Olympic Excitement

[crazy canuck]

Thankfully, all canadian channels are gone off my TV. 

So now you will be watching Fox news.

[Barrister]

I have no trouble following the puck.  I am not sure why others do.  I suppose its because I know where to look.

Yeah, but I'm thinking you just may have a tad better understanding of the game than your average 4 year old. 

[In case you missed the context, the question was why Carl, age 4, preferred watching curling. The answer is that he could see the big, colourful and slow-moving rocks and so could get excited by the plays]

Give credit to Carl though.  Curling *is* a better game.

Now you've gone too far

I speak only the truth.

[Berkut]

What does "curl" mean the way you use it there?

In addition to what BB said, the curl is the main part of the game because it is by curling the stone that you get get it protected behind other stones which guard it.

Does it really wrap that much that you can "send" it behind another stone?

And if you can send it behind another stone to protect it, why can't someone curl another one behind the stone to hit it?

And wouldn't it be easier to block with the second stone, rather than the first?

I am sure there are obvious answers to these questions, but that would require me to ahve ever actually watched a match...

[Ed Anger]

Thankfully, all canadian channels are gone off my TV. 

So now you will be watching Fox news.

Newsworld International was replaced by the Al Gore abomination "Current".

[Barrister]

What does "curl" mean the way you use it there?

In addition to what BB said, the curl is the main part of the game because it is by curling the stone that you get get it protected behind other stones which guard it.

Does it really wrap that much that you can "send" it behind another stone?

And if you can send it behind another stone to protect it, why can't someone curl another one behind the stone to hit it?

And wouldn't it be easier to block with the second stone, rather than the first?

I am sure there are obvious answers to these questions, but that would require me to ahve ever actually watched a match...

The answer to your question is that rocks curl less the faster they are thrown.

So yes, a slow rock that is going to end up in the house can curl completely behind another rock (called a guard).  Hell, they can sometimes curl so much they pop out the other wise.  On a draw the person shooting a rock will often aim at a point 6' or so to the side of where you actually want it to end up.

But a really fast rock doesn't curl nearly as much.  So if you want to 'take out' an opposing stone you need to throw a lot of weight (throw it faster), but if you have to throw a lot of weight you might not be able to get behind a guard.

And yes, the announcers would explain all of that stuff to you if you watched a game.

[Berkut]

Good thing I have my buddy Beebs here to explain it then!

It actually sounds like a 'sport' that I would enjoy - very thoughtful and tactical.

[DGuller]

What does "curl" mean the way you use it there?

In addition to what BB said, the curl is the main part of the game because it is by curling the stone that you get get it protected behind other stones which guard it.

In relation to your jibe about it not being a sport - CTV did a segment called "how hard is it" or something like that.  They had hockey players trying short track, a race car driver trying skeleton, that sort of thing.  For curling they had four ex Calgary Flames go to the Women's rink in Calgary to try out Curling.  They had a hard time just getting the stones down the ice and an impossible time actually brushing the stones properly.

As with any sport the very best make it look really easy but they can only do it that way because of the countless hours of practice they have spent perfecting their skills.

Same can be said about the spitting contest.  Everyone can do, but no one would be able to beat professional spitters without a lot of practice.

[Barrister]

Good thing I have my buddy Beebs here to explain it then!

It actually sounds like a 'sport' that I would enjoy - very thoughtful and tactical.

It is *absolutely* tactical and thoughtful.  One of the bext parts about watching this kind of high level curling is the players are all miked up - you can hear them discussing the strategy of which type of shot to throw next.  And you have to think several rocks ahead - what will your opponent do next, what will you do in response, etc.

[Grey Fox]

And wouldn't it be easier to block with the second stone, rather than the first?

It would yes but usually the other team isn't too keen on letting you execute your plan without atleast messing it up little.

[Barrister]

And wouldn't it be easier to block with the second stone, rather than the first?

It would yes but usually the other team isn't too keen on letting you execute your plan without atleast messing it up little.

Do I dare bring up the free guard zone rule?

[Grey Fox]

You don't need to.

[crazy canuck]

Good thing I have my buddy Beebs here to explain it then!

It actually sounds like a 'sport' that I would enjoy - very thoughtful and tactical.

I think you would actually.  As BB said earlier in the thread, it is like Chess on ice.

[viper37]

Oh, I believe it. The rocks are large and slow-moving enough you can actually see the play. With hockey, you see the players but it is often difficult to track what is going on.

they should use a fluorescent puck
(Fox did that a few years ago...)

[crazy canuck]

What does "curl" mean the way you use it there?

In addition to what BB said, the curl is the main part of the game because it is by curling the stone that you get get it protected behind other stones which guard it.

In relation to your jibe about it not being a sport - CTV did a segment called "how hard is it" or something like that.  They had hockey players trying short track, a race car driver trying skeleton, that sort of thing.  For curling they had four ex Calgary Flames go to the Women's rink in Calgary to try out Curling.  They had a hard time just getting the stones down the ice and an impossible time actually brushing the stones properly.

As with any sport the very best make it look really easy but they can only do it that way because of the countless hours of practice they have spent perfecting their skills.

Same can be said about the spitting contest.  Everyone can do, but no one would be able to beat professional spitters without a lot of practice.

Really, I had no idea there was a group of people who devoted their lives to the art of spitting.  

[crazy canuck]

they should use a fluorescent puck
(Fox did that a few years ago...)

I had hoped that abomination was destroyed so that it could never to be resurrected.