The ladies have done us proud. Two play off matches and the Brits are in the curling semis.

Had to beat Sweden and Germany in the space of about four hours and ended up seeing off the turnips and stuffing the cabbages.

Well done ladies.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2002

Answers

Admirable performance.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2002

Someone else who has become addicted to this strange sport where people clean the ice with brooms and the competitors look like Colin Hendry!!

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Aye, that and the luge. Silly, silly, silly sports

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

I've put an order in for one of those tight fitting rubber suits they use in bobsleigh. Bound to be the equivalent of 1980's cycling top fad for the new millennium.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Apparently, left to their own devices, the stones naturally follow a curved path (don't ask me why), and the idea of the brooms is to melt the ice in front of the stone to reduce friction to help keep the stone running in a straight line.

Surely the stones could have been designed to run straight in the first place, cos I can't see how ice can have a bias.

Definitely a spectater sport for the dedicated couch spectater.:-{E}

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

they DO run straight.. you have to rotate them slightly to make them "curl". The brushing is to correct any excess curl

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Or to increase the curl if brushed on one half of the stone's trajectory.

Also, I understand the brushing teams have metal plates attached to one shoe and they propel themselves along with their un-plated foot - kind of skateboarding on ice.

Anyone seen any skeleton races? Hurling yersel' down a hill headfirst on a tea-tray sounds bloody daft too

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

I'd love to try luge or skeleton. Must be a helluva rush, though perhaps not in the same ballpark as ski jumping on the shityersel scale. That's just outrageous.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

You wonder why I pick on you, you big jessie1 I have completed 4 Luge runs, the first as a double then the other 3 solo. Didn't make the end on Solo 1 or 2. Made it all the way on Solo 3 though.

I will see your big brother and raise you 3 more! You will have to be quick though, it will only be 2 more in a few weeks!

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Is it called the Skeleton 'cos you jump o'ot your skin?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

I think the Metrocentre ladies team could do quite well at curling.

If them fluffy oscillating machines are allowed on the ice then minimum effort would be required to get in the house.

And there would be no chewing gum left on the surface!

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Thanks Geordie, seems obvious now it's been explained.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Me Mam could have you Gus! (She sure scares the shit out of me anyway)

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

.... according to the 7pm BBC News, the team beat Canada today and is now guaranteed at least a silver medal - so, I guess they must have reached the final?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Weren't Canada the big favourites (or is that the men's teams?)?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

...not you're correct, Paul. The BBC said that we had beaten the big favourites.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002