Little Curling Practice this Saturday 4pm-6pm

We’re still looking for you ‘The Community’ to come and join the coaches and apprentices of MadLab in a good ole fashion game of Curling Canadian Style.  Get out of your comfort zone and come play!  It’s much like going out for a little bowling, badminton or a game of darts with friends.  A little more about strategy, balance, accuracy and clothing style than work capacity.

My family has curled since I was a young child and still play today.  They have $100 brooms, $300 shoes, sweaters and jackets specifically made for the sport and hundreds of bonspiels between them all.  And yes I played a jr. co-ed season when I was 15. Came 2nd.  Since then, I’ve been all over the last 2 olympics where Canada won some serious medals and us, as friends watched the finals in bars like we would watch a Canucks game.

So we are going to play a friendly game this Saturday afternoon at 4pm. We have curling coaches to help us learn the sport, most of us have never curled!  So it will be a hoot!   The Skip – should be the engineer or strategist like Patty, Marylyn, Reto, or The Pup and maybe someone like you.  Then, we need good balance people that can sweep and lean their body weight into a broom while shuffling and sliding to get a rock into the house to score.  

My coles notes – Basically you’re throwing a 40lb granite stone, 140 feet or so into what they call “the house” where this bullseye (4 foot circle) is, surrounded by a 8 foot and 12 foot  scoring circle.  Anything outside is worth no points.  The thick Red Line is the hog line.  You must release your throw before the first one and get the rock past the 2nd for it to be in play.

8 stones are thrown from each team of four each end.  

We alternate back and forth taking out “guards” or curling around a stone and hide inside the circles for a chance to score.

Closer the better- and at the end – the closest stone (or matching stones) to the button scores point(s).  Skip gets to throw the “Hammer” (last stone), which can turn the score of the end.
The left yellow just came in HARD above is going to take out that red or two score a win the end.

We play 8-10 rounds (“ends”) and then declare a winner.

The sweepers can help the stone go further (10 to 15 feet for the pro’s) and reduce the amount of curve, but you can never slow the stone so, go easy tough guys – no dropping sweater yarn in front.

You start in the hack to basically push yourself and the stone out at the right speed you want. If you push it or spin it at the end of your delivery everything becomes less accurate overall. Your Skip/Coach/Instructor will give you a direction to start and either a in-curve or out curve grip on the handle which you’ll have to gently let spin out of your hand.  Again – bring proper curling attire (ie cool pants and ugly sweater). And we will head out after for a little post game fun

Tbear

Classic Warm Up:

Three rounds with a partner
20 Medball Sit-ups
20 Sprawl Ball 

Skills:
Learn a little about the perfect Thruster (keep your team to an avg 70%max Thruster)
Find the right band (if needed) to get 3-5 CTB Pullups in a row, minimum.  Range of Motion is the focus here.
Same with Dips (Biceps to Ring is the standard today)

Workout:
In teams of three, alternating complete rounds, complete as many rounds and reps as possible
15 Minutes:
9 Burpee Box Jump-Overs (24″/20″)
9 Thrusters* (135/85 lbs)
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
Rest 5 minutes and then…
Continuing in teams of three, alternating complete rounds, complete as many rounds and reps as possible
15 minutes of:
3 Burpee Box Jump-Overs (24″/20″)
3 Push Press/Jerk* (135/85 lbs)
3 Ring Dips

*Big Boy Teams can add 20lbs to the bar (200+ Thrusters & Push Press)