You’ll have to forgive me for being just a little late on this, but, we need to talk about our new Flagship Curling League. It’s something Erie never knew we needed, and now – two weeks into the competition – it’s a thing we can’t live without. It just feels right.
You know curling. It’s that thing we’re all fascinated by for one week every four Februarys when it comes time for the Winter Olympics. You can’t decide whether it’s shuffleboard or bocce or someone trying to sweep away evidence of a party before his parents come home – but you don’t want it to end.
If you’re like me, you make a mental note of this curling thing. You vow to look into this craziness at some future time that never arrives, and is bewildered anew four years later like clockwork.
Well, now we Erieites have a brand new reason to dig in.
The whole thing started with a trolling headline: “EDDC to Host Curling League at Site of Former McDonald’s.” To the surprise of no one, internet comment chaos ensued. Many were mad – no, furious – that such prestigious downtown real estate (the McDonald’s!) would be used for curling.
The internet hoard, however, seemed not to read the article – this was to be a temporary curling league. Just for this winter while the winter prevents the development of the mixed-use building eventually slated to take over the spot.
Visual representation of internet comments when the curling league was announced for the former McDonald’s location at 5th and State.
Registrations were held, and before you knew it 40 teams of four players each had signed up for these shenanigans. That’s 160 people! Get a load of some of these team names, too: City Slippers, The Golden Curls, The Cold Shoulders, Game of Stones, Curl Power, The Sweeping Beauties – all we need now are matching tee-shirts and AC/DC blaring from some apartment window across the street as entrance music.
Erie’s Flagship Curling League in action. | Photo via Erie New Snow.
There is one minor problem with all of this, though: it’s not really curling. They have what look like real curling stones but send them down some kind of vinyl surface. Without the pebbled ice, there’s no need for the brooms. Without the brooms, there’s no burly guy yelling “Haaard!” in a voice that reverberates off the Richford Arms.
No problem. All of that just means that when spring springs and construction on the site begins, Erie is going to have to figure out a place for a permanent curling league. It has to happen. In the meantime, Erie falling in love with what was previously just a once in four years fling is something good to happen.
Idiotville 