Lillehammer, Norway
Tuesday 16 February 2016
Brazil’s curlers at the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games are out to show that ice is not just for drinks.
Victor Cesar Da Cunha Santos, Brazil's skip, plans to change the popular misconception that Brazil and curling do not go together, despite tough competition in the Mixed team event. Brazil scored historic first Olympic points in curling during the round-robin, but were unable to manage a win.
Brazil has no Curling Rinks and Lillehammer 2016 marks the first time that Brazil’s curling teenagers are wearing their homeland’s colours at an international meet.
After Giovanna Barros, one of two girls on the team, threw one of the 18.14kg curling stones during a training session at Lillehammer’s Curling Hall and lost her balance and fell, she was all smiles.
“There is no point of getting up and quitting. You just keep going,’’ said Barros.
“It was very confusing and I did not know what do to. I thought it would be easy but it is difficult and I thought ‘oh no’,” said Barros, when asked about her initial impression of curling. “The strategy is the part I like. It helps to be into it. If you are not into it, it would be difficult.”
“My goal here is to learn more things. I did not start that long ago and I feel I could learn more things here. A lot of the curlers here have experience and we can learn from them.”
Da Cunha Santos, who lives in Montreal, Canada, acknowledges that he struggled when he started curling.
“It was really hard and you have a lot to think about on the ice,’’ he said. “The first time I played, it was hard to get the balance and the weight. We had a lot to think about.
“But I never thought about quitting. When I started, I told myself to stick with it. But I never thought this would happen to me, that I would be a curler.”
“I never thought about quitting. When I started, I told myself to stick with it. But I never thought this would happen to me, that I would be a curler.”
Matheus Bacelo de Figueiredo of the Brazilian Confederation of Ice Sports was on hand to watch the Brazilian teenagers hold their first training session.
He said curling is slowly gaining popularity back home.
“I think it is important to show Brazilians that we can curl, and important to show that young people can take it up. We are serious about this. We want to show people we have a good product.”
“I think it is important to show Brazilians that we can curl, and important to show that young people can take it up. We are serious about this. We want to show people we have a good product.”
“It is totally different for us because it is on ice, and you need to sweep rocks and have a different strategy to protect the rocks. People like it, however.
‘’We do not have facilities but we have a game that is similar [i.e. bocce] and people can understand curling. Last year we had the first Brazilian championship in Vancouver.
“But we have people who curl in Montreal, Toronto and we even have a guy who curls in Switzerland. “
Da Cunha Santos feels curling will catch on in Brazil, and he already knows where he wants to go in the sport.
“I would love to be the champion of Brazil one day and win medals.”
Courtesy of YIS/ IOC Alan Adams
Curling fans can follow all the action from Lillehammer 2016 on social media using the following channels:
Twitter/Instagram: www.twitter.com/worldcurling
Facebook: www.facebook.com//WorldCurlingFederation
YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_Fr_yXnOHvi0qIibzUEUi0EQf4orufXQ
Hashtags: #YOGcurling #iLoveYOG #Lillehammer2016