Curling
	
	Despite the mass media exposure at the last Olympics, many people still don't know about curling, though it's older 
	than hockey, basketball, baseball or football. I discovered it in "1995" at my first gig in Regina, Saskatchewan and 
	it immediately replaced baseball as my favorite team sport. It was a banner day when I found the Plainfield Curling 
	Club in my new home state of New Jersey. Now when I'm working locally I can curl once or twice a week. I also have 
	four rocks of my own which I can use on my pond when it's sufficiently frigid outside.  For those of you who've read 
	thus far but won't click on the link to the PCC, a little description of the game: four persons per team; two teams; 
	teams alternate "throwing" rocks down a 128-foot sheet of "pebbled" ice; the ice is pebbled with water-drops so that 
	it's not smooth; each person throws two rocks; points are scored by the rock closest to the center of the"house" or 
	target area, which is a 14-foot wide bull's-eye, and any additional rocks of the same color that are next in 
	closeness to the center or "button"; each set of sixteen rocks thrown constitutes an "end"; there are eight or ten 
	ends in a game, depending on what kind of league you're in; civility is prized, as opposed to (now) all the 
	well-known team sports; game strategy has a complexity level comparable to that of bridge or chess; brushes are used 
	in front of the moving rock to alter trajectory and length of throw; the two teams gather after the game for drinks 
	and sometimes food; couples can play this game as part of a team until they're physically infirm; unfortunately, the 
	lack of facilities and corporate sponsorship in the States limits the public's exposure and access to the game, as 
	opposed to billiards or bowling, whereas in any large Canadian city there are clubs where one can rent a sheet of 
	ice for two hours at a rate competitive with a bowling alley. If you're still reading, click on the link to the PCC, 
	which has links to the national site, which has links to clubs in your area, and then go check it out. You'll either 
	be indifferent to it or you'll fall in love with it. There's no middleground.