FEB

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Curling is an Olympic sport. It has been since 1998. Yet it seems to be misunderstood. A cursory Google search for curling is not a sport' returns over 414,000 hits. There are 189 groups on Facebook with the same title. So the question begs - what's the deal with curling?

Unlike Roger Clemens' ramblings on Andy Pettite, Curling really is misunderstood. Curling is definitely a sport. And it's really hard. I now know because I've tried it.
Last week I went curling with John Benton, President of the Minnesota Curling Association at the St. Paul Curling Club. I went in knowing little about the sport, or even how to play. Something like shuffle board on ice, perhaps? Think again. I curled for about an hour, learned a lot, and walked away with very sore legs. Make that really sore legs.

The first thing you need to learn about curling is that it's not as easy as it looks, and it's not just about throwing the 44-pound stone down the ice. There's skill, strategy, and flexibility (which I quickly learned I don't have much of). And don't forget about where the sport gets its name. You often have to curve the stone down the sheet in order to get into the house. See, curling it?

So what's making Curling the Don Rickles of Olympic sports? Perhaps that people don't really get it? It's not readily accessible to all? NBC is going to be bringing a Curling reality show to the air soon, and perhaps that will help. But before you start on your next curling is ...

Read the full post at Lion in Oil

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