Austin Rocks On Ice

When txrad told me that our Austin curling club was having an open house this morning (as well as next Sunday) and offering curling lessons, I knew I had to be in on this. The ice rink is less than 19 miles from our house and with 9AM traffic on Sunday being very light, we got there in 25 minutes. I knew from the number of cars in the parking lot we were in for quite an event.

I didn't know what to expect in terms of a crowd, but I guessed on the very low side there would be about 70, and maybe 200 or 250 tops on the high side.

It was insane.

Once I was inside and assessed the situation, I knew I wasn't going to bother with the battle to get on the ice to throw a rock, much to my dismay. I'm guessing there were around 450-500 people there by my very rough estimate.

I heard one of the club members say they had expected about 60 or 70. By the time we got in the door we were instructed to sign an injury waiver at a table. This was one of the reasons for the backlog in getting inside. I couldn't even see the table, and getting there required nudging my way through a line already forming for the lessons.

I also heard someone say they had 200 name tags and were already out of those. I figure they had expected that number of name tags to last through this Sunday's and next Sunday's Open House.

Curling wanna-bes were allowed out in groups of about 8 or 10, and there were about four, maybe five, groups at each end of the rink. The sessions lasted about 20 minutes each.

This instructor was giving pointers on the correct position of the body in the hack prior to the throw. What was most disappointing for me was the presence of thick plexiglass surrounding the rink. It muffled sound and I really could not hear a word being spoken by the instructors.

After about 8 minutes or so of verbal instruction, the fun really began as people made the first rock throw of their lives. And I don't think most of these people had ever been on ice before. At least I would have had that experience under my belt since I took ice skating lessons in college. Still, I haven't been on ice in 25 years.

But I don't mean to laugh at them. I know it's not easy. Olympic curlers make the trip up to the hog line where they release the stone look easy, but I knew that would be a challenge for anyone the first time out. This is why I wanted to try it, to fully grasp how athletic the sport is, despite the appearance of ease.

After watching a number of people of all ages struggle with sliding on one foot, and the coordination required to maintain that balance, and concentration prior to releasing the rock, I had a pretty good idea what it would feel like to be out there.

One thing I wasn't expecting was to see someone I know there. Not long after getting inside, txrad and I were standing on a bench for a better view of the ice and I felt someone tap me as she walked by. It was the woman you see above, in white. We both worked at the same advertising agency back in 2007. Her throw was pretty good!

Around 11:00 we decided to leave and grab some lunch. Maybe next Sunday I'll give this another shot and hope for a smaller crowd. If so, I'd better get back on my exercise regimen, practicing some crouching and stretching.

Tools of the trade: rocks, brooms and sliders.

Here's a few short video clips I captured. Remember, most of the noise you hear is from the crowded narrow room behind me. It was very hard to hear anything from the ice due to the thick plexiglass and the constant chatter of a few hundred people crammed into a tight space.

The Screamer:

Falling:

Let Go of the Rock:

Slip-Sliding Away:

The Wobbler:

Sweepers Sweeping:

Finally, from YouTube, I found the curling club's membership director in a brief interview about her interest and experience in curling.

Happy curling!

A Piece of Olympic History

You're not going to believe this. I was sitting in the living room watching curling when suddenly the stone closest to the front of my TV fell off onto my floor!!

OK, so I know you're not believing it because the handles on the Vancouver stones aren't the same as the ones used in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, which is the origin of that rock.

Here's the real story of how it got there.

Last week while watching curling, I had already consumed a bottle of red wine while waiting on txrad to get home from an errand. He was running way behind, hence I consumed the whole bottle of wine as opposed to the half of it which was my intent. When he did arrive it was almost 9PM and he wanted a drink or six. He did a tequila shot and so did I.

I got on the internet to research something about curling and stumbled upon a website for a curling supply store in Madison, WI. Lo and behold, they had a stone for sale from the Salt Lake Olympic curling competition.

For many weeks after the 2002 games I had been searching online to see if I could find one. I looked everywhere and on ebay. No luck. I finally gave up after concluding that the Olympic Committee keeps a tight grip on them, or that there are so few available that the lucky ones who have an opportunity to get one are not so eager to part with it.

So with that bit of history behind me, I knew I had to do this. Mix wine, tequila, and beer with a credit card and internet access and well... a fool and his money are soon parted.

The next morning I woke up and it felt just like any other day, until I recalled that perhaps I had spent $800 on a 40-pound chunk of granite. An email from the curling supply shop confirmed it.

For about an hour I felt like I'd made a huge mistake... until the euphoria started to kick in. After contemplating that it could potentially be considered an investment, aside from being a true piece of Olympic history (OK, Olympic curling history; it's not exactly the swim briefs worn by Michael Phelps in the summer Olympics!), I started to get excited.

Over the weekend I was so hoping it would arrive by Monday but I suspected it would be Tuesday. And on an appropriately cold and snowy day in Austin, my rock arrived.

And oh my God, that box was heavy! You think 40-pounds isn't much but when it is condensed down to something this small, it boggles the mind.

I started looking for the serial number inscribed by the Olympic Committee and couldn't find it. For a few seconds I was starting to suspect I'd been scammed. Actually it's extremely hard to see unless the light hits it at the correct angle. I had to take 5 or 6 photos to get this one.

The owner of the curling supply store in Madison, Wisconsin included a handwritten note as well as an article about the rock with which the gold medal was won by Great Britain at the 2002 Salt Lake City games.

"After the British Olympic Committee purchased this [the winning rock] and the seven other yellow handle stones they used, we were able to purchase the other 8 stones used in the game from the Salt Lake Olympic Committee.

This stone is very special -- enjoy!"

And it was at this point that I realized just how special. This wasn't just a "rock used in competition" during the 2002 Olympics. This one was used in play by the Swiss team competing against Great Britain for the GOLD MEDAL! And it has a very legendary sister residing in the Scottish Hall of Fame -- Yellow C4, serial number 1829 -- which secured Britain's first-ever Olympic gold in curling.

2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics Women's Curling Championship:

Later this afternoon, I can settle in on the sofa to watch some Olympic curling, and occasionally glance down at my own rock. Sweet.

Crossposted at B3

Canada Rocks

Based on the score of 6-2 favoring Canada, you might not think this was an exciting competition. Quite the contrary. I'm amazed. Not that I was ever in doubt Canada was going to clinch it, but the Swedes could muster some precise deliveries.

Great throw by Sweden.

Great sweeping.

80 pounds of rock on the button. Canada grabbed that end by a hair. Literally.

What's not to love?

Poor John Shuster

I feel bad for the guy. Really. Just can't get the rock on the button.

The US lost in yet another frustrating nail-biter in curling competition against the Swiss today.

Jeff Isaacson, throwing a stone for the US today. The US lost in the extra 11th end.