Could This Russian Idea Be Rockford’s Next Big Winter Thing?

When you think about the things we here in Rockford enjoy during the winter months, there's one constant theme: Ice. Rockford is definitely an ice-skating town, having produced multiple champions to back up that claim. We're also a big hockey town, from the junior leagues all the way up to the Rockford IceHogs. I'm thinking that a new sport from Russia would be a perfect fit in the Forest City.

The new sport that I'm referring to is Car Curling, and the Russians just held their first tournament in Ekaterinburg. Here's the description from UPI:

Russian curling enthusiasts kicked the sport up a notch with an exhibition tournament that slid cars across the ice instead of stones. The tournament, sponsored by a local auto insurance company and held in the Urals city of Ekaterinburg, featured four teams of 10 people pushing compact Oka cars across the ice toward the curling markings. The cars were stripped of their window glass for safety and their engines to make them more lightweight. The players had drivers inside the vehicles to steer -- a replacement for the use of brooms that usually steers a stone in a game of curling. The winning team was the one that managed to get their car the closest to the center of a painted circle.

A local insurance agent came up with the idea, and even got her company to sponsor it, as a way to raise awareness of two things: the sport of curling, and the danger of Russia's icy streets and highways. Not surprisingly, the event was a huge success, with fans roaring their approval at every crash.

Why wouldn't it work right here in Rockford? We have everything required for success. Cold, icy weather? Check. Plenty of ice, both indoor and outdoor? Check. Cars? Check. Take a look at the action and tell me that you wouldn't show up at the BMO Harris Bank Center, the The Indoor Sports Center at Mercyhealth Sportscore Two parking lot, or even the Eclipse Lagoon at Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens to watch the action:

Let me know when Rockford area leagues start forming. I'm in.