For my birthday this year, I really wanted to do something “different”. Not the typical go out to a restaurant or bar, but something really unique.
A while ago, my buddy Meaghan Schmaltz of Weddings Made Splendid and her husband Alan talked to me about the Learn to Curl clinics that are hosted by Curl San Diego. Alan is a big part of that club (as is Meaghan) and they informed me that the next clinic would be held on February 27th (one day before my birthday) at the Escondido Iceoplex. PERFECT!
So we called our friends Deven, Karla and Alexis for some good times sliding around on the ice for an evening! Here’s a great shot of our “Skip” Betsy, who is calling directions out to the sweepers. She was so cute yelling “HAAAARD! HAAAARD!!! OFF OFF OFF!”
The instructors were great. We split up into 8 groups, with 4 different mini-sessions that explained the rules of curling, the history and etiquette, how to deliver, how to sweep and how to skip. What we learned is that curling is MUCH harder than it looks!
Here’s Alan Schmaltz hanging out with me.
We got there VERY early, as Meaghan mentioned that it might be a little crowded since the Olympics were in full swing. We had NO idea how crowded it would be! They had to turn away about a hundred people, and we just barely made it in. We had about an hour or so to kill while they groomed the ice, so we decided to grab a few pitchers of Bud and a round of corn dogs. This pleased us greatly.
Karla and Alexis on the delivery station. They make you wear a super-slick pad that goes under your front shoe to help you slide toward the hogline (the place where you let go of the 42 pound rock). If you were to accidentally stand up while wearing that slider pad, you would definitely fall on your arse. We actually saw a guy slip pretty hard, and he unfortunately hurt himself pretty badly. EXTREME CURLING!
Sweeping is done in front of the rock before it “curls” out of position. The idea is to create friction in front of the moving rock so that it slides on a micro-thin layer of water…kind of like hydroplaning. Sweeping is really backbreaking and you feel completely winded afterward. It was an awesome workout!
After a long night of curling, we hung out in the penalty box for awhile. Meaghan borrowed Betsy’s camera for a few quick pics of the group. Karla behaved herself, but the rest of us created a ruckus.
Seriously, Curling is so much fun. You all should know by now how much Betsy and I enjoy Bocce, so it makes sense that we would get into this sport as well. Will we try it again someday? I have no doubts. But we may just wait until the Olympic fever wanes a bit, as we want MORE ICE TIME! Big thanks to Curl San Diego and The Schmaltz’s for bringing us together in a friendly and fun environment!
by Jeff
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