Curling? Really?? (the journey begins)

As I walk in to my first Curling lesson, I'm wondering "how did I get here?"

Sure, I'm over fifty, and that might be a little late to pick up a new sport.  I'm also a native Californian (three generations) and have never lived outside Southern California.

Home is four blocks from the ocean. 

The last time it snowed was in 1933. 

The first time I set foot on ice, intentionally, is still in the future as I walk into the rink.

I can't remember the last time I played a team sport.

For all of that, I've been a fan of the sport of Curling for several decades.  That's hard to do if you're from Southern California.

I remember maybe 25 years ago when I was home sick watching the "Golden Broom" -- the Canadian national championship event.

So, I watched, hoping to catch the sport on TV somewhere, and most recently, that meant The Olympics.

2010 was the best!  NBC, on their cable channels CNBC and MSNBC had hours of coverage -- and not just the U.S. hopefuls.  The host said NBC stands for "Nothing But Curling" and again, I've got the bug.

Then, on February 22nd, I read the newspaper.  That by itself isn't unusual, but what I saw was a tiny little notice that a Curling League was forming in Orange County!  I told my business partner (he grew up in Toronto, Scottish grandfather) and his response was "Can I come along?"

A quick click on www.OCCurling.com took me to the page, and that is how the journey began.

So, this "blog" is about my journey.  The next pages will talk about the classes, my first match, and the beginning of League Play!  Stay tuned!