Curling Sweeps Its Way to Acceptance

O G D E N, Utah, Feb. 20 -- On historic 25th Street in this old West rail town, the signs are everywhere. Hand-painted pictures of curlers and curling stones decorate merchants' windows. A large "Welcome Curlers" sign ushers hungry visitors into Karen's Cafe.

Local residents are obsessed with Olympic curling, which is being played in their town. One woman says she "loves" that curlers are in Ogden. Her husband agrees. "It will put us on the map," he said. "That's good for the state, the county, and the city. We could not be happier."

Ogden could use the help. This northern suburb of Salt Lake City, which lies at the foot of a majestic range of mountains, was once a bustling town. No longer. Today, its Union Station is more of a museum than an active rail station, though Union Pacific freight trains still pass through the working-class town. So, anything new, including curling, is welcomed by residents.

"It's really great having all of these matches played here," said a local insurance salesman wearing a baseball cap with Canada emblazoned across the front.

His 10-year-old daughter, who wore a Team USA beret, agreed and then proceeded to succinctly explain this most misunderstood of all Olympic games. "They have 10 rocks and when it's their turn, they just slide them into the center spot. And they can block them, too," she said. Minus a few other details, she had it.

Kevin Martin, the captain (in curling terminology, "skip") of the men's Canadian Olympic team, said he's pleased with the reception curling is receiving in Ogden. "Man, we're loving it, " he said. "The crowd's really into it!"

Canada is leading the curling competition and as of this writing, had lost only one match out of eight. The American men's team did not make the top five, though the American women's team finished the round-robin portion of the event with a 6-3 record and won the final four games. Canada's women's team will play the fourth seed in the semifinal round.

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