Curling-Why curlers need to be in great shape to compete at top level

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 14 : As Olympic skiers hurtle down slopes at frightening speeds, and snowboarders and ski jumpers soar through the skies, curlers are renowned more for their cerebral strategy.

The physical demands of the sport, however, are real.

"The strain is massive," Glenn Howard, one of Canada's most decorated curlers and a four-times world champion, told Reuters.

"The position you get into on a curling delivery is not really natural. What it does is it puts a ton of strain on the inside of your knee and your cartilage. Over time, it takes its toll. You have to be in as good a shape as you possibly can. 

"You're also starting to see some shoulder injuries, because curlers are getting such good shape, and there's so much pressure and effort put into sweeping, but mostly the knee is kind of the big one."

Asked how much the fitness levels had changed in recent years, Howard, now a coach with the Swiss men's team, added: "Oh, exponentially. These are full-fledged athletes. All these curlers are in great shape. 

"I would put them up against most athletes in here (Winter Olympics). They do what it takes to get themselves in great shape.

"Curling is maybe not as physically demanding as some other sports, but to be at the top level, you have to be in great shape. It's super cardio."

'IF YOU'RE NOT FIT, GOOD LUCK'

For American men's team alternate Rich Ruohonen, who took up curling in the 1980s and this week became the country's oldest Winter Olympian, the game is no longer the same as it was when his career began.

"I came from the days when guys were smoking cigarettes out on the ice," Ruohonen told reporters.

"In my day, all we did was throw rocks, just every day practice, trying to get better that way, but not working