I’m sitting here watching the Canada-One Canada Cup of curling (in case you’ve never heard of this, it’s a major curling competition (we call them bonspiels generally), and the winner automatically gets into the 2014 olympic curling trials for Canada). Makes me wonder: hey, how many people in physics and astronomy curl? Have many/any of us curled regularly? Do we actually have “curlers” in our midst?
Picured above: Kevin Martin, universal god of curling.
Actually, I know at least part of the answer to this: yes, we do have curlers in our midst. I curl regularly in a local men’s league. Tim Scholl curls on my team. One of Western’s Vanier Scholarship winners (Matt Quinn, recent graduate from our undergraduate program and current MD-PhD student at Western over in imaging at Robarts) curls (he spares for my team whenever I need him!). I know Mike Cottam curls every week, as does Pauline Barmby. Brian Dalrymple also curls.
Who else? If you have ever curled, comment to this post. If you would call yourself a “curler”, let us know! And by the way, in case you’ve never curled before, you need to know that Kevin Martin (pictured above) is the best curler that has ever lived. Take it to the bank!
I’ll restrain from putting in a link here to an academic article on the physics of curling (I assure you, there exist)…
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I was the skip for four years for my high school team. I’m not sure I would be too good now though.
I’ve curled maybe twice, in an intramural bonspeil when I was an undergrad maybe 60, 70 years ago. It was fun but needless to say I was not very good. One of my grad school buddies has written several papers on the physics of curling. Quite the controversial subject, apparently.
Let me point out that the beverages are usually consumed after (OK, sometimes before) the game, not during. Safer that way.And there is some interesting research on curling physics which happens right here at Western:http://communications.uwo.ca/com/media_newsroom/media_newsroom_stories/wester…
And do you know why curling stones curl in the direction they rotate and not opposite like ordinary objects? If not consider taking Phy 2065 at #westernu we cover this! I’m sure Blaine knows 🙂 BTW I don’t curl but support the concept of people enjoying a beverage and running around the ice in the pjs.