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Hurry! Hard! Hard! Whoa!
Feb. 23rd, 2003 02:26 pmAnd thus, I invoke the spirit of Sandra Peterson Schmirler. Or, as she is known is icy quartiers, Schmirler the Curler.
Currently in Canuckia, the drama of the Scott Tournament of Hearts is unfolding. Canada's national curling championship for women; the Brier men's championship is next month. Whomever wins the Scott or Brier is always a strong contender for the world championship--curling being one of only two sports were Canucks are a force to be reckoned with. The other being biensur hockey.
At first glance, one could be forgiven for mistaking curling for bowling on ice. It's not. Elite curling requires an incredible understanding of power (how hard to throw), finesse (spin, or curl, hence the name), and friction (between stone/rock and ice, mediated by sweeping). The science of curling is fascinating in itself. Even Ma became hooked during the Salt Lake Winter Olympics--and she's about as jaded a sports hound as you'll find out and about.
Back to Sandra: Schmirler is considered by many to be the best female curler in the history of international competition. 4 times she skipped world champion rinks, and won the initial Olympic gold in women's curling at the Nagano Olympics. Sadly, within a couple of years of Nagano she was diagnosed with cancer (months after giving birth to her second child), and died, in her mid-30s. It's quite conceivable she could have won another 10 world championships, were she interested in staying in the game.
Hurry=sweep fast, to make the rock glide faster on the ice
Hard=sweep hard, to create a super-slick ice surface, adding momentum to the rock
Whoa=stop sweeping, it's fast enough--or too fast.
Suzanne Gaudet, the 21 year old from Prince Edward Island, just lost the semi-final. She led the round-robin competition, and lost 2 chances in the playoff for the championship. Awesome first-time showing for the Scott, but she must be disappointed. a la prochaine fois...
Currently in Canuckia, the drama of the Scott Tournament of Hearts is unfolding. Canada's national curling championship for women; the Brier men's championship is next month. Whomever wins the Scott or Brier is always a strong contender for the world championship--curling being one of only two sports were Canucks are a force to be reckoned with. The other being biensur hockey.
At first glance, one could be forgiven for mistaking curling for bowling on ice. It's not. Elite curling requires an incredible understanding of power (how hard to throw), finesse (spin, or curl, hence the name), and friction (between stone/rock and ice, mediated by sweeping). The science of curling is fascinating in itself. Even Ma became hooked during the Salt Lake Winter Olympics--and she's about as jaded a sports hound as you'll find out and about.
Back to Sandra: Schmirler is considered by many to be the best female curler in the history of international competition. 4 times she skipped world champion rinks, and won the initial Olympic gold in women's curling at the Nagano Olympics. Sadly, within a couple of years of Nagano she was diagnosed with cancer (months after giving birth to her second child), and died, in her mid-30s. It's quite conceivable she could have won another 10 world championships, were she interested in staying in the game.
Hurry=sweep fast, to make the rock glide faster on the ice
Hard=sweep hard, to create a super-slick ice surface, adding momentum to the rock
Whoa=stop sweeping, it's fast enough--or too fast.
Suzanne Gaudet, the 21 year old from Prince Edward Island, just lost the semi-final. She led the round-robin competition, and lost 2 chances in the playoff for the championship. Awesome first-time showing for the Scott, but she must be disappointed. a la prochaine fois...
