FOX 21 News
Shawn Corbin and Scott Anderson took up wheelchair curling when they visited the Duluth CC on a Courage Center Duluth sponsored learn to curl night.
“There was no one here to teach us how to shoot from a wheelchair [so we] kind of developed a way to simulate their sliding release,” Shawn told Eric Gullickson, FOX 21 News.
“We tried several different methods of delivery,” says Anderson, “We didn't realize there was one standard way to do it. And we came up with this method and thought this is really the best method or most practical way to do it.”
They feel the WCF rule mandating a stationary wheelchair needs to be changed but have been told the rule exists to make the sport as inclusive as possible.
Shawn is skeptical. "I don't know who exactly wrote the rules, who they were writing them for,” he said.
“If curling from a stand still position worked the best the able bodied curlers would do it too,” added able-bodied teammate Jeff Anderson. “It imitates actual curling much more than a stationary delivery and pushing a rock.”
Watching the video, both delivered stones with impressive weight and direction, but the front of their chairs moved considerably during release. They should find that a stationary delivery, once practiced, would produce far greater accuracy and weight control than propelling their chair and rock before pushing, unbraced, at the target.
