Curling is like chess on ice.
Winter is long. I worked in a lumber camp 500 men and 2 sheets of ice, no TV, played cribbage read books, and curled. Still have my trophy for 1st place. I had an actual house in the camp, 1 was the weekend supervisor and Fire Marshal.

A bonspiel is where a bunch of people, usually in the more remote areas travel to other towns and start playing Friday night, knockout until Sunday noon. Beers, a warm room with a view, and usually mixed, 2 couples on each team.

The ice is supposed to start out flat but sometimes has a flaw. You put warm water in a can and it has a head like an inverted watering can and splash pebbles on the ice.

As the rock travels and you let it go you turn you elbow in making the rock go clockwise. Not too fast. Or elbow out and turn counterclockwise. Depending on speed, the pebble, the sweepers a rock might curl laterally about 4 to 5 feet going down the ice, more curl as it slows down. The stones are different colours, 8 for each team. The first guy to throw is the lead, then the second, the third and the skip. The skip points where the stone goes and puts down his broom and you are in deep trouble if you don't trust the skip and don't aim at the broom. The sweepers take it from there.

A very social game, our city has about 8 locations where you an curl, and you can sign up as a spare in case someone is sick etc.

I quit playing when I moved south, but up north where it snowed and stayed in October and thawed about 24 of May it was a great way to spend weekends travelling. A lot of drinking ususally. Chess on ice. Get 3 or 4 stones closest to the button and you had a really good end. 10 of them in a game. Once in a blue moon someone gets an 8 ender, all 8 stones counted the other team shutout. Like a hole in one you talk about it for 40 years.

The Chinese team was chosen 3 years ago and spent 100 percent of their time in Canada curling year round with a Candian coach. How bad was that for wanting to win?

At one time 3 of my buddies and I wondered about moving to Mexico, getting citizenship, and entering the olympics as the Mexican Curling Team. LOL.

John Conley
Musica est vita