The city centre ice rink now accommodates curling enthusiasts also - when the skaters make way.

The sixteenth-century sport of Scottish and Dutch peasants comes to Helsinki.

A blustery, snowy Monday evening in the beginning of February saw six of us, treading warily over the ice in our blue, plastic over-slippers, trying to come to terms with the noble art of curling – on that little ice rink by the railway station. We soon found that, in common with many other activities we are used to watching on TV, what looks so simple when carried out by professionals is considerably more challenging in reality.

Never has anyone seen a more enthusiastic group of sweepers – an activity we were all fairly familiar with, and armed with a stubby four foot ‘rubbing brush’ proceeded frantically to disperse the rapidly accumulating snow and shine-up the ice; whereas the crouch, dive and slide required for ‘curling the stone’ was quite unfamiliar. (Is that the correct technical term? Well, I am sure you get the idea.) It required the co-ordination of all four limbs in ways that had never been attempted before (to gain the initial push-off), and then the propulsion of a nearly 20-kilo stone down a 30-metre lane – which was far less than slippery with the rapid build-up of snow. Some showed great promise, not least the 13-year-old participant, but every beginner has to find their own style, and that can be very amusing!

After about 50 minutes of hurling and curling we decided it was time for a hot drink and despite some dramatic slides on behalf of ‘The Reds’ (the colour of our stones) we graciously declared ‘The Yellows’ as the evening’s winners. Don’t expect us at the Winter Olympics, but have a thought for the subtle skills that those talkative sportsmen and women need on the ice in Vancouver. Remember: the younger you start it, the greater your curling potential!

ANTHONY SHAW - KATH OLDHAM - HT
LEHTIKUVA - MARTTI KAINULAINEN