This is about sports!

Ok, fine, it's about curling. But I promise that tomorrow I will attend an Olympic event that will be neither speedskating nor curling, and I will write about it all day, without the use of parentheses.

This morning was pretty much do or die time for the Kiwi Curlers.

By the way, I got an e-mail from Kiwi skip and sheep/deer farmer Sean Becker's sister Bridget:

Just thought I'd write a quick message to say thanks for getting behind the Kiwi supporters (and taking such a great interest in our NZ cheese/curling relationship)!! I am Sean Becker's sister currently residing in Melbourne, Australia, and I get to see none of their games due to the patriotic Australian Television over here that shows only Australians competing. So I am getting all my information about curling through websites and text messages from all parts of the world. So anything that brings attention to our little wee country down under, like your journal entries, can only be seen as a good thing (and may even help us to finally get some much needed funding).

Only wish I was there myself to cheer for the flightless birds in the curling rink!

Well if it's one thing I can tell you about New Zealanders they never give up (and they love to party), so if you hang around and give them a chance you're in for heck of a ride!!

Anyhow, this morning was pretty much do or die time for the Kiwi Curlers. They were facing Finland, one of those middle-of-the-road nations that the Kiwis are able to compete with on an even level. I ran into some of the One Sport NZTV guys in the breakfast room. "If they don't win every game, they're toast," one of them said of the Kiwi Curlers. One Sport was getting ready to throw its resources behind the Kiwi SBX snowboarders.

Since so many people have asked me this, I asked the One Sport guys why there aren't more Kiwi skiers here. They explained that while there is great skiing in the South Island, and while foreign pros actually go to New Zealand to train, there are just too few people living in the South Island to expect a legion of Olympic-level competitors. Also, the winter doesn't last very long.

"Kiwi kids are known for running around in bare feet and shorts," one of the guys said. "That's the way it is. My kids are always running around in bare feet and shorts. [Skiing] is just not one of the things we do. We play rugby."

There is a bar here in Turin called the "All Blacks," named, we think, after the famed Kiwi rugby side. We think this is because former Kiwi star John Kirwan has coached in Italy. The bar actually isn't far from Club Bud, which style writer Libby Copeland fiendishly wrote about in today's paper.

So, the Kiwis vs. the Finns. The Olympic computer terminals are fantastic for curling updates, and at the end of a game they give you graphical representations of the key moment. It was 5-4 for Finland going into the eighth of 10 ends (innings), and the Kiwis had the Hammer (last ups). Going into the skips (the last players, who have two stones each), the Kiwis seemed well positioned, with the two closest stones to the button (which is the center circle, or bullseye). I'll let the press release take it from here.

Facing a possible score of several points for the opponent, Finnish Skip UUSIPAVALNIEMI M uses his ability to throw big weight to play a perfect Promotion Double Take-out, forcing the opponent to tie the game later in the end, therefore remaining in control of this very close game before the last two ends.

Basically, Uusipavalniemi managed to eliminate, or "take-out," both of those close Kiwi stones, at which point the Finns had the four closest stones to the tee. (And if I'm getting this wrong, somebody correct me). To prevent the Finns from stealing points, the Kiwis and Becker were forced to curl in a lone stone and take a single point, which is essentially a loss, because the Finns then reclaimed the Hammer. So it was 5-5 going into the last two ends, but the Finns had last ups, and they took two points in the 10th to win, 7-5.

So the Kiwi Curlers are 0-4. They still have winnable games against Germany and Italy, but will need to rally their spirits after such a tough opening stretch.

By Dan Steinberg |  February 15, 2006; 10:44 AM ET
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