With my mother in law in town, I was able to spend a few hours at the St. Paul Curling Club to watch some of the World Curling Championships. Vice and I were worried about paying to get in because on the website, it says that tickets are $35 for each day. We were thinking that if there was an even higher price at the door that we may not even want to pay to get in. Fortunately, for St. Paul Curling Club members, the price is only $10. (I asked if they needed some form of proof that we're members, but they said they didn't.) The woman at the ticket counter was in Mankato for the Curling Club Nationals and actually recognized me and Vice from that (Kind of surprising, at least to me) .
Vice and I stopped by the table for Shot Rock Curling. In the center of the table, there was a pair of baby sized curling shoes. Vice thought that my little curler should have a pair, but at $35, that's pretty steep (and ultimately useless.) We learned that having the baby sized curling shoes in the center of the table has worked really well for Shot Rock Curling because somehow it just draws people in and they have to look at them, even if people aren't really in the market for baby sized curling shoes.
On the first floor of the curling club, they've set up some bleachers in front of sheets D, E, and F, but they were somewhat empty when we were there because the US team was playing on sheet G. Upstairs, they had chairs all along the glass and then long taller tables with high top chairs behind. Normally, the club isn't set up for a large audience and I was curious to see what would happen with a big event like this.
Vice and I sat upstairs so that we could get some food and drinks. We sat in front of sheets A, B, and C. Korea was playing Finland in Mixed Doubles on sheet A, Estonia was playing New Zealand in Mixed Doubles on sheet B, and Russia was playing Australia on sheet C. I think it's interesting to see all these random countries there. I mean, who knew that there was curling in New Zealand?
We were sitting by another St. Paul Curling Club manager. I asked him whether or not I would win at least one game if I were competing in mixed doubles, and, unlike Dex, believed that I would win at least one so I thought that was a good (semi) vote of confidence.
Vice and I were kind of surprised that the Championships didn't do all of the official type stuff we saw in Mankato. The rocks were the regular curling club rocks and were not the kind with the hog line violation LEDs. Also, the games aren't timed, apparently because they couldn't get enough timers so they just told all the players to go fast. And lastly, the club's regular scoreboards are covered up with new World Championship type scoreboards, but with the scoring done in the baseball style. I remember the club scoreboard first being explained to me five years ago and now I find baseball style scoring really foreign.
To sum up, we had a great time hanging out at the curling club for a few hours and talking curling with anyone sitting by us. And we saw some close games especially with Estonia barely getting past New Zealand. With a huge sigh of relief, the Estonia male player just held his arms up with his hands making peace signs after they clinched the win on the last shot. Were I to ever play in a tournament of this caliber and actually win one game, I'd probably have a similar gesture afterward.
Vice and I stopped by the table for Shot Rock Curling. In the center of the table, there was a pair of baby sized curling shoes. Vice thought that my little curler should have a pair, but at $35, that's pretty steep (and ultimately useless.) We learned that having the baby sized curling shoes in the center of the table has worked really well for Shot Rock Curling because somehow it just draws people in and they have to look at them, even if people aren't really in the market for baby sized curling shoes.
On the first floor of the curling club, they've set up some bleachers in front of sheets D, E, and F, but they were somewhat empty when we were there because the US team was playing on sheet G. Upstairs, they had chairs all along the glass and then long taller tables with high top chairs behind. Normally, the club isn't set up for a large audience and I was curious to see what would happen with a big event like this.
Vice and I sat upstairs so that we could get some food and drinks. We sat in front of sheets A, B, and C. Korea was playing Finland in Mixed Doubles on sheet A, Estonia was playing New Zealand in Mixed Doubles on sheet B, and Russia was playing Australia on sheet C. I think it's interesting to see all these random countries there. I mean, who knew that there was curling in New Zealand?
We were sitting by another St. Paul Curling Club manager. I asked him whether or not I would win at least one game if I were competing in mixed doubles, and, unlike Dex, believed that I would win at least one so I thought that was a good (semi) vote of confidence.
Vice and I were kind of surprised that the Championships didn't do all of the official type stuff we saw in Mankato. The rocks were the regular curling club rocks and were not the kind with the hog line violation LEDs. Also, the games aren't timed, apparently because they couldn't get enough timers so they just told all the players to go fast. And lastly, the club's regular scoreboards are covered up with new World Championship type scoreboards, but with the scoring done in the baseball style. I remember the club scoreboard first being explained to me five years ago and now I find baseball style scoring really foreign.
To sum up, we had a great time hanging out at the curling club for a few hours and talking curling with anyone sitting by us. And we saw some close games especially with Estonia barely getting past New Zealand. With a huge sigh of relief, the Estonia male player just held his arms up with his hands making peace signs after they clinched the win on the last shot. Were I to ever play in a tournament of this caliber and actually win one game, I'd probably have a similar gesture afterward.
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ReplyDeleteYou're lucky to have your club hosting this huge event. If it was in my club here in Chicago, many of us would be hanging out there from morning till night.
ReplyDeletePete Westberg of the US senior men's team is currently a member of my club and is one of the top curlers there, though I heard he's returning to the Twin Cities later this year so he'll return to your club, which he was a member of.
I've never watched a big event like this before. Definitely a good time. If they have a big curling event in Winnipeg, I might check that out some day.
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