Winter Olympics

I STILL hate snow (tho most of it has melted here now -- except on the north side of the house), but we've been engrossed in the Winter Olympics, or at least one minor facet of it.

If I'd discovered curling 40 years ago, I'd have devoted myself to it. It is fascinating! And the strategy. I have to struggle with my aging brain cells to figure out what on Earth they're doing THAT for.

To heck with Ski Jumping -- the gene pool need thinning anyway -- give me curling any day.

Rats, now I have to admit to watching the entire Women's Canada/Denmark match last night, and learned a lot more than I ever wanted to know about it, they even went to an "extra end" when it was tied after 10.

It was truly amazing to see the accuracy with which they could throw and guide those rocks.

I'm still not quite sure how the scoring works, but I have a whole new respect for the sport.

I actually tried to get myself into the position of the the "thrower" (if that what they are called) the other day and so I write this with a healthy dose of advil in my system and a ice pack between my legs.

Jim Doiron wrote:I actually tried to get myself into the position of the the "thrower" (if that what they are called) the other day and so I write this with a healthy dose of advil in my system and a ice pack between my legs.

Yes, they are called the thrower, though the throwing is called the delivery.

I'm too old to start playing this game, especially after hearing your story.

Thank you, Jim and other respondents for this! I got teased rotten when I suggested to another member of this forum that about the only thing I watched in the W.O. was the Curling. Hah! Just because it doesn't exude testosterone or other macho oozings! Perhaps it's because it's one of the few things the Scots excel at sports-wise, perhaps because I live only a few miles away from a curling rink, perhaps because my Dad lives beside Ailsa Craig (the "island" whose granite has produced a significant quantity of the world's curling stones). Or perhaps it's because the other events in the whole shebang just seem even to cyclist me to be taking lycra to ridiculous excess!

But I must admit the Winter Olympics have provided a welcome respite from the miserable weather outside. I think most of the participants are mad to hurtle down a variety of impossibly-angled slopes at ludicrous speeds. But they have, I admit, been entertaining me in a way that is sadly lacking amongst the overpampered, overpaid and over-publicised soccer prima donnas and their ilk from other sports. Am I really the only person in the world who doesn't give a toss what Tiger Woods or John Terry have done or how sorry they are about it all? Sorry, but these things scarcely figure on my radar of world-changing events.

Now. When does the lycra superheroes' vertical descent on a tea-tray final start today?

JimLewis wrote:I STILL hate snow (tho most of it has melted here now -- except on the north side of the house), but we've been engrossed in the Winter Olympics, or at least one minor facet of it.

If I'd discovered curling 40 years ago, I'd have devoted myself to it. It is fascinating! And the strategy. I have to struggle with my aging brain cells to figure out what on Earth they're doing THAT for.

To heck with Ski Jumping -- the gene pool need thinning anyway -- give me curling any day.

Now that is interesting as my younger brother does that in Scotland. I once observed the sport on Loch Leven when it was frozen over, Lord Elgin, a most affable fellow led the charge on that contest. A fellow chef and I did a cold buffet celebrating the something of Robert the Bruce in a hotel he owned in the seventies. They were a down-to-earth family and rewarded us well.

Ash Barns

Fiona:

Am I really the only person in the world who doesn't give a toss what Tiger Woods or John Terry have done or how sorry they are about it all?

Jim: Nope. Yawn.

Ash Barns wrote: A fellow chef and I did a cold buffet celebrating the something of Robert the Bruce in a hotel he owned in the seventies.

Well there's a thing! Robert the Bruce owning a hotel in the seventies! And the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 too! Gad, he was old!

Seriously though - it's good you got to see the Loch Leven bonspiel all those years ago Ash, as the Health and Safety Executive put paid to official tourneys this winter - probably the first time lochs have been suitably frozen probably since the one you witnessed. People power paid off though - several unofficial ones went ahead, including the Lake of Menteith. (For the benefit of those not lucky enough to be born amongst God's chosen ones, this is the only body of water to carry the title "lake" in Scotland.) It has since emerged (allegedly of course!) that the main reason for the cancellation was not the state of the ice itself but that there was an "issue" over crowd safety. We're all obviously far too stupid to realise that ice is slippery and take necessary precautions against ending up with a bruised bum! Talk about nanny state!

Oh, and welcome to the forum, Ash!

I've been an avid fan of curling since Rhona Martin & Co's famous gold medal win 8 years ago.

I've watched as much as possible during this Winter Olympics - so much that I've been late for work everyday since last Thursday (Flexi-time is a great perk of the job!)

My heart goes out to the ladies team, especially their young skip Eve. I'm sure they'll be back for medals in future years.


Fiona - You've partially settled a discussion my wife and I had regarding curling stones and opened up another can of worms and frantic Google searches. I had thought that all curling stones came from the Bass Rock (I'm not sure where this statement came from, but its something I've believed for years!). My wife took great pleasure in confirming your info about Ailsa Craig and that curling stones dont come from the Bass Rock but infact from Craigleith - a tiny wee island near the Bass Rock. My response to this was to have another wee dram of Glengoyne and turn the volume on the telly up - Good result for me despite being humbled on my curling stone knowledge !!

Paul

Ah Paul. A can of worms indeed. I have just spent about an hour googling the geological differences and have got my geologist friend Alison in on the case. She confirmed my long held belief that the Bass Rock is the "wrong type of rock" and also highlighted Craigleith's as being nearer the blue hone granite of Ailsa Craig.

Oh what on earth did we do before googling?

Don't answer that - I remember getting on the bus to the central library in Greenock to go look up the Encyclopaedia or other reference books whenever we had research to do at school. Not to mention the hours spent in various libraries at university. Kids of today? Don't realise they've got it made! This is why this old particular fart gets irritated when kids at school can't be bothered finding stuff out any more when they have the information literally at their fingertips.

Cue the Hovis music.

and btw - Glengoyne not a bad choice.

If you can't get access to an Ardbeg!

fiona wrote:and btw - Glengoyne not a bad choice.

If you can't get access to an Ardbeg!

Are they peaty malts?...I do love peaty malts

Go for Ardbeg 10 year old then.

But if you're a really good boy, I may give you a sip of Octomore - the world's most heavily peated malt and not available in the shops.

Fiona, you are fast becoming my favorite moderator.

Flattery gets you everywhere!

fiona wrote:Flattery gets you everywhere!

Peaty malts get me all over the place as well

fiona wrote:
Now. When does the lycra superheroes' vertical descent on a tea-tray final start today?

I was reliably informed that one of the aforementioned chaps attended Willowbog only last year in a lime green mankini ? Can anyone confirm ? Does anyone have photographic evidence ?

Andy, lay off the lunatic soup this weekend you must have dreamt it.

Ian.

There were a lot of us who "must have dreamt it" then.

Probably a bit too cold for a repeat performance this year I'm guessing.

More reasons to watch the Olympics (apart from laziness.)

My friend and I sat in our respective houses the other night watching the two-wumman bobsleighing and decided it was the sport for us: we suit lycra, we have the calf muscles and I still have a couple of crash helmets from my motorsikkle days. Our training programme starts next week, coinciding with our designer coming up with our prototype bobsled based on a Vauxhall Corsa. What d'ya mean are we taking the engine out? What'd we wanna do that for?

BUT, as well as the two-woman bobsleigh (hereafter refered to as boobsleigh) event, I have decided that I am going to train for cross-country skiing/biathlon. Today I rattled off a remarkable time getting from the house to an appointment a mile away and back through snow 6 inches deep. To achieve this I used techniques gathered thru' sitting up 'til stupid o'clock watching XC skiing at the Olympics. It's a jolly efficient way of travelling that.

The Johnstone polis took a very unsportingly dim view of the rifle tho'. This is the Paisley area, FGS. You'd think they'd be used to it!

BUT, as well as the two-woman bobsleigh (hereafter refered to as boobsleigh) event, I have decided that I am going to train for cross-country skiing/biathlon. Today I rattled off a remarkable time getting from the house to an appointment a mile away and back through snow 6 inches deep. To achieve this I used techniques gathered thru' sitting up 'til stupid o'clock watching XC skiing at the Olympics. It's a jolly efficient way of travelling that.

Yeah, but in biathlon you gotta shoot something/one in mid hike, too, Fiona. Don't forget that.

Sorry that you all didn't make the Curling finals.

Yeah, that's what I said. The Johnstone police wouldn't let me shoot anyone. They're such spoil-sports. Especially when there's any amount of neds (Scottish for hooligans) they actually want rid of. Then again, it was only 9.30am - probably way too early for the layabouts.

Ahh, Ardbeg. High up in my list of favourites alongside Balvenie, Highland Park, Bowmore, Old Pulteney etc, etc. To tell you the truth, I'm yet to find a malt that I can honestly say I don't like. Top of the pile is the 18 year old Glengoyne though - absolute nectar.

I'm surprised the Johnstone polis didn't offer to recruit you - at least you were out in the snow and armed ! How many Police officers in the Scotland could say the same?

9:30am is far too ealry for the Neds (Bams where I live) to be up and about. They get their giros paid straight into bank accounts these days, long gone are the days of standing in line at the Post Office on a Thursday morning. This gives them more time to look for jobs

I'm really enjoying the Winter Olympics TV coverage - although lack of sleep is catching up on me now, too many late nights recently.