I can’t believe I’m saying this, but curling is a pretty cool sport.
Not that I don’t have a ton of respect for anyone who can successfully throw a rock down the ice, because I certainly can’t. From a viewing perspective though, lets just say I’ve never though of curling as riveting entertainment.
That all changed last week, with an incredibly exciting 2022 Brier culminating with a victory by Brad Gushue’s squad from St. Johns. It all started with my landlord, who is obsessed with curling, asking if he could catch the tenth end of a game one night last week because his wife had dibs on his television.
Of course I agreed, and decided to watch with him. After a few minutes, I found myself getting more and more invested, and it only grew from there.
By the weekend, I was suddenly watching every game, and even decided to watch the final on Sunday over a prime time NBA game, which is my usual favourite sport to watch. I don’t know what it is, but curling is such a nice sport to watch on a weekend. It’s a very unique viewing experience because it somehow combines a high-stakes, tense feeling with an almost meditative leisurely feeling.
As crazy as it sounds, it’s almost like taking the best aspects of watching a football game with the best aspects of watching a golf tournament. You’re drawn in and compelled while at the same time being super relaxed.
I used to watch quite a bit of live curling back in the day. An ex-girlfriend of mine from high school was really into it, so I’d have to go watch her compete. I never had even a fraction of the interest that was sparked from watching the 2022 brier though.
Now, I’m not sure that I’ll be giving up my basketball and football fandom any time soon, but it’s nice to find a new sport that’s way more fun to watch then I ever realized.
I just wish I could have gotten into it a little bit earlier in the season.
So there you go, living in northern B.C. has officially made me a curling fan. It even made me reconsider going out on the ice and trying my hand at throwing some stones again, so to or any of the local curlers out there, you may just see me stop by for drop-in nights on Thursdays at the multiplex.
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Eddie Huband
Multimedia Reporter
eddie.huband@ldnews.net
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