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lilikoi's avatar

Curling: Stupid or sport?

Asked by lilikoi (10105points) February 19th, 2010
42 responses
“Great Question” (1points)

I’ve been watching the curling events for the first time. It’s like playing darts on ice. An announcer said that one of the competitors eats pizza like 4 times a week. There is obviously skill involved, but would you call the participants athletes? Should it be considered a sport?

And who thinks Will Ferrell should star in a new movie about double luge racing, where the two guys don leotards and lay on top of each other on a sled? Like this

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Answers

Blackberry's avatar

If it takes skill, I guess it could be a sport, not everyone can do it. I used to eat pizza all the time, but I could still run a mile and half in 10 minutes…..metabolism is the shiiiiiiiit lol.

jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities's avatar

Event where skill is needed? Yes.
Sport? No.

Rarebear's avatar

Of course it’s a sport. It takes skill, strength, stamina, and intelligence. Personally, I find it refreshing that a person with a normal body type can compete.

jrpowell's avatar

NASCAR

tedibear's avatar

Please, no more Will Ferrell movies. Gah!

Yes, curling is a sport. It may not involve as much physical activity as cross-country skiing or ice skating, but it’s still a sport. Dictionary definition of a sport: an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf,bowling, wrestling, boxing,

Facade's avatar

It seems weird to me since I’m from America You know how we Americans are, but it’s a sport.

lilikoi's avatar

I guess the “or” saves it. I think sport should be redefined to require skill and physical prowess. I can run a mile in 10 minutes but no one is gonna give us a gold medal to do that @Blackberry, because a lot of other people can do it as well. Scrabble takes skill, strength (to lift those tiles!), stamina, and intelligence, but I don’t see that as a sport at all…

tedibear's avatar

I copied this from a forum at NWHikers.net. As I’ve not participated in curling, I thought it gave a good idea of the physical part of curling:

certain parts of the game require strength, stamina, quick reflexes and coordination, that being the sweeping. The sweepers are usually in t shirts, on 30° ice, because its hard work and you work up a sweat. They chase a forty pound piece of spinning granite, sometimes at pretty high speeds, down a narrow sheet of slippery ice, rapidly heating the ice just a few inches in front of the rock by agitating the broom pad back and forth, without, touching it. All the while being aware of any other rocks in thier path, which they cannot come in contact with in any way.

andrew's avatar

Since I watched the first few days of the games in Canada, I watched a good deal of curling—especially women’s curling.

My conclusion: It’s as much a sport as Olympic archery.

Sampson's avatar

I don’t think those two options are mutually exclusive.

I’d say it’s on par with golfing, sport-wise.

Jude's avatar

There’s definitely a great deal of skill involved (yes, it’s a sport. Much like golf). It reminds me of pool in a way (hitting the stones at various angles and such). I like it. I’m a Canuck and we always do rather well in curling.

Of course, this song always comes to mind.

mollypop51797's avatar

If it’s made it’s way into the Olympics..then yea! no, I think that it can be considered a sport to few, but it may not require as much skill as snowboarding or skiing, so it’s not as intense…but if it’s enjoyed then great! And if it’s competitive, then I guess it can be considered a sport…or a hobby..

Silhouette's avatar

It’s incredibly boring to watch but it looks like there is a degree of skill involved.

Cruiser's avatar

I think it’s cool…everything else is wham bam action packed…what could be more intense than a 30–40 second slow slide down the ice chance to bum out your opponent….that long drawn out hold your breath nooo yesssss nooooooooo yessssss oooooh ahhhhhh is pretty damn funny in my book. Just the thought of some many people clinging to the outcome of a rock sliding on ice is so damn cool!! LOL!

Blackberry's avatar

@lilkoi I agree, and what jeffgoldblum said, it would be an ‘event’, not a sport.

lucillelucillelucille's avatar

Not for me.Just ask my ex-boyfriend “Poof he’s gone” lol!

Bluefreedom's avatar

Curling: boring.

Female Curling athletes: appealing.

Will Ferrell in movies: detestable.

Yes, I concede that Curling is a sport but not a stupid activity.

lilikoi's avatar

@Bluefreedom What?! I love Will Ferrell! He is hilarious. But yes, watching curling is a drag. I wish they’d show more snowboarding.

Bluefreedom's avatar

@lilikoi. I get that alot – the whole disbelief thing when I tell people that I don’t find Mr. Ferrell very humorous. I wish there was more snowboarding too. Shaun White is seriously awesome on the snow.

jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities's avatar

@Bluefreedom I have to agree, I’d be just fine if I never saw another Will Ferrel movie for the rest of my life.

Dr_C's avatar

I happen to think it’s more of a sport than Ice Dancing. Also more entertaining.

Berserker's avatar

I find it boring, but it obviously requires some sorta know how. I guess.

Captain_Fantasy's avatar

Is it not a competition that requires exceptional skill, technique and training?

jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities's avatar

@Captain_Fantasy A mechanic needs skill, technique, and training. That doesn’t make what he does a sport.

Ahh, you edited. A competition, yes! That’s exactly what I would call curling. Not a sport, but a competition.

lilikoi's avatar

@Bluefreedom Shaun White is totally amazing!!!

Captain_Fantasy's avatar

I had a similar thought to yours Jeff and I felt it needed editing.

Rarebear's avatar

And for those of us who are geeky enough to love this sport (and yes, I love it and yes, it’s a sport)

The Physics Of Curling

faye's avatar

The thing is if you curl it’s not boring to watch. You have to give northern people kudos for finding a sport you can do in 40 below weather while drinking!! (because we had to find inside things to do that are still winter sports!)

Rarebear's avatar

@faye I don’t curl, I’m from Southern California and I’m riveted to it. It’s chess on ice.

faye's avatar

Ah, I’m glad. I’ve never curled but I’ve supported it at the play-off thing- I can’t remember the name!!

andrew's avatar

@Rarebear I totally agree. I’m fascinated by it.

Maybe the sreaming has something to do with it as well.

faye's avatar

curling tournaments.

YARNLADY's avatar

I find all sports boring, so I don’t think it’s any less than any other sport, if that’s the criteria.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

Fact from fiction, truth from diction. What makes an athlete an athlete? What about those who sail or kayaking, table tennis, badminton, etc? Many of those are not events you use a lot of brawn to out do your opponent. How much muscle or how much is sweat you have to pour out before you are considered an athlete? I think curlers are as much an athlete as any of them, the fact they don’t have to starve themselves and can be in their 40s and still compete makes little difference, if anything it is a true sport where brawn is not the only thing that rules the day because you have to think and have some precision. They need to have more coverage of it on TV and during the Olympics.

faye's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central What does your saying mean??

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@faye Glad you asked, it is a person maxim that says I believe in what I am telling is as factual as it can be based on fact or logic if not both, over fiction, something I just pulled out of my hat or created because it seems good. Truth over diction is what I am saying I believe is honest and not a lie “diction” (a bunch of BS and hollow words.) I am not saying I know all or that I am in all instances correct but I invite anyone to call me on my ideas if they can civilly and logically do it.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

To add with curling everyone is on an even scale, all the stones are the same for everyone, no hi-tech carbon composite stones or Bodine stones. It is all about your skill in sliding the stone, no wax techs to save your butt or hi-tech equipment.

lucyferr's avatar

If you believe that shooting and golf and snooker are sports, then yeah, curling is a sport too.

Of course – that’s not entirely true: I think that curling is a sport and that golf is not. But I’m obviously biased…

Dr_C's avatar

Unless you are using a cart… walking a little over 2000 yards while carrying 35–40 pounds of clubs and repeatedly using your entire body to swing in an effort to focus all your kinetic energy on a spot the size of a golf ball is a very strenuous activity. Coupled with the competition factor, the physical and mental dexterity to be competitive in golf qualifies it as a sport.

An argument can be made that a bunch of old people can play the game, which is also true of basketball (if you can toss a ball at a hoop you can play; soccer, if you can move your legs you can kick a ball; as well as many other sports).

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