Q & A: Curling

Q: Can you tell me what qualifies you to inform the Internet about curling?
A: I spent an hour at the Rochester Curling Club last weekend.

Q: Did you actually participate in the sport?
A: No.

Q: Does a curling club resemble nothing so much as a bowling alley?
A: Yes.

Q: With a cozy bar prominently placed in the observation area?
A: Mm hm.

Q: So beer is an important part of the sport?
A: As far as I can tell, yes. At least, we started drinking before noon during my tenure at the RCC.

Q: What about television, is that somehow involved, according to the promotional brochure from 1994?
A: Yes.

Q: Does that same brochure suggest that the 1998 olympics will do wonders for the sport?
A: Yes.

Q: Has borne out and then some?
A: Yes.

Q: What kind of equipment is needed to curl?
A: Actually, it turns out I have been in uniform for curling my whole life. Running shoes, sweat pants, a warm yet not bulky sweater, and a toque.

Q: Is "to curl" the correct verb to use?
A: I don't know. Perhaps you could ask uncle google.

Q: Does curling, despite its humble roots, have designs on world domination?
A: So it appears.

Q: Can you give us information on the recent "Stick Delivery Rule Change"?
A: Of course! From the Grand National Curling News, Vol. 20 No. 1: "No major rule change has been made without some controversy, and the new World Curling Federation (WCF) proposed rule for the stick delivery release point is no exception...The WCF has received numerous complaints from member countries that stick curlers have an advantage over slide curlers and has been asked to devise a rule that removes this advantage. The claimed advantage is that stick curlers can more easily release the stone at the hog line and deliver a heavier take-out shot than can slide curlers. The rule proposed by the WCF requires that the rock must leave the stick before the curler's lead foot crosses the tee line." There you have it.

Q: Is bonspiel the name for a full day of curling?
A: You bet.

Q: Will this get me anywhere with the ladies?
A: That is for you to decide.

Q: Thank you for sharing your expertise.
A: I live to serve.