The challenge of curling

CEDAR RAPIDS - Deep in the heart of a 15th century Scottish winter, curling began as stones were slid across the frozen ponds. What was a simple way to pass time has now evolved into an Olympic sport.

The sport of curling involves two teams of four, and two houses (round scoring area), all on a sheet of Ice. Throwing a stone is similar to putting in golf, and sweeping a path is similar to blocking in football.

You must read the Ice and clear a path for the stone.

Curling seems to be a simple game, but is not simple to play. The basics include sliding a 38- to 44-pound stone down a sheet of ice 146- to 150-feet long and excessive amounts of sweeping ice.

Curling a stone requires balance, coordination and luck. Sweeping requires a surprising amount of agility and stamina, but the feeling after a good stone is curled is similar to hitting a clutch late-game 3-pointer.

In theory, this is a very easy game, but many of the techniques are not perfected without years of practice. Sliding a curling stone with the required precision is similar to painting the corners with a fastball.

In Cedar Rapids, you can learn to curl with the Cedar Rapids Curling Club. They curl at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena and anyone can sign up to learn to curl at their website.

While curling may seem simple, if you have an open mind, it is simply exciting.