The Toronto Star is reporting that NBC “has an exclusive option to air a 10-episode sports reality show that will give the winners a shot at competing in the U.S. championship and even going to the 2010 Olympics.” (link) Curling, The Blot’s favorite Winter Olympics event, is a “team sport played on a rectangular sheet of carefully prepared ice by two teams of four players each. Teams alternate turns at sliding heavy, polished granite stones down the ice towards the target area called the house. Two sweepers with brooms accompany each rock and use timing equipment and their best judgment along with direction from their other teammates to help direct the stones to their resting place. The complex nature of stone placement and shot selection has led some to refer to curling as "chess on ice." (link)
The show is being prepared as a lead in to the 2010 Olympics, which will air on NBC, and is truly hoping for a “rock star” field by courting “closet curlers Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi as part of the show,” possibly as the host. (link) I think the show is a great idea because the sport of curling can definitely use a shot of exposure, especially in the U.S. where the sport is a relative unknown to many Americans. One funny fact about curling mentioned in the Toronto Start article is that while “curling seldom gets more than 800,000 viewers on NBC, it once drew higher ratings than an NHL playoff game that aired at the same time the next day.” (link) I guess the NHL has really hit an all time low when it can no longer even claim to me America’s favorite Canadian sport.
The show will hold nationwide open casting calls, similar to American Idol, and a panel of judges will select the final contestants to “to train for six months, all expenses paid, at Lake Placid, N.Y.” (link) The television reality show will cover the tryouts, training and competition, with the winning team advancing to the U.S. Olympic team trials and a possible shot at the 2010 Olympics. So for anyone interested in trying out, head down to your local ice skating rink and start practicing your brushing now!
The Official United States Curling website
The Curling Club of Houston website