>>Today we're going
to meet up with a

group of men and women
who gather weekly

to socialize and compete in
a sport that might look easy,

but is often referred
to as chess on ice.

Join us as we check out the
Blue Ridge Curling Club.

Come on!

>>Curling is a staple
of my Monday's.

It's something that I look
forward to every week.

Get to see a lot
of familiar faces

and get to go with
my friends in a nice

relaxed atmosphere and have a

little friendly
competition on the side.

>>It's my favorite sport.

Curling is a sport
played on the ice.

Some people compare
it to shuffle board.

We throw big 42 pound
granite rocks across the ice

back and forth at a target.

It's been an Olympic
sport since, oh gosh,

for the last three
winter Olympics I think.

And we have a new club
in Charlottesville

and it's, I mean for
us, a lot of fun.

It goes all the whole range
of casual beer league,

to super competitive
Olympic level athletes.

>>And so the point
of the game is...

>>So the point of the game is to

score more points than
your opponent by having

more of your team's stones

in the center of the house,

which is sort of our
target on the ice,

>>Okay.
>>than the other team.

So you score more
points based on

how many rocks you
have on that target.

>>Okay. So, first of
all let's start with

you have to prepare the ice.

Talk about the set up
before anyone can curl.

>>Yeah. For us,
we play on what's

in the curling world,
called arena ice,

which means we share
it with other sports.

>>Okay.

>>There are facilities
that are dedicated

specifically to curling
and their ice is

prepared a little differently

because they don't
have to share.

>>Right.

>>But we go on right
after kids hockey,

so we have to do
some work before

we're ready to get on the ice.

First they resurface
with the Zamboni

and that gets rid of sort of the

surface scratches and
stuff that are left

by the previous sport.
>>Okay.

>>Then we pebble, which is
basically a fine water spray

that we spray across
the ice surface.

And those little
water droplets form,

they freeze into little
beads on the surface

of the ice.
>>Right.

>>Which basically breaks
the surface tension between

the rocks that we're throwing
and the surface of the ice.

>>Right.
>>So it gives you some more

control over your shots.
It gives you a more

predictable shot
and lets your rocks

go that whole hundred and some
feet down to the other side.

We mount hacks into the ice

which allow us to
push off and get that

nice long glide
that those beautiful

athletes on TV have (laughs).

>>Yeah. Like a runners
block almost, right?

>>Yeah, exactly. And
you know we need all of

our rocks. We bring
out all of our rocks.

And like most clubs
in the states,

we provide all of the
equipment for our players.

So we bring all of the
equipment out on the ice

and then it's ready to go.

>>I curl because it looked like

something fun to do on Mondays.

Me and my boyfriend
got on the team

and we were randomly
given two other people.

We have a lot of
fun. They're good.

They did it last season,
so it's helping us out.

We're learning from that

and also just standing
up on ice is impressive.

Like it should be a life skill.

>>Don't be afraid.
It's not by no means

a normal motion
unless you're doing

lunges on your kitchen
floor in socks.

So yeah, just come
out, give your all,

and just kind of
keep an open mind and

be willing to come out
and try new things.

That's really all we can ask.
>>I like to throw.

You know it's just
a little bit of a

higher pressure spot I guess but

it's always fun to be able to
try to score some points and

just be able to contribute.

It's something that I can
really control on my own,

verses the sweeping
position which is

helping out a teammate
which is great too,

but it's your one
offensive spot to get

to throw. So I really
like that spot the best.

>>So explain the positions.

Like what does everybody
do to achieve their goal?

>>So you have the
lead, a second,

a vice skip, and your skip,

and you throw in that order.

So first, second,
third, and forth.

Your lead, generally
speaking, is responsible for

guard shots. So you
like a lead who has

a lot of control over
how fast they can

throw their rock and
specific placement

to sort of protect
that house from your

opponent's rocks.
>>Okay.

>>A lot of times your
second is called on

to do take out shots.
>>Oh, okay.

>>Your second is someone
who has to have a

nice strong consistent
weight, who can kind of

clear things out
of the way for you.

And also your lead
and second have to be

really strong sweepers,
so you're relying

on your front end to be
your sweeping muscle too.

>>Okay.

>>And then your back end,
your vice and your skip,

are sort of more
your strategy minds.

They're watching the ice,
they're seeing how it goes,

sort of planning a
couple shots ahead.

Your vice is like your
jack of all trades.

They have to be able to set
whatever up that you need

>>Right

>>Hoping that it lasts for
the next couple of shots.

Ideally, I play skip
on my team here.

I like to have to do
nothing. (laughter)

So I'm hoping everybody
takes care of it

before I get there.
But generally speaking,

your skip is usually
more experienced,

more of a strategic mind,

and more of a finesse shot.

So you don't, I as
a skip don't like to

have to come into a big
mess of rocks in the house.

I like to sort of
know what the plan is.

>>I like that,
rocks in the house.

>>You count on everyone else
to set it up for you. (laughs)

>>That's great.
>>Yeah.

>>Okay so, let's talk about
the club. Who participates?

This is a weekly, during the
season, this is a weekly club.

Who comes and plays?

>>Oh my gosh, all
kinds of people.

It's one of the the
things that I like most

about curling, is
how diverse it is.

And in Charlottesville,
Virginia where we don't

have a lot of natural
curling because

we're warmer climate,
it's mostly people

who have seen somewhere,
whether in the Olympics,

or you know they heard about
it and they're curious,

it's an understatement to say
all kinds of different people.

>>And they don't have
to have experience.

>>Nope! No, absolutely
not. And it's,

I mean, it's another one
of my favorite things

about curling, is how
welcoming the sport is

to people who are new. The
best curlers that I have

played with who just
outmatched me in scale

a hundred times, are
the most welcoming

and encouraging people
that I have ever gotten

to meet and play with.

So a lot of what underpins
the sport in it's philosophy

is growing and helping
those people learn

and helping them find a
place that's comfortable

for them to kind of
try it out and practice

and you know, the
fellowship of that is

really important to
the sport in general,

but to us as a club
specifically too.

>>It's a fun time to come out

and get with a group
of people every week.

I'm an older person and
to be with a bunch of

very young people
just playing the sport

it's kind of,

I look forward to it.

I almost look at them
as part of my family.

>>Well it all started
with the Norwegian

curling team in the Olympics.
We thought we needed

some kind of pants
to go along with it,

and from the pants
came the shoes,

and it's just silly.
We like to have fun.

You can't find these
clothes anywhere in town

you have to have them ordered,

but fortunately my team is
very dedicated to this sport

so we all kind of pitch
in together and decide

what we want to
wear ahead of time.

>>The other thing about
curling is that I think

people think it looks
easier than it is.

I mean I think you can,
it's a tricky sport,

but I think it looks easy
until you get out there

and try it.

>>Yeah, it's definitely
one of those sports that I

genuinely think is
attainable for people

at all different fitness levels.

But you don't realize
how hard you're working

until you're on the ice. It
requires a lot of balance.

>>Right
>>Which moves your muscles

and asks your body to
do all kinds of things

you're not used to
when you're not used to

walking on the ice.
>>Yeah.

>>Like the thing I do
that's closest to curling

in the rest of my
fitness life is yoga.

You know it requires
strength and balance

and attention to your
body and consistency

in the way that you move,

which I think is
unexpected for people

who haven't played before.

>>Right. And strategy
is like chess on ice

you say, people
say. Chess on ice.

>>Yeah, people like the
chess on ice analogy.

I think people like it
because it makes it seem like

they're extra clever
about their curling game.

But it's true, you have
to kind of think about

what the other team's
shots are going to be.

Is it a team that you've played?

Do you know what their
behaviors are like?

Do you know what
their shots are like?

When you look at the
house and you look at the

positions of the rocks,
can you think ahead

about how the next stone
is going to behave?

>>Right.
>>And so it is very much

about thinking ahead
and planning your shots

in advance and knowing
the personalities

and skills of who you
play with and against.

>>Talk about the
benefits of being a club.

>>Yeah, well for
starters, it allows you to

have some kind of control
over the way that you

form your mission, which
is important especially

in a sport that's so
much about growing

and bringing new people
in. It's important to be

able to keep that as a focus.

>>Right

>>Also as a curler,
it gives you access

to all kinds of
training and development

as a player and as a
team that you don't have

when you're just kind of
operating independently

>>Right.

>>In a facility that
happens to offer the sport.

So you can compete on
a regional and national

level if you're a
club. As an individual

you can pursue coaching
certifications.

You can go to skills
clinics, you can meet amazing

curlers and work with
them on your game,

and you can go experience
environments other than this.

I mean this is my home
rink. I love curling here.

But it's really a fantastic
learning experience

to go somewhere else with
a different set of people,

different sets of skills
to kind of develop

your game in that way.

>>Right. And you travel.
So you will sometimes

compete nationally.

>>Yes. Sometimes when
I'm very lucky. (laughs)

>>And then some people just
come here to have a beer

and see how they do.

>>Oh yeah, absolutely. And
it's, to me, so wonderful

to have both of those
things in the same building

in the same league.
You know, we play with

and against those
people every week and

we learn things from them and
they learn things from us.

I mean that's just,
that's my favorite part

is being able to have
that kind of diversity and

interest and skill and
just see what the give

and take is like on the ice.

>>So how often do you all play?

>>We play once every
week once a week

and we have three
games on those nights.

And we play two seasons a year.

So we have one full
league that starts

late summer early fall,
and one full league

that starts in the winter.

The start of every
season we do have

learn to curl events. So
if people are curious,

it gives you an opportunity
without committing

to 15 weeks of something
you've never done before.

>>And so if people
want to get involved

what do they do?

>>Oh my gosh! The easiest
thing is just to come

down here on Monday
night! (laughter)

Because I will be floating
around looking for people

to talk to about curling.

>>And then there's
a Facebook page.

>>Yeah. So we have a
Facebook page right now

that's probably the
most active, and then

if you're ever on the downtown
mall on a Monday night

come and stop in and have a beer

and ask us questions
and try it out.

It's a pretty flexible group.

>>And what is your best
advice to a novice curler?

>>My best advice to
a novice curler is

it's just a learning
environment and a

fun environment to be
in. So just kind of

remember the curiosity
and interest and the fun.

>>I am not good at all,
no, but I have fun which is

the most important part.
It's great to come out

with friends and coworkers
on a Monday night

and just do something
different and have fun.

>>When you first start
the funny thing is like

you get, you're worried
you're not going

to make the rock all
the down the sheet

and then like after like
a few times you're like

I have too much power,
I have too much power.

Like you can't stop
it so. (laughs)

but no I'm not losing
sleep over it yet.

>>You know people see this
in the Olympics and they're

like, oh who does that?
But we do and it's fun!

Like I tell people I do
this and I get such a

fun reaction and I get
to talk about this sport

and you know, it's just
something unique to be

out here that's great
that Charlottesville

has for us.

(happy jazz music)