I mean a) how is that a sport ? b) since when is using a sweeping brush a sport ? I mean, how much difference can it make, and how isn't it cheating ? Couldn't all the teams just agree not to sweep and let everyone have a go at punting the stone instead ? And how can anyone talk about it? I only saw it by accident…

Don't know it 'til you've tried it 😉 Great fun!

It managed to get more votes than mtbing in the vote for the Cardrona pump track!

no idea, but the womens dowhilling earlier was pretty watchable. 100+kph 😯 also watching it on a HD telly dont half make a difference. Ice hockeys on in a bit as well.

Saying that though, I was glued to the 2002 final with GB and the lasses bringing the gold home

Don't know it 'til you've tried it Great fun!

but I'm not a Scottish person…

Sweeping makes a big difference – it alters how far the stone goes and how much it curves so by sweeping you adjust the line and length of the throw

if you watch curling for a while, understand the rules and get a feel for the tactics, engross yourself in it
it's still incredibly boring
.
men's snowboard halfpipe has just been on
sweet

so by sweeping you adjust the line and length of the throw

AKA cheating :o) I rest my case. What next, rocket-assisted high jump ? And the runners could have a relay team fanning them on…

it's still incredibly boring

LOL :o)

Its a part of the skill of curling. Its like saying gears or suspension are cheating in mountainbiking.

Very tactical game with a lot of skill involved. Sweeping makes a lot of difference both in how far the stone will travel and in how much it curls too.

Haven't really played it much but my dad is very good at it so may have to give it a blast. It has helped him get to 73 playing some form of competitive sport, be it football, rugby, badminton or curling every year of his life since he was 10!

"I mean, how much difference can it make, and how isn't it cheating ?"

So what are you saying here, that it makes no difference or that it's cheating? I think if curling started now maybe sweeping wouldn't be such a part of the sport but remember it's a game developed on frozen ponds not perfectly polished olympic ice rinks. But these days, it means it's a pretty incredible bit of teamwork to get the stone where you want it to go.

Still dull mind. But not as dull as bowls.

Its like saying gears or suspension are cheating in mountainbiking.

no, it would be cheating if you had 2 helpers pushing you…

it means it's a pretty incredible bit of teamwork to get the stone where you want it to go.

gosh, really ??? I think they should up the power and score points for smashing the opponents' rock

"no, it would be cheating if you had 2 helpers pushing you…"

If everyone else also had 2 pushers then that would be teamwork, not cheating. They'd have to be able to run pretty fast though.

If everyone else also had 2 pushers then that would be teamwork, not cheating

so if everyone cheats it becomes OK ?

If it is an agreed part of the rules then it isn't cheating. ie any females riding with you know they will have their posteriors photographed and they accept this as a rule of the ride!

BTW poor troll being dragged out from under his bridge at this time of night.

>But not as dull as bowls.

Ah, I beg to differ.
Played a few times with my uncle when I was young, it's quite good fun, if a little sedate. You do get a little bit of evil satisfaction from knocking an opponents wood out of the way to supplant it with yer own.

(Croquet's got similar element to it – we used to play on one the lawns in my halls of residence when I was at uni in Manchester)

Can't think of many other sports where 8000 people would turn up to play at the same venue. The official Lake of Mentieth bonspiel was called off due to H&S fears but the unofficial events still attracted up to 5000 people.

You do get a little bit of evil satisfaction from knocking an opponents wood out of the way to supplant it with yer own.

I thought they were rocks 🙁

Can't think of many other sports where 8000 people would turn up to play at the same venue.

hmmm, bear bating, public hanging, football – are those things so justified too ?

BTW poor troll being dragged out from under his bridge at this time of night.

uh, how can it be trolling if I really believe curling is fatuous ?? Or did you mean hizzonner TJ the Magnificent ?

Snooker – sport? must be cheating putting chalk on the STICK
Cricket(but I'm not an English person)- sport? must be cheating by rubbing the ball next to my nads
F1 – must be cheating by refueling
You my son are obviously a plonker of the highest order

must be cheating by rubbing the ball next to my nads

I thought was was cheating ?

You my son are obviously a plonker of the highest order

better than being a cheater

Is your real name RODNEY TROTTER perchance? 😉

TdF team time trial – cheating, they should have to ride on their own.
The Boat Race – cheating, the cox gets taken to the finish line without having to put in any effort.
4x100m relay – cheating, they should run the whole lap on their own.
Mixed doubles tennis – cheating, I mean how much does the woman contribute, yet she still gets the same prize as the bloke.
F1 pit crews – cheating, the driver should jump out and change all the tyres himself (actually I quite like the idea of that one!)

as I always suspected, sport is now proved to be totally corrupt 🙁

We all agree then, that sport is essentially corrupt, I even freewheel a bit, but that damn Hope hub gives the game away

I like it. It's far more calming that watching some spotty punk do a triple nik nak to fakey twigglet in that drainpipe thing.

little bit of evil satisfaction from knocking an opponents wood

😯

It's great fun on the Wii so I expect its brilliant on real ice…

It's far more calming that watching some spotty punk do a triple nik nak

Calming ??? I don't watch TV to get calm, in fact I plan to do all my being calm when I'm dead!

no, it would be cheating if you had 2 helpers pushing you…

Big difference: The sweepers can't actually touch the stone! To draw a parrallel with MTBing it's like the difference between riding straight over a hill through all the bogs, bracken, rocks, fences etc ot following a previously worn path……. 8)

so if everyone cheats it becomes OK ?

How can it be cheating if it's in the rules, part of the sport? Not possible is it?
As I see it, curling is a team sport. If there was no sweeping the other 2 would just be hanging around making tea!

f there was no sweeping the other 2 would just be hanging around making tea!

no:
a) the chucker would have to learn to aim
b) everyone could have a go

All sports should just be reduced to rock paper scissors. It would solve a lot of problems…

The ice isn't smooth, it has been sprayed with water droplets freezing to "pebbles" the sweeping smoothes them a bit giving more distance. Fair amount of skill if you watched the Scottish( :twisted:) GB team. but sport?

re: curling;

you can achieve a similar result in a large office with the office chairs and a hoover.

use the hoover to raise or lower the 'nap' on the carpet as you roll the office chairs down the room towards the target bin.

those were the days…long hours of little or no supervision.

I like curling. Nice interesting tactical sport.. lots of scope for strategy and skill. But then, I have a decent brain in my head so can appreciate these things 🙂

You my son are obviously a plonker of the highest order

Troll, more like 🙂

And how can anyone talk about it?

becomes

and how can anyone write on an mtb forum about it?

Could make it more exciting by sending a stone down the luge 2 seconds after each competitor.

But then, I have a decent brain in my head so can appreciate these things

fortunately I don't labour under any such delusions 🙂

Actually done Curling Simon?

It's good fun, my family play every winter in the Berner Oberland. In our case it's been a family tradition for 40 years. I've been doing it for as long as i can remember.

I like Bill Bailey's idea of making it more useful and getting the competitors to use pieces of furniture instead of "rocks" and see if they can arrange them all neatly.

small explosive charges in bedded in the stones that are timed to go off randomly?