SeilerBird goes curling

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SeilerBird

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Joined
Feb 25, 2012
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Location
St Cloud Florida USA
I have been a massive Beatles fan all my life and in 1965 they introduced me to the sport of curling in the movie Help! I didn't walk out of the theater wondering what that was but in 1998 when it was made an Olympic sport I saw it and immediately recognized it from the movie so I was intrigued and started watching it. I feel in love. It is chess on ice. So during the last Olympics I was glued to my TV getting my fill of curling matches. I even stayed up all night to watch the American team win gold at 3 in the morning with a brilliant 5 ender. One of the best sports moments I have witnessed in years.

So I got the itch to go out and try curling. So I Googled curling Orlando and found that there is indeed a curling club in Orlando and they held beginners classes every week so I signed up for one last weekend. So I tried it and I liked it but I was a complete failure at it. I didn't even make it all the way through the first lesson. The first thing was it is a heck of a lot harder than it looks. I have a new found respect for curlers, it is hard to do and be smooth and actually win.

The first problem I had was it was very cold on the ice especially since I have been living in Florida the last five years. Now that problem could have been solved with thermal underwear and a knee pad. But the second problem was that I have a mild form of emphysema and the cold ready made it worse for me. Your blood vessels and lungs constrict a bit and make breathing more labored. That problem might have been solved by stronger medication. But the third problem was unsolvable. The ice is extremely slippery and since falling is a huge problem for us senior citizens. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans. Falls threaten seniors? safety and independence and generate enormous economic and personal costs. So I was way overcautious which is not the way I have done sports all my life. Being so overcautious made it almost impossible to preform like I should. The final problem is that the ice rink is on the opposite side of Orlando. I am on the southeast side and the rink is on the north west side so it was about a 100 mile round trip to go there and that is very slow driving right through the heart of Orlando. And it costs $40 a session (reduced to $30 after joining and paying $75) and it was obvious to me that if I did not join a league and play a few times a week I would have never gotten any good. And I would need to buy a lot of expensive equipment.

So taking into account my health and finances I decided I am too old and out of shape to be curling. But I don't regret my decision to try. It was a really cool way to spend an afternoon. I learned a lot about curling. If you want to have a great laugh find a curling club near you and go down and watch a beginners class. Absolutely everyone was making a mess out of delivering the stone. It looks so easy and it is so hard. The positions they end up with as they cross the line is hysterical. I don't know how the teachers can suppress their laughter.

Here is the scene from Help with the curling. It has been dubbed so don't turn up the volume.

https://youtu.be/622AzYWXBTA
 
Way to go Tom. We're never too old to try something new.
 
Yep. The first thing I thought of was your emphysema, and how you would make out. Gotta hand it to you for trying. :))
 
I always thought curling was for old guys until I got talked into trying it. You are absolutely right, it is not as easy as it looks. It takes practice, practice, and more practice to be good and I never got good. Finally had to quit when the back gave out.
 
Well done for trying Tom. 

Here in Scotland they have Bonspiel's (curling matches) on various lakes during the winter if it is cold enough. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Match

One of my friends does curling locally and one of the girls in her team fell and hit her head quite seriously.  That was a few years ago and apparently she still isn't 100%, so I think you are right to err on the side of caution.

It was good watching the games during the Olympics, I think it is resurrecting the game.
 
Rumor has it that curling was invented in Scotland. You guys must have a lot of free time since you keep inventing great games like golf and curling. Next you're going to tell my you also invented strip poker. ;D
 
Curling has been a Minnesota sport for years, wonder why with our long cold winters.  It has become even more popular in recent years and now with our home town(state) GOLD champs, I'm sure it will reach new heights.  Id you get to Duluth, visit the DECC you might see the team practice.
 
SeilerBird said:
Rumor has it that curling was invented in Scotland. You guys must have a lot of free time since you keep inventing great games like golf and curling. Next you're going to tell my you also invented strip poker. ;D

::) ::)

While it has been suggested that strip poker originated in New Orleans in the United States around the same time as original poker in the 19th century, played in brothels,[2][3] the term is only attested since 1916.[4] Strip poker most likely began as a prank among boys, and as late as the 1930s, the current mixed-gender version was called "mixed strip poker" in England to differentiate it from the all-male variety.
 
Oldgator73 said:
The wife and I tried curling in the hallway at the house. It was actually a lot of fun. Not as fun as strip poker but hey, we could always curl nekkid.

https://youtu.be/O_U6CooSY-0
The sweepers were doing it all wrong. You are suppose to face your body square to the house.  :eek:
 
Tom I'm glad you went and tried it. I want to go to the San Francisco Bay area and try it too.

Like you I stayed up watching all the matches. The curling coverage in Russia was lousy but South Korea got it right. 

I really liked the women's teams, they were GOOD!!

We have a regulation Shuffle board court in our backyard and it is somewhat similar however there is a lot more strategy involved in curling. 

So thanks for posting this thread!!

 
I've got to admit that I also watched many hours of Olympic Curling.  The strategy involved in playing the game is fascinating to me.  The longer I watch it, the more interesting it has become.
 
I was watching a curling match one night, don't remember what match it was (countries?) and the commentator said the one team played a lot of pool in the offseason. I would think games such as croquet, golf, bocce and bowls would keep you in practice in the offseason for curling.
 
I am getting a bigger response to this thread than I anticipated. I am really glad curling is finally becoming popular in this country. I knew that I had a 99% chance of failing at curling but I was enjoying watching it so much I just had to try it and I am really glad I did. In a class of about 30 people I was the oldest person by at least 20 years. The enthusiasm of the class was amazing. I have been addicted to sports all my life. I started in little league baseball, then went to skateboarding ( and dislocated my shoulder, my only sports injury), then went to surfing where I was a miserable failure at that also (not due to me but the surfboard I owned was waterlogged), then I got a boat and took up water skiing (the only sport I was super good at), then on to scuba diving, snow skiing, racquetball and finally hiking. I have been watching sports on TV avidly all my life. So sports is very big in my life and with my old age and emphysema I am realizing I am not getting any younger. It was killing me to not try curling so I had to do it. I have also started watching soccer in the last few years and it is killing me I can't play soccer. I had extremely strong legs and I would have done well at soccer but I am just not going to try it since I would probably have a heart attack if I did. It is a bitch getting old but the alternative is a lot worse. ;D
 

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Actually pool, or billiards,  makes a lot of sense as practice for curling. The english (spinning the ball by striking off center) used to curve a pool ball is very analogous to the way direction is controlled in curling.

Ernie
 
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