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February 28, 2006
How I spent my Saturday... curling!
Did I mention that I like curling?
Well, I got my chance to try it at the Waltham Curling Club's open house this past Saturday.
The club is in the tiny town of Triumph, Illinois. I'm not sure what the population is. But I am a pretty good judge of small town population, and I'd put it at about 100. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive (and that is the closest curling club to us that I know of). So, my wife and I packed the kids into the minivan and set out for Triumph. What a wonderful afternoon! Here I am "in the hack" listening to the advice of one of the club members before getting down and delivering the rock. (The blurry figures behind the glass are our kids watching Dad's moment of glory.)
After delivering a couple of warm-up rocks, visitors to the open house formed up teams and played three ends of a match. My wife didn't intend to try it, but after coming out to take a picture of me, one of the club members asked if she wanted to give it a shot. She did, and that was all it took. When we formed up teams, I was the skip of my team. My wife was the lead. Two others played second and third. Here I am in my role as skip, pointing out to my teammate where to aim and which way to try to curl the rock.
I did manage a couple of take-outs (I admit that one was by accident when I was trying to draw--that take-out did not materially help us). I also swept a couple rocks out of the house, preventing a score. Our team scored a point in each of the first two ends, and the other teams scored in the third. But most importantly we all had a great time.
I know there are those out there who think curling is boring or say that it is just shuffleboard on ice. Get out there and try it. It is not easy. In fact, it poses a challenge similar to golf. Many golfers, myself included, keep coming back because you never achieve perfection. At the end of every round you remember that shot that could have been better--the missed birdie putt, the sliced tee shot, etc. Even after this one experience, I can see curling having that same appeal. You can't help but want to try again and do better. Just ask my wife, who once cringed every time I turned the TV to curling during the Olympics. All it took was one throw and she was hooked. It is fun, challenging game that values sportsmanship and fair play as much as strategy and skill.
We would like to thank the wonderful folks at the Waltham Curling Club for their hospitality in putting on the open house and letting a bunch of newcomers try their hand at the game. If they do it again next year, we'll be back.
Posted by William Polley at February 28, 2006 01:37 AM
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Comments
SO glad you enjoyed curling! I myself have been hooked for almost 30 years! Missd the open houses last year for an extended vacation, but will be back this year. Hope you can visit again!
Posted by: Twila Yednock at June 30, 2006 12:30 AM