curling

Ah yes, all you Americans, you know you've been keenly awaiting this post. Curling, the sport that fascinates you, in all its glory!

Oh, I mock a little, but only just. Truly, I have heard from a number of people here in Chicago that they watch the curling and try to understand it. I think that's lovely, really. Too bad that the American men (more later) have struggled to the point of benching their skip. I take no joy in saying that.

We had tickets to two rounds of curling, in fact. Last Tuesday, it was the first round of women's. Four games, eight teams, all on at once.



The skies in the photos look cloudy, but we were so warm as to have to unbutton and unzip and leave jackets open or off. A short walk from the King Edward station on the Canada Line, we joined the throngs at the Vancouver Olympic Centre. Many many fans, a lively atmosphere. And some odd characters sent out to keep us all entertained though, in truth, all lines moved briskly enough. And then inside to our seats. The place was packed,
and around us sat many Canadians, most of whom seemed to know the sport well. Which made for interesting eavesdropping.

From where we sat, we could not see the Canada-Switzerland game below us well. Not a worry - from what I could tell, it was played conservatively. We found much to enjoy in the other games.

Ultimately, it was the USA-Japan game at the opposite side of the rink that captivated us. The Americans jumped to an early lead, one that seemed too much for the Japanese. Midway through, though, the Japanese stole three and were back in it. From there they chipped away and pulled ahead. In the last end, the Japanese were up 8-7, but the USA had the hammer. Neither team played it easy, and with one stone left to play, the Japanese sat in the button. The US skip threw, and it ended up pretty darn much where she wanted it, or so I believe: right in the button next to the Japanese stone. The other games were over, a number of people had left, but those of us who stayed held our breath as an official came out with a device to measure the distance of each stone from the center of the house. Close, USA, but not quite. Japan won it 9-7. It was so slight, the difference. As I tweeted: Curling, a game of mere inches. 1, 2 and 3/4, 6.5. The Americans and Japanese learned that lesson again today. Amazing finish.



The next day we went back for the second men's session.



No Canadians in play, and - sadder still - no Norwegians with their remarkable pants. Is it wrong of me to covet them a tiny bit?

In any case, another sunny day
to move through the crowds outside, this time with the added bonus of those Mounties I mentioned before. Inside we found we were on the opposite side of the rink from the day before, and closer to the action. We also found ourselves surrounded by Americans, and I heard some terminology from a couple of other sports being deployed (I swear I heard someone describe it as scoring a goal). Knowledgeable or not, they were enthusiastic, and while the chants of USA USA became a little sadder as their team


sailed rocks wide or through the house, it was a good atmosphere.

Funny thing is, I don't know that I was as gripped by the games as the day before, though I did enjoy watching the Britain-France match unfold. The Brits, defending world champs, looked strong. Alas, four ends in, and we knew we had to get going. Marie had hockey tickets for us, and we didn't want to be late for that fine gift.

I will not apologize for wanting my country to sweep the gold, but I do wish all the curlers good curling inasmuch as it remains to them this late in the tourney.