When I was in high school, there were no sports activities in which girls could participate. If there had been, I think I would have been great at Curling.
1. It relaxes me. I don't find it boring like I do with golf or bowling or fishing. But I also don't get nervous watching it like I do with Downhill Skiing or the Luge.
2. It is unlike any other sport in the Olympics. Most others require speed, but Curling requires skill and precision.
3. They make it look easy. Other sports like Snowboarding or Figure Skating or Downhill Skiing or Ice Hockey look difficult, like the athletes had to start practicing when they were three years old to get to where they are now. Curling looks like a sport you could start at any age, although I'm sure it's much more difficult than it appears.
4. Curling is not dangerous. The athletes in the other sports must risk life and limb for their chance at Gold. I believe the worst that could happen to a Curler is that he or she might trip over a stone.
5. I love that there is controversy in Curling. Many think it is boring. Many think it's not a sport at all. Imagine, of all the sports, Curling is the most controversial.
6. Curling looks like a sport that even I could do. Some of the Curlers are almost as old as I am. I know there is no way, ever, ever, ever, that I would put on a pair of skis or skates. There is no way I would ever jump into a bobsled or on a skeleton sled (face first, no less). But with Curling, I just need a broom. My goodness, I have one of those in my hands almost every day. I'd say, I've been in training for Curling a good portion of my life.
I actually watched curling for the first time in my life today (US vs. Sweden), and I too love it. In my view, curling is a microcosm of running an entreprenurial business:
ReplyDeleteThere is real-time strategizing; i.e., try to score, knock the opponent out or prevent the opponent from further scoring.
Then there is execution, which is ultimately the only thing that matters. And I find that as the game progresses, the team need to constantly tweak their strategy, giving new meaning to "calling an audible".
And to your point, ironically it is very exhilarating to watch the players succeed in their execution of their strategy even though the gameplay is rather relaxed. Great stuff.