There’s just something magical about the sight of one of the world’s greatest athletes – Tiger Woods – working his magic before the looming presence of curling’s greatest natural landmark.

(Click on the Associated Press photo by Jon Super to magnify the reverence)

Golf’s British Open – or simply The Open Championship – has returned to the Ailsa Craig course at Turnberry after an absence of 17 years.

As a result, everyone in the high-profile golf world are stumbling over each other to lay breathless praise on the Ailsa Craig itself, the monolith of volcanic rock which sits some 12 miles out in the Irish Sea and thus provides glorious background imagery for fellows like Tiger.

A preview story earlier this week by Associated Press writer Paul Newberry summed up the importance of the reverent Ailsa Craig to our sport, curling:

On a sunny day – and that’s how the weather broke around lunchtime – the hill provides the best spot to gaze on the Ailsa Craig, a massive island of rock in the Firth of Clyde that measures two miles around, rises 1,129 feet above the sea and is best known these days for its role in a decidedly different sport – curling.

“Someone was telling me that every curling stone in the world comes from that island,” Geoff Ogilvy said. “That’s got to be a myth.”

Not really. The isle’s unique granite is believed to provide the best material for carving out the stones used by the sweepers on ice. Since curling became a Winter Olympic sport in 1998, every stone got its start on the Ailsa Craig.

Well, actually… as most curling fans know, the Ailsa Craig is the legendary source, but newer quarries in Wales and Finland are providing the curling world with more options, as the Craig supply is gradually depleted.

And we would probably change that last line to read “Since curling became a Winter Olympic sport in 1998, not every stone got its start on the Ailsa Craig.” Anyone agree or disagree?

To sum up all things Ailsa Craig, we suggest the following links:

• the “official” story from Wikipedia

• a cool story from Times writer Lynn Truss

• Kays of Scotland, the official stone manufacturers

• another outfit, offering Craig jewelry and curling collectables

• the hotel in Edinburgh

• the indie rock band from Leeds

• the unknown Canadian village in southwestern Ontario

• the sociology professor in Newfoundland, Canada

And finally, USA Curling is auctioning off an authentic Ailsa Craig curling stone that will be autographed by the 2010 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic curling team members. To bid on this one-of-a-kind item, search for “Team USA Autographed Curling Stone” on eBay… or just click here.

Anything else for a Friday?

• A reminder of today’s Rockin’ The Gold curling fundraiser in Toronto, which we told you about here. Looks like blogTO has a promo writeup, too …

• Were the Canadians a wee bit too intense at the recent Tropicurl summer spiel in Pittsburgh?

• Curling in Corner Brook, Newfoundland may be wiped out this coming season …

• And finally… is this what the kids are doing these days?

“I’ve seen the game evolve,” says Morris. “The old stereotypes about curlers just aren’t true anymore. If you look at the top players, nearly all of them are very fit athletes with Olympic aspirations who devote a great deal of time to physical conditioning.”

Morris points out that high-performance curlers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from the sport-specific training offered in the book.

“The book is written so that curlers of all levels can follow a program that suits them,” says JoMo. “Even the recreational player who curls once or twice a week and competes in a couple of bonspiels will enjoy the game more by working out just a few hours a week. They’ll be able to contribute more when they compete and feel better about their overall level of fitness.”

Filled with color photography of many of the world’s top players – the pics are supplied by CurlingZone’s Dallas Bittle, SWEEP! chief Jim Henderson and, of course, Anil Mungal of this here The Curling News – the book details the physical demands of the sport and offers three levels of training programs – with calendars – to “make it easy for people to incorporate a fitness routine into their life. Even the typical curler who juggles family, career and the sport can find time for the workouts – many can be completed in less than an hour.”

Morris, who also skipped teams to world junior titles in 1998 and 1999, also suggests that “Whether you’re delivering a stone or sweeping from end to end, curling places unique demands on the body. It only makes sense to follow a training program that will help you feel fresh and perform better on the ice.”

Morris wrote the book with Dean Gemmell, who played lead for Quebec in the 1988 Brier and now produces a popular podcast called The Curling Show from his home in Short Hills, New Jersey. A side benefit of working on the book, remarks Gemmell, is that “I’m a more fit curler at 42 than I was at 20.”

Gemmell also notes that one dollar from the sale of every book in Canada will be given to the Canadian Curling Association to support junior curling programs throughout the country.

“John believes strongly in the value of curling in the life of a young person,” says Gemmell. We hope that this might help introduce a few more kids to the sport or keep them playing.”

Fit to Curl is available for purchase as of now through the official website and in curling pro shops. Shipping commences on September 8.

The website offers a 17-page preview download, which includes the table of contents and some fine pics, including one classic from 1993. Yes, John, Sav’s hair is worse than yours.

We’ve also got a local community story here plus check out this stop-motion photography of the transformation of the venue from a house of hockey to the palace of The Roaring Game.

As for TV, check out the Ontario Curling Association website for the televised draws, but keep in mind only The Curling News TV Curling Guide (in the February print edition) tells you which matches were intended for coverage, at press time. “So there” and “ahem”.

As for the talent, veteran play-by-play man Dan Dunleavy of Fan590 Sports Radio will be there, with rinkside commentary provided by Marilyn Bodogh. Rogers TV sports broadcaster Matt McCooeye will host the broadcasts.

Meanwhile:

• Here’s a Bismarck, North Dakota story on the Brazilians, written after their first match. They didn’t last long, losing all three matches in emphatic fashion, but kudos on their debut appearance nontheless. The United States, thanks to Todd Birr, is back in the Ford Worlds in Moncton …

• Edmonton’s Heather Nedohin took three in the ninth, stole the 10th (showing her grit), but couldn’t quite do it again in the extra frame and lost the Alberta final to Cheryl Bernard.
Sounds like there was a bit of a collapse for Shannon Kelibrink, too …

• There were lots of tears in Saskatchewan, and this didn’t even involve the winning team. That was Stefanie Lawton, who is back in the STOH …

• In Ontario, Krista McCarville won her third final in four years, making her Ontario’s dominant team of the decade. But is she ready to make the playoffs in Victoria?

• Bob Weeks found an opportunity to mention curling on his SCOREGolf blog …

• And finally, this guy loves the USA Curling “Buy the Button” eBay promotion …