What the fuck is curling

The Winter Olympics are currently underway, which means for the next couple of weeks, we are all experts in winter sports. We'll be using phrases such as "His form was way off", "If you don't put the time into your training, you're not going to see the results" and "Fucking hell, I could do better than that". But all jokes aside, what the heck is up with curling? It's bananas. Just when you think you've figured out the objective of the game, someone starts furiously sweeping and then abruptly stops because their teammate is shouting codeword obscenities at them.

To the uninitiated, curling might seem like a bizarre and unusual sport with its weird brooms and constant sweeping on ice. But if you get to know the basics of the winter sport, then you can see why so many people from all around the world are fascinated by its strategies and the endurance required to win. Here are 10 cool facts about curling that might just turn you into a superfan. Originating in Scotland, the winter sport of curling dates as far back as Early games were played on frozen ponds and lochs with primitive curling stones made from different types of materials and rocks from the regions of Stirling and Perth. Established in , the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was the first modern curling club in Scotland. Its club members and committee were responsible for properly organizing the game and writing its first official rule book with standardized equipment and curling stones.

The first time I watched an Olympic curling match on television, I entertained a thought that is surely shared by everyone who sees the sport for the first time: What the hell am I looking at? It was during the Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I tuned in to the live feed at the very beginning of a women's medal match. I was intrigued by the grace of the players and how they could effortlessly slide those huge, bulb-like stones down the ice.

The universe has played a cruel trick on athletes by deciding that all of their sports need science to hide just under the surface and make them work, so the Olympics are a great excuse to learn some science. Right, that one. All in good time, grasshopper.