SeilerBird
Well-known member
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
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