Sunday, February 19, 2006

On Curling.

Well now...  It seems I'm not the only meager-minded yahoo fascinated by the sport of curling.  Apparently, it's become the proverbial "Hot Ticket" in Torino.  I mean, who'd a thunk, eh?  The fans in the stands even do the wave, and the US Curling website shut down as a result of too many hits.  Yeah!  Curling! 

I'm a fan of the Olympics, and when they come around, my friends and I usually pick a mundane, rather unknown sport to poke fun at and gamble on for no real good reason (Badminton, anyone?).  Curling always seemed like a perfect target.  I mean, it's slow-paced and out of place in today's extreme sports' world of Shawn White 10-80's and whatnots.  So what's with the sudden fascination?

Perhaps the appeal of this odd little sport is that it just seems "old," and perhaps it gives one a sense of nostalgia for simple times.  It's just ice, brooms and a hunk of granite.  It's competitive without seeming to be.  There are no heated-rivalries, doping-scandals, steroids, or any other trappings of today's world of competitive sports.  It's nothing more than honest people playing an honest game.  Watching this sport and its players probably reminds us of other sports and the way they used to be. 

Sadly, once the Olympics wrap up in Torino, this quirky, little sport will once again fade into obscurity, and we will once again have to listen to the ridiculous squawkings of Terrell Owens, Barry Bonds and every other annoying, self-important sports figure who's forgotten why we play the games we play.  Today's atheletes could learn a thing or two from the people of curling. 

Ciao,

DP

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