Curling in Beijing: Skipping Ahead (2)

"It's surprisingly fun because the competition is heating up as you can see in front of us," Zhu says. "The key is consistency and getting the rock toward the area you want it to go to."

He points out that sweeping can add a lot to the forward movement of the rock, as its role is to lessen the sideway distance that the rock covers while increasing its speed and distance.

Curling is similar to shuffleboard, but employs two teams of four who alternately slide rocks toward the target at the other end of the ice. Points are awarded for each rock that stops closer to the target's center than the other team's rocks. Communication between the skip (the person who throws the rock) and the sweepers is crucial, often resulting in heated shouting matches between teammates. Strategies to accumulate points can be quite complicated, earning curling the nickname of "Chess on Ice."

Although curling remains far from popular in China, the sport received a huge boost after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver where the Chinese women won bronze medals. Tournaments periodically broadcast on CCTV have increased public awareness about the sport as well.

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