I've been posting on CurlingZone and some folks there know me. I've been travelling the world for curling and have managed to remain quite invisible among the real sports journalists. However... I have observed many interesting things at home and abroad.
The highpoint of my reporting as a curling journalist was witnessing the replay of an end between Sebastian Stock (Germany) and Pal Trulsen (Norway) because of an intervention by the EuroSport TV crew in their game at the 2004 European Championships in Sofia Bulgaria. The head official was Leslie Ingram-Brown from Scotland. A stone had been burned and not removed from play. None of the players noticed, but it had been caught on camera. Word spread from the director's headset, back behind the arena in the mobile studio, to the headset of the hand-held camera operator on-ice, to one of Stock's team, who, well into the next end, finally went to an official to protest.
The low point happened just a few months later in Paisley, Scotland at the first World Women's Curling Championships after they'd separated the men's and women's events. Much is known about that event and it being a fiasco, but what I recall is the shame I felt as a so-called sports journalist after the host editor of the daily rag for the event published the asses of the Canadian curlers (the Jones team) all bent over and sweeping, not once, but twice, as the feature photos in the publication. I guess they thought it was funny. In hindsight (no pun intended), publishing the photo went well with the spirit of the event where, although they were curling in Scotland, the home of the outlandish bagpipe shrill, they marched the women curlers in proudly to the tune, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy". I guess they thought that was funny too.
My photo of the day is not my own. I snagged it a few years ago. I just love the image of Jimmy (Je Ho) Lee, the young Korean curler, throwing without a broom. I wonder why they are not teaching this method of throwing yet. Photo by The Curling News who wrote a story about him.
Next week I'm heading to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. I'll be there for the entire curling event. I also intend to take in as much of the Cultural Olympiad as I possibly can. Those are my priorities. I will be posting here about my daily life in Vancouver, during the Olympics. Please join me.
3 comments:
jimmy weighs about 80 pounds - anything above 100 rolls over into the boards with that delivery
lol. Could be, especially if you slide, I guess. I've never tried it. Maybe tonight.
great start to your blog..... hope you have a great time in Vancouver!!!! Can't wait to read the rest of your blogs..... good game last night.... no need to call it a tie we curled great for a change and I am proud to have lost 4-8 to you and yours!!!!
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