Curling is right in the middle of a major culture shift at the Winter Olympics in Italy. The athletes are encouraging a change of etiquette for a sport that was long considered to be mellow and muted.
They want the fans to cheer!
This sudden shift in culture at the Olympics creates a divide amongst the curling community. The purists are not in favor of a more rowdy environment while the new generation seeks to grow the sport through excitement and enthusiasm. World Curling stands with the athletes. It wants fans to have fun.
The Olympics asked for quiet, please.
Curling is known for being one of the most staid competitions in the winter sports world. Respect is always at the forefront. There are a lot of unwritten rules about conduct.
Boisterous behavior is discouraged. Fans are asked to keep their cheering to a minimum, and to only cheer after the shot is complete. They aren’t supposed to clap for an opponent’s failure. It can be stuffy.
That has not been the case in Italy.
American mixed doubles star Korey Dropkin waved his arms into the air to get the crowd going in big moments and shouted jubilantly after nice shots. The Italian contingency greets every stone that hit its target with thunderous applause. Some of them brought vuvuzelas. They frequently break out into a rousing rendition of ‘Sara perche ti amo’ to show their support.
The crowd at the Winter Olympics has been electric and fans have been loud, which sparked something of a controversy. Curling traditionalists hate what they have seen.
Organizers at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium even put up a sign that asks for the crowd to be quiet. “QUIET PLEASE,” it reads on the jumbotron.
Curling needs the juice!!
While the old heads complain about the lack of decorum, the new generation of curlers are thrilled with the energy in the building. Britain’s Hammy McMillan thought it was awesome.
“They’re going to be loud all week. It’s actually quite a fun atmosphere for us as curlers. We did see a sign go up that said, ‘Quiet, Please’. But no, for us, we actually really enjoy it. It’s something different. I think it’s what curling needs. They sound like Italian ultras!”
Dropkin agrees.
“Hearing the rowdiness of the crowd of all the different countries really made a huge impact on how special this week was for us. It’s a fun environment out there when the crowds are full.”
Swiss athlete Yannick Schwaller posted on Instagram to ask the sport’s governing body to stop policing crowd behavior. He never wants the quiet please sign again.
And believe it or not — World Curling agreed!
“Absolutely no issues from our side! We love the atmosphere and agree with Yannick it’s great for curling. We’re aware [of the Quiet Please! sign]! The Sports Production team put it up after receiving a complaint about the noise. We’ve asked them not to put it up again.”
Curling has never been more popular and the atmosphere makes a big difference. Sports are more fun when the crowd is in it. Anyone who disagrees can kick rocks. World Curling is on board with how the sport is changing so you should be too!