Associated Press:
They make it look so damn effortless.
Watching from afar, curling looks like a marriage of shuffleboard and bocce ball on ice that requires about the same amount of physical ability. The kind of recreational activity that usually involves an adult beverage, and where having a modicum of athleticism is all that’s needed.
Just glide gracefully across the ice before gently gliding the 44-pound stone down the 146-foot sheet and yelling at your teammates to occasionally brush away at the ice in front of the rock.
Simple, right?
Every now and then, some sportswriter gets it in his head that curling is easy and anyone can do it so they go out and try it. They always get proven wrong. It’s a more physical, challenging sport than what you imagine and also very technical.
The sweeping is even more difficult. I never really thought about that.
I can’t think of curling as a sport. But that’s me bashing curling, it’s me saying it’s far more interesting than mere sport. So many aspects to it. Like chess with giant rocks if you had to throw the rocks from across the room and the pieces all acted just a little unpredictably, except that analogy fails to capture many aspects of it.
Sooo many variables.
Oh Lord yes! I used to curl at a local club and you’re surprised at how strenuous sweeping is!
Obligatory movie ref: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0263734/ A GREAT movie about the sport.