SOCHI - The women's curling competition this morning was fascinating. Eight teams, including the U.S. competed in four lanes. The U.S. was paired against Russia and seemed to be holding its own before I needed to depart after about an hour of competition.

I knew three things going into the Ice Cube, site of the competition. The object in play is called a stone. There are 10 ends, comparable to innings, in each match. And there is no body contact, so it's a pretty darn safe sport.

The arena capacity is 3,000, so the setting seems intimate and the seating is such that fans are pretty close to the action. I'd guess the arena was about three-fourths full and the Russians seemed to have the biggest contingent of followers. My seat mates included folks from Richmond, Va., and upstate New York. "Surprisingly, we have a curling club in Richmond," one of the fans boasted. Actually, I said, I am not surprised because curling seems to be growing. There's a curling club in Spokane, too.

 

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