Curling returns to…Brooklyn?!
Team USA – Debbie McCormick
2010 Vancouver Olympic Games – Women’s Curling – Preliminary. Image by Chase N., Creative Commons.
Yes, hockey reigns supreme in Canadian culture and sport. But curling is deeply loved too. Many communities across Canada, large and small, have curling rinks and player of all ages and genders.
Add to all that comes word of a new rink, in Brooklyn, New York. Here’s more on that from the New York Times:
Akin to shuffleboard on ice, curling was popular in New York City in the 1800s, another time when men grew Smith Brothers beards, and it was played on frozen ponds and lakes. Now, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, as Prospect Park’s new skating complex is known, is resurrecting the game.
More than 100 people turned out for an open house in mid-November. Because of the demand, the organizers at Lakeside decided to create three instructional leagues instead of one.
The article comes with a slide show too.
Top-level curling demands lots of finesse and chess-like strategies. Duffers have a good time at it too. I am told an enjoyable custom of post-game beer is involved, which doubtlessly has much to do with that sport’s enduring appeal.
You can learn more from the Canadian Curling Association’s info page, or watch this animated primer.
Oh, as if the game itself wasn’t sufficiently inexplicable/fascinating, there is a modern tradition of outlandish pants, best expressed perhaps by the Norwegian team. (See Norwegian Olympic Curling Team’s Pants page on Facebook.)
Curling pants have to be comfortable and highly flexible. A further Internet search on the topic took me to this, in which the Norwegian men’s curling team puts on a “look ma, no hands” pants pull-up.
Curling — it’s not always what you might expect.
Tags: canada, curling, fashion, Norwegian men's curling team, sport
