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NEWS > SPORTS > CURLERS BEGIN USING BIGGER BRUSHES IN AN ATTEMPT TO SPEED UP GAME

CURLERS BEGIN USING BIGGER BRUSHES IN AN ATTEMPT TO SPEED UP GAME

July 28 2008

Winnipeg, Manitoba – The Manitoba Curling Association has announced plans to begin using a broader brush made of a new polymer composite in an attempt to speed up movement on the ice surface. The plan is to test the new brushes and, if successful, present the new brushes to the World Curling Federation.

“We believe that these new brushes will fundamentally alter the game of curling. Not only will stones move faster on the ice, making placement all that more important, but the overall pace of the game will be significantly increased,” Said David Hodges, spokesperson for the Manitoba group. “We also feel that this is an opportunity to spread our game beyond its normal boundaries. Give us the chance to expose a whole new audience to the game we all love.”

Not all are pleased with the new brush technology though. Critics from around the world are decrying the new technology in fears that it will alter the game in an irrevocable way.

Sig Armas of the Finnish Curling Federation has come out as one of the most vocal critics. “This is a game I have played my entire life and I believe that these new brushes will destroy that game. It’s obvious that the people behind this are simply trying to make the sport mainstream. We are not football (soccer) with big superstars. We are Curlers. We do not want multi-million dollar contracts, our faces on video games. That is not what we are about. This will destroy the essence of curling. Our federation will fight the introduction of this new brush with everything we have.”

There is little evidence though that speeding up the game will lead to mainstream exposure. Scrape News took an informal poll and found that eight per cent of people we contacted had absolutely no interest in the sport and couldn’t foresee themselves ever caring. Even in a hotbed of Curling activity like Winnipeg, it seems that mainstream acceptance is not in the offing, at least not readily.

“Many of us are tired of being considered a second rate sport. We want mainstream exposure,” continued Hodges. “But we do not believe that getting that exposure will result in destruction of our game. We believe it will only enhance it, by bringing more money to the table and exposing a whole new generation who will grow up wanting to be curlers. We feel this is nothing but a good thing.”

While the test is just that for the moment, the prospects of the game changing overnight seem slim. Million dollar curling shoe contracts are a long way off. “What’s curling?” said a representative for Nike.

Alexi Orton, Sports Correspondent

NEWS > SPORTS > CURLERS BEGIN USING BIGGER BRUSHES IN AN ATTEMPT TO SPEED UP GAME