The Science of Curling, with Olympians Brad Gushue and Nina Roth

About This Episode

It’s time to explore an Olympic sport that’s rising rapidly in popularity: curling. Playing with Science hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice are ready to slide down the ice into the curling conversation. To start things off, Chuck and Gary welcome Dean Gemmell, curler, comedian, and author of Fit to Curl and Brush Like a Badass to provide an overview of the sport and illuminate the intricacies of sweeping – including the infamous brushing controversy of 2015. Dean and Chuck also partake in a Lightning Round of curling terms to make us more fluent in the language of curling. After that, physicist John Eric Goff is back on Playing with Science to help us discover the science behind the sport: how the ice affects play, what the “drag effect” is, and why there’s still mystery surrounding the reason stones curl. Next, you’ll hear from 2006 Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue as he discusses how he got into curling, who the game changers are in the sport, why curling is like “chess on ice,” and the anatomy of a good push-off. Last, but not least, Gary and Chuck chat with 2018 Olympian Nina Roth about how she prepares, both physically and mentally, for the games, and how her style changes depending on venue. Nina also shares her absolute favorite part of curling – which, as it turns out, is the same for almost everybody on our show. (Warning: Adult Language)

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: The Science of Curling, with Olympians Brad Gushue & Nina Roth