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" Imperial College Curling Club will be back! Watch out for us at the Olympics." |
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR A BEGINNER TO HAVE A DECENT GAME?It's not like golf or tennis. You can enjoy playing right from the start. Of course, it's best to play with others who have some experience - but everyone soon gets the hang of it. Skill takes rather longer - the best players play almost every day. WILL I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO STAY UPRIGHT ON THE ICE - I'M HOPELESS AT SKATING?Curling ice is not wet or greasy on the surface - so you shouldn't find it difficult to keep your balance. When you are not playing a shot, your shoes have rubber soles to grip the ice. REMEMBER - curling does NOT involve skates! WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?Most curlers wear some type of track suit over some warm under-clothing (thermal?). You can get quite hot when playing in a competitive game with lots of sweeping needed. On the other hand, it's chilly if you are standing around (e.g. during coaching) so it's a good idea to go on to the ice wearing a lined anorak or fleece which can be discarded when you warm up. When you start playing in regular teams it's usual to wear some form of team colours. WHY SHOULD CURLING TAKE OFF IN KENT WHEN IT HASN'T WORKED IN ENGLAND IN THE PAST?We HOPE it will take off because
WILL CURLING BE PART OF THE NEXT WINTER OLYMPICS?Yes - if you watched the 2006 Winter Olympics you can't have missed curling! It is one of Great Britain's very few medal opportunities and we just missed out this time after the famous women's gold medal victory in 2002. It could well become a "cult" sport! IS THERE AN ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION?Yes. This has been held in Scotland due to lack of curling ice in England - but it could well come to Kent in future! HOW POPULAR IS LADIES' CURLING?It is very popular in all curling countries. There is a huge number of ladies' leagues, ladies' clubs and, of course, the Olympic gold medal was won in 2002 by Britain in the Ladies' competition. Ladies' teams often compete on an equal footing with men in open competitions and, of course, mixed teams are very popular in social curling. CAN CHILDREN PLAY?Certainly. It is very popular with youngsters in all the curling playing countries and is on the school sports curriculum in Scotland, Canada and elsewhere. We run a junior coaching session on Tuesdays at 6pm for 11 to 15 year olds. WHAT ABOUT WHEELCHAIR CURLING?A recent innovation has been the development of curling adapted for the handicapped. If you are unable to deliver the stone normally you can use a pole to push the stone down the ice. This enables those in wheelchairs and with other forms of disabilities to enjoy curling. We hope to introduce wheelchair curling next season. WHERE IS FENTON'S RINK?The rink is at Dundale Farm, Tunbridge Wells in West Kent, 20 minutes drive from junction 5 of the M25 on the A21. It is about 40 minutes drive from Gatwick and one hour from Heathrow. Click here for map (link to Multimap.co.uk) WHAT FACILITIES ARE AT THE RINK?Ice Hall Club Lounge with Bar Catering |
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