Is Toby Keith the next great curler?
County music superstar Toby Keith says he is determined to become good enough at curling to qualify for the Olympics.
Keith rented ice a week ago Sunday while he and his band were in Nashville for the CMT Awards, and he seems to be a quick learner.
"They called me a few days before to see how and when they could get ice," said Nashville Curling Club president Sean Gerster.
"They were great. Toby had an absolute ball. They joked 'if anybody gets hurt, we weren't curling'. But they were very, very serious. I was unbelievably surprised.
"Of all the beginner curlers I have seen come through the door, they knew more about curling than anyone has. They knew the turns (in-turn and out-turn), knew about strategy and understood the game."
Apparently, with little else to do, Keith and the band got interested in curling watching the Turin Olympics on television while riding their bus on tour. They began making fun of it, but were still watching two hours later. Now they want to become Olympic curlers themselves.
"They're calling themselves the redneck curlers," said Gerster, who gave Keith a Nashville Curling Club pin, which he subsequently wore when he guested on The Late Late Show last Wednesday.
(National Post, April 18, 2006)
George Clooney’s unlikely curling obsession
Actor George Clooney infuriated moviemakers on the set of The Perfect Storm when he developed an unlikely obsession – with the winter sport of curling.
The Hollywood star was first introduced to the game when he tuned into the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics on his hotel room TV in Canada, where a large portion of the boating disaster film was shot.
At first, Clooney found himself flummoxed by the strange spectacle but soon he was hooked, and struggled to tear himself away from the action when filmmaking duty called.
He recalls, "It was on every channel and I was like, 'What the hell? My God, have something more on.'
"But by the third month, they couldn’t get me out of the hotel room. I was like, ‘Hang on! That’s proper technique, they’ve got a different shoe.'"
The Daily Record (UK), April 11, 2008
Dario Curling
The Rexall Edmonton Indy goes today, with racing star Dario Franchitti attempting to win both Canadian stops on the Indy circuit.
On Friday afternoon, the Scottish speedster wanted to try the “other sport invented by the Scots”... so he showed up at Edmonton’s Saville Centre curling facility, with TV crew in tow, to meet up with Team Randy Ferbey.
Dario Goes Curling – that’s our guess for the title – will air for just a couple of minutes today on Versa, as well as TSN2, as part of the Rexall Indy pre-race show.
Here’s the inside scoop, according to Team Ferbey second Scott Pfeifer:
- Franchitti has watched the sport before, but had never been on the ice.
- He noted many similarities noted between the two sports – including ice conditions and track conditions, and the role of support staff (comparing sweepers with racing pit crew).
- He was fascinated by the skill and precision required. His first two attempts bounced off the far boards, his third finished just over the hogline, and his fourth made it to the 12-foot rings, with sweeping.
- For a beginner, Pfeif remarked that Franchitti, whom he describes as a “super nice guy and very down to Earth” actually displayed “a terrific slide, although I may be biased because he is left-handed, like me.”
- The speed demon seemed “very tentative and careful not to fall, which seemed kind of odd for a guy who speeds around pavement at hundreds of miles per hour.”
- Sadly, Franchitti’s movie star wife – Ashley Judd – failed to show up.
(The Curling News Blog, July 26, 2009)
The Simpsons to try Olympic curling
Curling will get some prime-time exposure prior to the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver as Homer and Marge Simpson take up The Roaring Game.
An episode of the long-running comedy, The Simpsons, featuring the cartoon couple playing the game is scheduled to run in early February.
"We wanted to do a show at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and my initial idea was to have Homer and three of his buddies do a four-man bobsled," writer Rob LaZebnik told The Canadian Press.
"Then we decided there's a lot more interesting story having Homer do something with Marge. One of the head writers suggested curling and we all liked it. I learned about mixed curling and it seemed kind of perfect."
He and several other members of his staff spent an afternoon at a southern California curling club to pick up the nuances of the sport.
LaZebnik said skewering the sport is not part of the plan.
"Since everyone in the curling world had been so supportive, we wanted to take it seriously on the show," he said. "The funny thing is it's an event in an episode where Homer actually takes something seriously.
"I think we're really very respectful to it. We're surprisingly respectful."
A sidebar plot involves daughter Lisa struggling to collect Olympic pins.
Rick Patzke, the chief operating officer for USA Curling, said there are only about 16,000 people in the U.S. who actually play the sport.
He said everyone watches The Simpsons and the publicity will be a blessing.
"I learned a long time ago not to take it personal when someone makes fun of curling, " he said. "A lot of them who used to make fun of it are now curlers."
One previous episode of The Simpsons included a flash of the fast-growing ice sport. When the family visited Toronto in 2002, the script featured a TV show called "Curling for Loonies."
The Simpsons is the longest-running TV comedy to date and will mark 20 years on air in 2010.
(The Canadian Press, July 28, 2009)
NFL star gives curling a shot
SAN JOSE, CA — Vernon Davis stepped onto the ice and started moonwalking, fully confident he could conquer the sport of curling — or at the least be respectable. He is an NFL star, after all.
Then, the San Francisco 49ers tight end watched as Brian Zaitz glided down his lane of ice holding a lunge position and released a 42 1/2-pound granite stone with precision and touch, something that comes with years of curling at a high level.
"Whooo, that's work right there. You guys really got to be strong," cracked Davis, known for his exceptional athleticism. "I don't see how you can get into this right here. I couldn't do it."
Or could he?
Davis was recruited to help answer that very question: Can just anybody step on the ice and give curling a whirl?
Those like Zaitz, who once got as far as the 1997 Olympic trials, say you bet. Zaitz, his fellow members of the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club and others around the country are determined to bring more interest to their sport and capitalize on having the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
"I'm strong and athletic. I should be able to throw it pretty good," Davis said.
Davis picked out his stone and was surprised by its weight. "I hope they have some lighter ones," he said, smiling at Zaitz. A few minutes later, Davis propped the broom on his shoulder as he listened to the rules.
Davis took a try at sweeping, too. He had to get the full experience.
"This is probably one of the craziest things I've ever done," Davis said. "I thought snowboarding was crazy. This is even crazier."
He likes to take a stab at any sport.
"You never know what you can do till you try it," Davis said. "I'm a hybrid athlete. I think I can do anything. But I'm a football player. Maybe I'll fall 1,000 times."
Nope. Davis stayed on his feet all evening.
Davis acknowledged he once slipped on ice during his college days at Maryland, and the last thing the curlers wanted was to be answering to 49ers coach Mike Singletary the next morning if Davis did it again.
Davis also prepped himself.
"Keep your balance. Stay under control. Take your time. Don't be scared," he told himself. "I always wanted to go out and put on some ice skates but I was always scared I would mess myself up."
After learning the rocking motion of his delivery, Davis released a couple of stones and quickly caught on.
"It's just like anything, like golf, you may never play it to become a top player in the world, but it's a game that's rewarding and fun with great social aspect to it and a great tradition," said Canadian Olympic hopeful Blake MacDonald of Edmonton.
"Afterward, the thought is to go upstairs and have a beer. I think it's a great game to pick up. Anyone can do it."
Davis definitely held his own for a first-timer. Zaitz points to fellow club member Gabrielle Coleman as an example. She competed in the U.S. trials in February and has been curling for only about three years after becoming interested during the 2006 Turin Games.
The Bay Area club has more than doubled in size to about 100 members since the last Winter Olympics. The club even has a deaf curler, Karen Officer.
"With the next Olympics in Pacific time, we really think it's going to boom," Zaitz said.
Davis might help spread the word. The night before his curling outing he tweeted his fans about it. The next day, he got a massage, relaxed and went to the rink. He also sent out two more tweets:
"Headed to the ice to try curling I'm so excited. I'm nervous because of all the cameras goin to be watching and I might look silly lol."
Davis had such a blast he lost track of time, until 49ers colleague Lisa Goodwin pointed out it was nearly 10:30 p.m. and he had football practice the next morning. He thanked Zaitz and promised he'd be back.
"I didn't think it would be this much fun," Davis said.
(Janie McCauley, The Associated Press, November 23, 2009)