Posts Tagged ‘winter games’

It’s come to my attention in these past few days that a lot of people have no idea what the point of curling is…and for that matter, why it should be an Olympic sport. Sure, there are those that genuinely love it. But really, I think I know the reason why curling is such a necessity for the Olympics.

It gives the normal people hope.

Seriously! Just as Pandora left hope in the box and all was not lost, curling is the hope in the box of aspirational athleticism. You have those waif-like girls who are 16-years-old or those completely fit and toned men and women of skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, etc. that just make you feel…well, klutzy, inept, lazy and borderline gross. And beyond those sports that are just ageist, how many of us are really going to go out there and try to become masters at maneuvering an icy track with speeds up to 90 miles-per-hour? I know my own mother gets nervous when her car hits 75 mph.

My point is, curling is the sport that you think to yourself (or mention in passing to your friends) that if you really, REALLY wanted a medal or at least a chance to compete, curling would be the way to go. It doesn’t seem like one of those sports that really requires brawn or hours of endless training that results in pain and suffering.

Heck no.

Curling is the icy relative of shuffleboard, the stereotypical sport of the elderly and retired. You think shuffleboard, you think cruises. You think curling, you think…hey, I could be an Olympian! And I can wear nifty pants!!

I give you, exhibit A (nifty pants):

Does anybody know what goes into becoming the world’s best curler? Does it involve hours and hours of grueling practice to perfect the art of…sweeping? Even if it does, it sure beats a lot of the other sports where when practice goes wrong you could seriously maim yourself.

So there you have it - curling. The eternal hope for those with secret ambitions of athletic world renown. Deceptively accessible to the masses but…c’mon, let’s face it: how many people are really mobbing the ice rink to capture America’s heart in curling?

And to inspire some of you future Olympic curlers out there, here’s a re-post of a graphic that describes the art of curling from The Good Blog. Enjoy. And good luck.