Cougars, Calamities and Classics: Why I Love Curling: An Ode to Curling
While a lot of people tend to take to the more “exciting” Olympic sports like hockey and skeleton and skating…I’m a bit of a different cat. When I sit down with my ice cold beer and clam my Olympic sport of choice…curling.
Scotties Tournament of Hearts, The Brier, the Olympics and of course the thousands of clubs and local tournaments all over the world make the average curler or curling fan…curl their toes, hair and other various parts with excitement.
It was brought to my attention lately (as well as in the past) that not so many people share my love of buttons and rocks. In answer I thought I would share a wee list of what makes curling so fabulous in my books.
1. History
Curling is really old. Like knights in shining armour and storming castles kind of old. Thought to have originated in medievial Scotland the oldest curling stone found so far is dated 1511. The oldest curling club (as claimed) is the Kilsyth Curling Club of Scotland circa 1716.
2. Scotland
Curling orginated in Scotland…I have an affinity for everything Scotland…hence I have an affinity for curling.
3. Sentimentality
a.)I think my Grandparents are pretty sweet. I’ve been fortunate in being able to become so close with all of them. We like to hang out and watch curling together. My Grandma Joyce is the one that really taught me everything that I know about it and the main reason I still watch curling today.
4. The Intensity
Sure curling doesn’t have hockey’s bone crunching hits, basketball’s speed, baseball’s diving catches or footballs overall excitement but it has major intensity nonetheless. Every stone that is thrown is thrown with calculation and with the next few shots in mind. One off curl or off speed of a stone can sway the outcome of a game entirely. You can see the concentration in the curlers eyes and the sweat of their efforts on their brow. Curling may not be overly physical but it certainly has it’s own brand of intensity.
5. Curling Is Sexy
That’s right I said it. I just saw on the tube yesterday a story about the attractiveness of curlers. Team Canada’s John Morris was voted one of Canada’s most eligible men by Entertainment tonight. A story featured in the Toronto Sun speaks to the “sexifying of curling”. Curlers are working out a lot more but it’s not just the body or the looks although Canada’s Morris, Cheryl Bernard of Calgary, Oskar Eriksson of Sweden and Moe Meguro of Japan just to name a few, are lovely, and you could go on all day listing good looking curlers on our little planet. I think a lot of it has to do with the confidence exuded by certain curlers as well, ie. Kevin Martin…gorgeous.
Now I could go on until the cows come home but for the sake of brevity will stop at five reasons. So give curling a chance folks, especially nowadays when Canada stands to take gold in both mens’s and women’s curling in Vancouver. Thousands of fans from all over the world with their cow bells, flags and painted faces can’t be wrong…curling is simply the bees knees.
