Gotta love this sport. This one is of Jennifer Jones final shot. Gorgeous.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Curling anyone?
Curling? I've been fascinated by it ever since my sister- in- law's cousin came to visit from Utah, and talked with great passion about the sport. She had made it her mission to teach the elementary school kids where she lived, and had set up many teams.
If, like me, you've ever wanted to know what the heck is happening with that big rock and the broom, here is what the Potomac Curling club has to say:
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Seemingly simple. A granite rock, a sheet of ice, a target 42 yards away. Finish with your rocks closer to the target than your opponents', and your team of four wins a game in which keen competition mixes with a wonderful social atmosphere.
But wait: this is an Olympic sport, played by people across the world from ages 8 to 80. There must be more to it.
And there is. The rocks curl (or curve) down the sheet, traveling over an ice surface rife with nuances thanks to specially applied 'pebble' of frozen mist that lets the 42-pound rocks move with surprisingly little effort. Finesse and control of how hard rocks are thrown (the 'weight') become the important factors, not strength. The weight of a thrown rock affects the amount of curl, but a rock's progress can be altered by judicious sweeping to polish the ice in front of it, making a rock move both farther and straighter. Added complications are crafty opponents who place their stones in positions to block your access to the center of the target (the 'house'). You have to think several rocks ahead to make sure that, at the completion of each end of 16 rocks, your rocks are closest to the button, the center of the house.
So curling is a game of strategy, of finesse, and yes of fitness. A team's sweepers travel up to two miles in a game and, at the highest levels of the sport, expend the same energy as a sprinter in a 200 meter dash.
_______________________________________________________
I didn't know any of this when I went for a lesson that they graciously set up on Thursday nights. The club itself consists of a lounge area for spectators. This area is separated by windows from the main ice.. The rink has the feel of a 4 lane shuffleboard court on ice. It IS much like Shuffleboard and bowling and bocci rolled into one.
To start, we were given a teflon 'slider', half slippers to put on the foot that slides out. And slide you do. If you put your foot down without support, off you go.
THe other foot is set against a stand much like runners use in track and field. The main fun that I experienced was the pushing, which produced a gliding motion producing a deep lunge forward. ( Take a look at the video of Jennifer Jones in the next post for a glimpse). The stone releases from your hand and slides ever so slowly down the lane. Between holding the rock and a broom, there is balance and finesse. For us beginners,Falling became part of the experience, and now I know why they ask people to bring Clean sneakers or rubber-soled shoes and A good nature and sense of humor.
I didn't get to stay for a match, but that is next week when I travel to the Philadelphia Curling club in Paoli, PA to watch some actual matches.
If, like me, you've ever wanted to know what the heck is happening with that big rock and the broom, here is what the Potomac Curling club has to say:
___________________________________________
Seemingly simple. A granite rock, a sheet of ice, a target 42 yards away. Finish with your rocks closer to the target than your opponents', and your team of four wins a game in which keen competition mixes with a wonderful social atmosphere.
But wait: this is an Olympic sport, played by people across the world from ages 8 to 80. There must be more to it.
And there is. The rocks curl (or curve) down the sheet, traveling over an ice surface rife with nuances thanks to specially applied 'pebble' of frozen mist that lets the 42-pound rocks move with surprisingly little effort. Finesse and control of how hard rocks are thrown (the 'weight') become the important factors, not strength. The weight of a thrown rock affects the amount of curl, but a rock's progress can be altered by judicious sweeping to polish the ice in front of it, making a rock move both farther and straighter. Added complications are crafty opponents who place their stones in positions to block your access to the center of the target (the 'house'). You have to think several rocks ahead to make sure that, at the completion of each end of 16 rocks, your rocks are closest to the button, the center of the house.
So curling is a game of strategy, of finesse, and yes of fitness. A team's sweepers travel up to two miles in a game and, at the highest levels of the sport, expend the same energy as a sprinter in a 200 meter dash.
_______________________________________________________
I didn't know any of this when I went for a lesson that they graciously set up on Thursday nights. The club itself consists of a lounge area for spectators. This area is separated by windows from the main ice.. The rink has the feel of a 4 lane shuffleboard court on ice. It IS much like Shuffleboard and bowling and bocci rolled into one.
To start, we were given a teflon 'slider', half slippers to put on the foot that slides out. And slide you do. If you put your foot down without support, off you go.
THe other foot is set against a stand much like runners use in track and field. The main fun that I experienced was the pushing, which produced a gliding motion producing a deep lunge forward. ( Take a look at the video of Jennifer Jones in the next post for a glimpse). The stone releases from your hand and slides ever so slowly down the lane. Between holding the rock and a broom, there is balance and finesse. For us beginners,Falling became part of the experience, and now I know why they ask people to bring Clean sneakers or rubber-soled shoes and A good nature and sense of humor.
I didn't get to stay for a match, but that is next week when I travel to the Philadelphia Curling club in Paoli, PA to watch some actual matches.
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