February 23 is Curling Is Cool Day. I don’t know why. It just is. February 23, every year.
I’m not sure where it started, who started it, or what you are supposed to do, but I like curling, so… yeah… curling. The fact that it happens to be in the midst of the Canadian women’s curling championship for the year means you can at least watch curling.
I like the game. I don’t play as much as I should. Certainly not anything that could be called regular, but I do enjoy.
I think I was about twelve when I started. There was not curling for people that age. There were no lighter “little rocks”. I would just go hang out with family members on weekend afternoons and throw rocks up and down the ice. Eventually, a group started for those my age and we learned a bit more about the game. I have played on and off ever since.
I have seen things change. The style of shoes, the type of brooms, how the rock is actually thrown. There have been a lot of changes over the time I have been a casual observer. If I dig around enough, I may be able to come up with a display documenting the evolution of the broom, although not quite from the 1500s on. A bit more recent, but I think I can still go from corn broom, corn broom with a leather center, a couple different synthetic brooms and a brush or two.
It is a game pretty much anyone can become sort of competent at with a bit of practice. You may never be great, but every now and then you’ll make one of those shots that gives you hope. Sort of like golf, with fewer lost balls and no opportunity to throw your clubs in the nearest water hazard out of frustration.
And there is the social aspect. I have met quite a few people through not only the game, but also going to watch the game. It was fun getting to meet some of the people who came to see both the Canadian Juniors and World Juniors when they were held in the area. And the thing is, you always have something in common… curling.
So even though you might not be able to drop by a local club and throw a few rocks this year, maybe next year we can see each other on the ice.
