Off-Topic Forum

I had to look this up to see what in the heck you guys were talking about, I've never even heard of curling before. I thought maybe curling your hair had become a sport when I wasn't looking.  It is actually a sport. Is this a Canadian thing ranfordfan?

Yes we Canadians have embraced curling since the beginning of Canada, it is a sport born from the Scots and adopted by millions here in Canada. But it is also huge in all of the British Isles, every Scandanvian country. Russia, China, of course the US and Japan. It has a very large international following terrbear and once you get hooked in you can not stop watching it. Every small town on the praries has one of each, a hockey rink and curling club!! I have never played either sport but love them both. =D

I can't explain why, but watching curling is actually pretty intense. I've done it a few times and.....its freakin' hard! Then not only do you have to figure out all the geometry, but then speed, and what your opponets will do next. It is a massive strategy game played out slowly that sucks you in! Oh and ya...Canada will kick all your butts!

It will get a lot of airtime during the Olympics, Terrbear, but possibly in the late night hours.  I may not sleep at all next week.

Along with the Americans, I may pull for the Danes on the women's side.  I admire Madeleine Dupont very much.  I like Roth & Tabitha but wanted Sinclair to win the US spot.  The qualifiers were unreal.  I certainly enjoy Homan too.  And on the men's side, how can you not like Norway with those uniforms?!?!  I agree with Chuck that the Americans have a good shot for gold in mixed doubles.

I'm amazed at how many curling fans we have here.  I knew Ranford and C2Cigars watched, but more and more of you are jumping into the conversation too, which is awesome!  My brother doesn't use the forums very often, but he actually used to compete in a curling league, so I'm sure he will be watching too.

I've curled for almost thirty years, and have helped tend bar at my curling club for almost twenty years.

I watched the Homan team compete as Juniors in a couple of bonspiels my club. I'll definitely be cheering for them!

Edit to add: It is amazing how many calls and emails I will get from my friends in the US during the Winter Olympics asking me to explain various parts of curling to them.

Too funny ............. I get friends here in Canada doing the same thing. I am not expert at the sport, I am more of a purist than the techno era we have now. I miss the early 80s when my mom taught me the rules watching on TV, the flappity flap of the corn brooms, guys with their smokes hanging off their faces always wondering why their mustaches never caught fire! ROFL My family managed and maintained the Southminster Curling Club just out of the city for three generations, my mom was the school star and actually blew out her knee playing in the High School Bonspeil in her Grade 12 year, she had to have surgery and retire. My grandparents, aunt and uncle and all my cousins lived at the rink down there growing up. By the time mom got married though she had gone to universtity and was working in a law office and curling went away for her. My sisters both played in school but I chose bowling instead. LOL what a ride down memory lane, thanks guys ........ and gals!!

Curling is a very strange sport to me. 

Personally, I rarely care about the Olympics. Not my fault, I grew up in the southeast US and our sports are baseball, football, basketball, and I guess soccer is in there too. Never cared for soccer and still don't. Curling is something that really interests me though. I'm not sure why, but it does appeal to me. If I'm going to watch anything of the Olympics, it'll be snowboarding and curling. Maybe the skiers too. I guess being an X-Games fan for all these years made me more interested in the snow sports. Now that some of the X-Games stuff is part of the Olympics, it makes it a bit more interesting. The problem is not knowing when certain events are airing and the timing of those events. Heck, Super Bowl Sunday was Super Bowl Monday morning to them in South Korea! I can't imagine trying to watch the Super Bowl at 8am!!!

Ranfan, I love bowling, when I am actually doing it. But I can't watch others do it. That's just boring. Somehow, pool/billiards is just as fun to me whether I am watching or playing though. If I had room inside for a pool table, I'd certainly have one. I'd be happy shooting by myself. Same thing if I had room for a single bowling alley. I have a basketball goal, but I'm just as happy shooting hoops by myself as I am when there is someone else playing. By myself, I get all the shots and I don't have to worry about others in my way if I need to get a rebound. Then again, it does help to have a rebounder near the patio door. I like to take LONG shots and the patio doors are glass!

I live in the US and have a been a fan of curling for over 40 years.   Probably watched it on the old ABC Wide World of Sports or CBS  Sports Spectacular on Saturdays.

Just want to point out for the Curling fans who may not know- there were at least two Curling sets released in 1993 and 1994. Hopefully copy & pasting the address bar for the search works I am also a curling fan...but I like pretty much all Olympic events. There's not one in Winter I won't watch.