>>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)