14 ways TV producers can make Olympic curling competitions more watchable

I like watching curling. What would make it more watchable on screens big and small?

1. Improve history and color commentary for curling newbies, as Jessica Margolin said.
2. Start analyzing players and teams well before big competitions so hosts and sites can share their favorite tactics and tricks, their past weaknesses and current problems, and their physical health.
3. Compare training regimens by team/role.
4. Show the stone’s trail over the ice. (Like #concussionball’s football in flight)
5. Each stone is a unique creation with variations in shape and weight (between 38 and 44 pounds) and handle. Start naming and profiling the stones used like you would horses or team members.
6. Show the stone’s speed as it flies. Analyze how speed and accuracy work with/against each other.
7. Show the trail of patches where the brooms liquefied the ice.
8. Show the diagram of stone interactions as they collide. Physics vector diagrams explain the mystery.
9. Overlay the history of stone trails and stone interactions for each end (the round of play and the bit of ice with the target).
10. Add microphones to stones so we can hear stone against ice changing from throw to finish, so we can hear the collisions from close up.
11. Add POV cameras to the players and stones. A stone’s-eye view would be intense as sweeping speeds things up, changes the path, and collisions jar the stone.
12. Add sensors to the brooms so we can actually measure and analyze speed, pressure, frequency, angle and compare competitor performance.
13. Dig into curling’s technology fetishes. Footwear for walking many kilometers on ice while also being able to slide or provide traction. Uniforms that allow movement while staying warm and fashionable. Brooms/brushes with ergonomic grips; brush materials and surfaces designed to manipulate ice in clever ways; high performance stick materials and shapes. Stone accessories.
14. Partner with a sponsor to host hometown competitions of the tabletop puck version of curling found in bars and pubs. Feature winners. And compare the .2 kg pucks with the 20 kg stones.

If this isn’t enough… I like the idea of reimagining curling.

• Sweeps fighting other sweeps with brooms.
• Throwing your body (or one of the opposition) in front of a stone.
• Rocket propelled stones.
• Climate change rounds where the ice melts during the game.
• Extra points if the skip pirouettes until the rock stops.
• A cappella quartet singing while the other team throws.