Day 116 of 365

Chess on ice

That’s how the introductory video describes this game. Rocks and sweeping and booties all while you target the rings and stones of you opponent.

I didn't actually play chess on ice. I attempted to learn the sport of Curling.

I've watched this Winter Olympic event many times on TV. According to club members this sport originated in Scotland and is a gentleman's game. The emphasis is on sportsmanship and although it plays a little bit like bocce it really is unique and a stand alone game all on it's own.

The club had an invitation open to the public so I showed up to give it a try. The first trick to this game is that you are playing on a frozen surface that you can't scrape of scuff. No blades on this ice and if you look very closely the surface isn't smooth. I found this interesting because we spent a lot of energy rubbing the ice so that the stones could slide.

Curling is about balance and just to prove that to you the first thing you learn is to step on the ice with your non dominant foot. Why? Because your dominant side is the one wearing the slippery booty for gliding on the ice. To launch your stone you have to squat and balance on one foot while pushing off in a lunge. It's a little bit of a dance which is why I sucked so terribly. Did I mention the slippery ice and balancing on one foot?

Once you send that stone toward the target it's up to your teammates to sweep a slippery path so that rock lands in the center target. It's a workout no matter what position you're in.

This open house event was all about teaching technique and I'm sure if I had a desire to play, any of the volunteers would have been excited to teach me more.

As experiences go this was fun but I won't be investing in slippers, rocks or a fancy synthetic broom that really doesn't sweep.

Day 116 was cold, slippery and fun.

Love & Light

I planted my #365rockdays rock.