Curling like a champion
The unique sport of curling remains mostly out of the spotlight. But every four years, that changes, says brothers Hunter and Caleb Clawson, of Clarksville. After each winter Olympics, the Potomac Curling Club in Laurel sees a huge influx in interest at its meetings and open houses. For now, it’s just a core group of devotees shuffling up and down the ice.
The Clawsons, trained by their father Eric for the past eight years, are competing in the International Curling Championships this week in Vancouver. On Sunday, the Clawsons did some training exercises and competed in a friendly match with other club members.
The video below was partly shot on a GoPro camera attached to a curling stone to give a rare perspective of the sport.
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- Caleb Clawson takes aim. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Caleb and Hunter sweep in front of a stone down the ice. The sweeping helps the stone travel further. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Brooms on the wall at the Potomac Curling Club in Laurel. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Hunter Clawson prepares to “throw” a stone. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Eric Clawson, right, the brothers’ father, also does curling. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Hunter holds his sweeper. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Caleb Clawson releases a stone during a Sunday, March 24 practice for the International Curling Champions. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Eli Clawson, center, the youngest of the family, watches his stone travel down the ice while brothers Caleb, left, and Hunter prepare to sweep. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Marsha Allen, left, of Columbia, and John Warshawsky, of Bethesda, sweep in front of a stone during a friend match with the Clawson family. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Many stones have names on them. Derek Surka, the brothers said, is just “really good” at curling. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
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- Mike Jones, of Columbia, signals with his hand what direction Jeremy Singer, of Silver Spring, the stone thrower at the far end, should aim. (Jon Sham/BSMG)
Video below
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