Curling

On Tuesday night we tried curling for the first time. The best description I can give you is 'lawn bowls on ice, plus sweeping up', but that doesn't really do the sport justice. The truth is, curling is surprisingly challenging, somewhat dangerous and a whole lot of fun!

The basic premise of the game is that two teams of four players take turns sliding 20kg granite curling stones down a narrow sheet of ice, aiming to finish with more stones in the centre of a target than the other team. The handle of the stone is turned slightly as it's released, which makes it 'curl' in an arc as it travels down the ice. After you let go of the stone, two of your teammates use special brooms to sweep the ice directly ahead of it, which allows the stone to travel faster.

The surface of the ice has a 'pebbled' texture, so it's not quite as slippery as a skating rink. Nevertheless, our group had some spectacular falls while curling and sweeping, which must have provided great entertainment to the more experienced players nearby.

We were lucky to have a seasoned curler on hand to show us the ropes (rocks?). Parker was very encouraging of our efforts, despite our complete lack of technique. He also hinted at the complex strategic nature of the game, which is nicknamed 'chess on ice'. Unfortunately even our best attempts resulted in little to no control of where the stone actually ended up, so strategy didn't really get a look in.

If you ever find yourself in the unique situation where someone invites you to go curling, I would thoroughly recommend the experience. I think it only appropriate that I end with the curling community's favourite saying, intended to convey a spirit of excellent sportsmanship: Good curling!