Best of Us Curling Challenge?

The International Olympic Committee has launched a contest, The Best of Us Challenge, which offers the chance to win some branded IOC merchandise as well as a trip to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games or the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

Olympic athletes from around the world have created video “challenges” and invite you to take them up on that challenge.

Relax – these athletes aren’t leaning on their particular sport expertise... not at all, actually.

For example, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal wants to see if you can hold more tennis balls at one time than he can (he picked up and held 24 balls in 30 seconds). U.S. Alpine Skiier Lindsey Vonn wants to know, in a 30-second time limit, in how many different languages can you say “hello?” (She came up with nine)

Here’s our challenge to curling fans: how many of you will choose the option to “submit your own challenge” and bring a little bit of curling-oriented fun to this campaign?

Anyone who submits a video challenge to the IOC contest website with some kind of curling theme attached to it will win a free subscription to The Curling News, for yourself or a friend/family member.

And, of course, we’ll make you famous. Guaranteed.

Simply notify us of your IOC submission by emailing us at contest_at_thecurlingnews.com. Go for it!

Curling superstars in Moncton

Lots of pickup of the WCF announcement of the 2009 Ford Worlds in Moncton, including Bill Graveland’s story featuring local hero Russ Howard.

Russ was there for the announcement, of course, alongside a series of curling legends (see photo)... in fact, can anyone name these past heroes? Post to our blog’s Comments section below this story, and you just might win something.

We fully expect Bacon to be among the first respondents... will someone else top him to win?

Still with Moncton, Lorne Mitton – the curling mayor – has announced he will not run for another term... so, will Mitton take a volunteer role with the Ford Worlds organizing committee?

• Finally, Russ Howard will help hockey’s Moncton Wildcats offer a $10,000 prize to a spectator during an on-ice curling challenge. The fun takes place on September 23 ...

Elsewhere:

• There are multiple events on tap this weekend – Shorty, Galt, Oslo, Edmonton etc. – and all results are available on CurlingZone’s Gameday Scoreboard, right here in the middle of your page when you log in. Boom. There’s nowhere else you need to go!

• Ontario curling fans can tune in this weekend and see the Galt finales on local TV ...

• The International Olympic Committee and the seven Olympic Winter Sport Federations recently met in Vancouver to discuss the progress of the 2010 Games, and the World Curling Federation has posted an update ...

• Kelly Scott’s defending world champions are in Regina tomorrow and Sunday, promoting the 2008 Scotties in the Queen City, where they will represent Team Canada. Also on the agenda is a challenge match against Joel Jordison’s men’s team ...

• The Manitoba Curling Tour finally has a good date for their championships, plus a new website, too ...

• Denver has won the right to host the U.S. Nats/Trials in 2009... and perhaps this angry bird might even attend. Meanwhile, there’s almost as much media coverage of Bismark’s loss...

• Finally, it seems these guys have discovered the Norberg/Hammerfall video... nearly two years after the fact. We thought the internet worked faster than that ...?