.
I thought the sweeping was meant to melt a real thin film of water to help the stone slide better, not to slow it. Of course, you get even a bit too much water and it'll stop real quick! I'm sure I'm wrong.
If you're a sweeper and your broom is similar to a household broom, is it considered bad form if you use the heel, or upper end of the broom straws when redirecting or slowing the stone. Y'know, like leaning real heavy on the broom and bending the softer part flat on the ice. I'm thinking that that might have a bit of an advantage if trying to slow the it.
Additionally, I can't help but imagining the stone to be filled with baked beans. Just looks like a natural place for them to be.
If you have the opportunity, watch some really good curlers. The pressure on the broom affects speed and direction of the rock, and is a HUGE part of the game. You'll see them leaning a lot of their body weight on the broom at times, and that's absolutely acceptable.
The ice is "pebbled". Basically, you have a sheet of ice, as you would have in any other "ice sport", and then the ice makers come out with what looks like a backpack with a hose coming out of it. They spray water on the ice, which, when it freezes, makes "pebbles". They act like ball bearings for the granite rock to slide on. When the sweepers come, they can, if necessary, sweep hard to lessen the influence of the pebbles, and thereby affect the speed and direction of the rock. It all has to do with physics, which, like I've said, I barely passed. But, yes, there is a real reason why you see people sweeping hard (or not) during the game.
Like any other sport, there has been some technology added, and a lot of brooms now are not straw, or even bristle. I do see quite a few bristle brooms still around, but for the average club player, synthetic is the way to go.
Finally, I had to laugh at your "baked beans" comment. The stones really do look like crock pots. But, no, they're generally 44 pounds of solid granite. Though, in the early days of the sport (and in places even now where there aren't "curling clubs"), you deal with what you can get. Frozen water in a milk jug is something that I've heard of being used, on a frozen pond.
If you're interested, you can take a look at the history of the sport on someplace like Wikipedia. They actually have a really good explanation of it.
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Of course, you get even a bit too much water and it'll stop real quick! I'm sure I'm wrong.
