Olympic Curling - The greatest sport you've never watched

Curling has gotten a bad rap over the years, mostly by those a tad ignorant in the sporting knowledge department. Casually ask a passerby what they think of the sport of curling and more often than not you'll get a snide grin or a rolling of the eyes.

Truth be told, Curling may be one of the most intense, strategic games offered in the Olympics; That's not just the Winter Olympics, that includes the Summer Olympics as well.

Curling = Shuffleboard+ bowling + marbles + Geometry angles with the strategies of chess = intense competition

Olympic Curling

Many think of Curling as a dull sport, shuffleboard on ice, a combination of marbles and billiards. Whatever your impression, it's important to shatter some of the common stereotypes surrounding the sport.

Curling is anything but dull. It's certainly no more dull than watching a 9-inning baseball game. For a true fan, or somebody who understands the rules and the strategy involved in the game, the sport of Curling represents the pinnacle of athletic endurance and strategy.

Believe it or not, the sport of Curling gains a little more respect and momentum with each passing Winter Games. What started out as a guilty pleasure for many, yours truly included, is slowly becoming synonymous with the Winter Olympic Games.

It's my belief that within the next 2-3 Winter Games, the sport of Curling will enjoy its due praise and popularity.

Also, I thinks it's important to note that Curling as it's played at the highest levels does not appear to be a gender specific sport. Which is to say, I believe the women could compete equally with the men. Certainly, a co-ed version of the sport would seem to be in order.

The sport itself is all finesse and strategy. Why divide the Olympic teams exclusively into genders, when the opportunity would seem to exist for a co-ed division of the sport? There is in fact a mixed doubles division of curling on the world circuit, but it seems the Olympics are a remiss to include this in the Winter Games. One glaring difference in the rules of the mixed doubles is that the game is played in 8 ends instead of 10.

As the 2010 Olympic games begin to wind down to the conclusion, the Curling events for both the men and the women have finally reached the medal matches. As it will come to no surprise to any who actively follow the sport, the Canadian men and women teams are going to play for the Gold medal.

The level of competition in Curling at the Winter games has been absolutely top notch, as I marveled at great shot after great shot that all the teams in the competition made in every match I was able to watch. That being said, the Canadian teams still managed to outshine all o f the competition on their home ice. It would be an upset if both teams did not come away with the Gold medal at these Olympic games.

Your 2010 Winter Olympics Curling champion is... Canada! Let's face it, nobody was beating this team this time around. They were just that good and dominant, not losing a single match throughout the competition.

In a surprising twist, however, the Canadian women's Olympic Curling team failed to convert 2 winning shot opportunities, and settled for the Silver Medal. Sweden took home Gold. Cheryl Bernard, who was simply spectacular throughout Olympic competition, missed possible Gold Medal clinching shots in the 10th and 11th ends, and ended up leading her squad to the Silver Medal.  All in all, Canada truly represented themselves honorably this time around in the Winter Olympic Games.

Curling competition has come a long way, both in stature and popularity, and it's only going to get better with each passing Olympics.