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The Purple Guide to Learning Curling in 10 Days
A 10-day starter plan to step onto the ice, throw your first stones, and decide if curling is your game
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: First Day
Welcome. You are here because you are curious about curling, and that is the only qualification you need for today. Forget everything you've seen on television during the Olympics. Forget the screaming athletes scrubbing the ice with what look like giant mops. Forget the idea that you need to be in incredible shape or have some secret talent. If you can bend down to tie your shoes and then stand back up, you have the physical baseline to start. Today is not about mastering anything. Today is about getting your feet wet, quite literally, and discovering what this quirky, surprisingly athletic sport actually feels like.
Your first session is not going to be a grand, dramatic event. There will be no fanfare, no crowds, no one timing your slides. It will be you, perhaps a friend, and a quiet, cold ice rink. If you are going to a public facility, the first thing you will likely do is sign a waiver. This is standard. You are about to walk on ice with a 42-pound granite stone in your hand, and no one wants you suing them if you slip. You will then be handed your equipment by a cheerful person at the front desk, and this is where a lot of first-timers get nervous because the equipment looks bizarre. You'll get a pair of shoes that look like they've been through a war. One of them will have a slippery sole, like a smooth piece of