Curler Chris Plys has spent decades preparing for this moment. He’s about to go for gold in the Beijing Olympics. We talk curling strategy, competing for Team USA and the last time he fell on the ice. Then, we countdown the Top 5 Olympic Sports.
Chris Plys: 01:09ish
Pointless: 30: 38ish
Top 5: 44:40ish
https://twitter.com/chrisplys (Chris Plys Twitter)
@TeamShuster (Team Shuster Twitter)
https://twitter.com/usacurl (USA Curling Twitter)
Interview with Curling Olympian Chris Plys
Nick VinZant 0:12
Welcome to Profoundly Pointless. My name is Nick VinZant. And coming up in this episode, curling, and the best of the Olympics,
Chris Plys 0:21
you know, every team that said this Olympics like, I truly think this will be the hardest Olympics ever. A lot of times when we're when we're throwing a rock to the middle, we're aiming like four or five, six feet on a different trajectory. So when you put that turn on the rock, yeah, it's very similar to chess in that way, where you're kind of trying to plan your moves out several shots in advance,
Nick VinZant 0:41
I want to thank you so much for joining us. If you get a chance, like, download, subscribe, share, leave a review, we really appreciate it really helps us out. So I want to get right to our first guest, because I am fascinated, fascinated by curling. And our first guest is one of the best curlers in the world. He's representing the United States in Beijing. This is Olympic curler, Chris plies right now leading up to the Olympics, like what is your training look like?
Chris Plys 1:13
Yeah, it's been a little bit challenging with with COVID. We're lucky enough to have a curling club here in Duluth, Minnesota that allows us to have private access to the club. And we have some icemakers and stuff that give us good conditions. So typically, we spend a lot more time as a team and a lot more time traveling, playing different tournaments, calm like bonspiels and curling, just the rules being what they are with, if you test positive, you're ineligible to play, you know, half the game right now is just trying to stay healthy. So been spending a lot more time on the fat tire bike, and, you know, hiking around with the dogs and all that kind of stuff. So,
Nick VinZant 1:50
I mean, looking at it on TV, right, and you know what that's worth but like, how physically demanding is it at your level?
Chris Plys 1:58
Yeah, curling is like one of those sports where, you know, you watch it on TV, and it doesn't seem like it's that physical, you know, of a sport, a couple things that you have to keep in mind is our tournaments are very long. So like heading into Beijing, I will been fortunate to qualify in two different disciplines. So I'll be like one of the busiest guys in China. And so our, I'll be there pretty much competing for like almost three weeks. And our games for mixed doubles will last about an hour and a half. And our men's games can last two and a half to three hours. But you're talking like being on the ice for anywhere from three to six hours a day. So it takes its toll on it like sweeping is very physical. You know, just like throwing rocks and stuff. That's not something that's gonna like beat your body up and stuff all that bunch, but the sweeping in the recovery time, and then yeah, just the mental side of it of being trying to compete at a high level for such a long period of time is pretty exhausting.
Nick VinZant 2:56
Is it more of a mental thing than it is a physical thing it is
Chris Plys 3:02
I would say it's about 5050 as the week goes on, especially when the stakes are so high like an Olympic Games or a world championship or something like that. That definitely takes its toll. But you know, as the years have gone, as the years have gone by and getting older and putting all this abuse on my knees and shoulders and stuff, the just the repetition over all the years of you know, getting into that like position that we throw the rock in. And then also the sweeping, I mean, it just it BTF mptf over years, and I've played other sports and stuff and I would say that Curling is especially at a high level is just as physically demanding isn't another source of the replay.
Nick VinZant 3:39
You know, you guys won last time last Olympics. Is it easier to kind of common in without those expectations? Or is it more difficult because now everybody's looking at you.
Chris Plys 3:51
I joined this team after the Olympics when one other team when one of those players retired. But I mean, the expectations and stuff are definitely still there. You know, the other three guys were there and yeah, I mean, try not to think about it too much. You know, it's it's an honor to like have those kind of expectations put on us but you know, as long as we can go there and and put a performance down that we're proud of. I think all of us will be happy leaving Beijing
Nick VinZant 4:16
I knew I was gonna say I knew this like I should really know. Nope, no, like no, I can't do it as like, I knew I was gonna say something.
Chris Plys 4:24
Oh, dude, I've been at so many. I've had so many like tournaments and stuff where I've been, you know, introduced as an Olympic gold medalist and sometimes in front of a lot of people and you just sit there and just wave just Yeah, sounds good. Now it's all good.
Nick VinZant 4:41
So then like when you when we're going on to a team that is filled with Olympic gold medalist. What is that like? Joining Metallica after they've already been Metallica Right?
Chris Plys 4:52
Um, you know, it's pretty cool. Like I I've played with all these guys minus John Lane center, who's our lead? I've played with all before Early in my career won a World Junior Championship with Matt. And I went to World University Games with Schuster back in the day and and then yeah, we had just competed against each other. We ran into each other in a lot of finals and stuff over the years. And so yeah, it was just a cool experience, it was like, it's you don't get that opportunity every day to join a, somebody that's coming off of an Olympic gold normally those players will, you know, at least play one more year and kind of carry out it, you know, you get a lot of cool opportunities when you win an Olympic gold. So I was fortunate enough to get to reap some of those benefits. And it's been a lot of fun.
Nick VinZant 5:34
When you go about it, right, like watching it on TV, like Okay, throw the thing try to get next to the center, somebody is in your way, knock the thing out of the way, is like, but he's there, how much strategy goes into it.
Chris Plys 5:47
I mean, strategy is the name of the game for curling. You know, it's, it's hard to see on TV. And it's one thing that I wish they would incorporate a little bit more of like an overhead view when it comes to curling. Because a lot of times when we're when we're throwing a rock to the middle, we're aiming like four or five, six feet on a different trajectory. So when you put that turn on the rock, and it's you know, not to get super complicated, but like hockey, ice is completely flat. And like figure skating ice, that kind of stuffs completely flat curling ice is flat, but it also has, we call it pebble. So there's little bumps, that they spray onto the top of the ice that allows the rock, which has a little texture on the bottom, when you put a turn on it, that texture on the bottom of the rock grabs those little pebbles and will pull it one direction or the other depending on what what turn, you know, counterclockwise or clockwise you put on the rock. So it's hard to tell when you're watching TV that there's that much stuff going on
Nick VinZant 6:43
the columns like reading a green in golf. Exactly,
Chris Plys 6:47
yeah, exactly like that. And so like, the slower you go, the slower the rock is moving forward, the more is kind of a tendency to curl. So just like a putting green, like you're playing a break. So if it's curling six feet, you know, if you want, if you have just like drop it in the hole type weight on your putt, you know, you're gonna have to play a bigger break. And you know, he's talking about guys like putting it through the through the break. Same with curling, you throw it harder, you're gonna take that break out of the equation, and the rock will travel straighter.
Nick VinZant 7:15
Is it pretty reliable? Like throughout the match? Right? Like, I know, I throw it here, I know it's gonna do this? Or does the ice kind of change throughout?
Chris Plys 7:24
Yeah, um, you know, at the high level, the ice makers are just as good as we are as players. So we're really fortunate to get to play on some really great playing surfaces. But as the as the game goes on, and on just those pebbles will kind of wear down and get flatter and flatter, which will cause the ISE to maybe tend to be a little bit slower, or curl a little bit more.
Nick VinZant 7:48
I never thought of while it's called curling. And then when you mentioned that oh, it kind of this all makes sense to me now. Yeah, it curls into the thing. Yeah. So like, how did you? I guess why are you good at it?
Chris Plys 8:03
A lot of practice, man. Just a lot of practice spent? Our I mean, 10s of 1000s hours 10s of 1000s of rocks. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's it's a game of repetition.
Nick VinZant 8:12
But to kind of follow up on that, right? Is there something though, unique about you, where if I went out and put in or anybody went in put in the same amount of time? Am I going to be just as good?
Chris Plys 8:26
I think it's kind of like that in every sport. You know, there definitely is some, like just some people just come to it more naturally. I think of it a little bit like golf. Like there's some guys that can go pick up a golf club and just, they just naturally have that ability to be to start at a little bit higher level or escalate their skill at a high a faster pace, where you see some guys that have been grinding out on the golf course for 25 years, and they're still shooting 90, you know, I mean, I think that's kind of stuff still, it finds its way into curling as well. You know, I've been lucky I seem to kind of have a little bit of that, you know, God given talent, if you will, where it just kind of came easy at a young age and, and came to it. So
Nick VinZant 9:07
it's not everything like you were tested by the doctor and you have the best depth perception. Anybody who has ever lived or anything like that?
Chris Plys 9:16
No, no, it's um, you know, I just was lucky enough to be born in a cold place that had a really nice curling club and and got into it at a young age. And here we are.
Nick VinZant 9:27
So bottom line is being an Olympian takes no talent.
Chris Plys 9:33
Yeah, exactly.
Nick VinZant 9:35
I guess when did you kind of make like, Oh, I could do this
Chris Plys 9:39
camera like 15 Maybe somewhere in that age. I was playing in a state championship and we didn't win. But I was picked up as an alternate by a bunch of guys. So juniors, goes up till you're 21 years old. So it's 21 and younger. So there's a bunch of guys that were like 1920 21 and they brought me along as well. turnout. And I learned a lot that year. And I was really fortunate to have a bunch of guys that had been around the block time or two that took me under their wing and, and kind of taught me what they knew. And so my, you know, a lot of times in curling, it takes a long time to learn all the ins and outs and stuff. And I was very fortunate to have people that, you know, saw something in me and are willing to kind of give me their secrets, if you will, and, and get me ahead of the curve. And yeah, so it, I was very lucky, very, very lucky in that, in that sense,
Nick VinZant 10:30
who's the more important person in each kind of round the person throwing it or the people sweeping it.
Chris Plys 10:35
So Curling is made up like on men's. So it's four guys in a team. So you have a lead a second, a third and a skip. My position is third. But every guy on the team will throw two rocks every end we call it but like end inning, you know, kind of same thing. And your position just is basically saying what order you're throwing it. So our lead throws the first two second throws the second to third, throw the third two, and then the skip is the guy at the other end. That's kind of the strategist of the team. And so he kind of calls the game and does the strategy side of it. And he's the guy that when you're watching on TV, you'll hear yelling and doing all that kind of stuff most of the time.
Nick VinZant 11:15
I always wondered who that was? Yep. Because I always see the three people it's like, well, I know there's four. Where's that fourth guy?
Chris Plys 11:22
Yep, the other guy. And he's kind of like our team captain, if you will. And so our team is led by John Schuster. He's our skip, and this will be his fifth Olympic games coming up in Beijing. So he's kind of the, you know, the Babe Ruth of USA curling, like, you know, I think, you know, I'm sure there's other names in the hat. But in my opinion, the greatest American curler of all time, certainly the most accomplished, and, yeah, so he's the guy that's kind of deciding what strategy what shot selection we should be playing. And then the yelling stems from, you know, him being at the other end, seeing that trajectory that that rock is coming in. And then communicating with the sweepers whether or not they have because sweeping will either will hold the rock straighter when they sweep it and it'll also carry it so like really great curlers are easily carrying a rock 1010 12 feet. So that yelling is coming from the sweepers yelling to the skip, you know where what kind of weight how fast that rock is traveling, so that he can decide, oh, okay, well, it's light, or it's heavy, you know, you know, the rocks moving too fast, it's moving too slow, this is what the trajectory is gonna be on. So sweep to, you know, keep it on this line, or don't sweep to let it curl more. So it's a lot of communications, the name of the game and curling, to be honest,
Nick VinZant 12:40
if I can follow up on that, so I kind of understand it, right. So it's kind of like, put this in terms of my brain understands, right, so the the thrower throws it. And then you guys are basically the sweepers are saying like, Oh, it's going fast. And then he says he thinks like, oh, it's going fast. Well then make it go. Right? Yep, exactly. You're essentially dictating that you're telling him how fast it's going. And then he's telling you what to do with it.
Chris Plys 13:03
Yeah, I mean, that's, that's, that's the gist of it pretty much. So as much communication, I mean, the high end Curling is like there's just our team systems like we spend so much time on just as much time on our on our team systems as we do on practicing. And
Nick VinZant 13:19
for like when we look at the sweeping, right and put this in relative terms of when we're talking about Olympians, like can the person throwing it, just blow it and the sweepers can fix it. And do it for an Olympic level, right, like as good as you get, you kind of blew it for being really good. But the sweepers will fix it. So it doesn't matter.
Chris Plys 13:36
Yeah, I mean, if you're essentially, if you're heavy, like if you throw it too hard, there's really nothing that the SuperS can do, if you're a little bit light, they can fix that. And if you're a little bit like narrow, or you didn't quite get out far enough, like they can tend to fix those, but it's not something like if you just throw a meatball, and you know, there is times where the sweepers and nobody else can do anything for you.
Nick VinZant 14:01
But I would imagine that doesn't happen too much.
Chris Plys 14:03
We try not to let that happen. You know, not to keep talking like bringing golf into it. But we kind of talk about it like taking the sand trap or to play like you know, kind of giving, giving your team something that they can work with.
Nick VinZant 14:16
Like you don't have to be perfect. You just really can't blow it. Just be
Chris Plys 14:19
close, be close, and then let your teammates you know, make it perfect for you for sure.
Nick VinZant 14:24
When when you're thinking about the strategy, right? Are you anticipating what the other team is going to be doing? Like let's say, hey, we need to put one on the right side. But I bet they're going to block us. So let's throw it left, because they're going to throw it here in two throws. So do you have to be like a throw ahead of them?
Chris Plys 14:42
Yeah, it's very similar to chess in that way where you're kind of trying to plan your moves out several shots in advance. And there is kind of a bit of a script that that a lot of like innings will follow or ends will follow. But yeah, you're you're trying to plan your moves ahead of time and you're trying to anticipate what that other team is going to do. So that's where the strategy comes in. So you're trying to, you know, plan ahead and maybe take away a shot, or an idea that that team had they wanted to do for later in the end. So and that, and that's where curling, you know, over the years and years and years in games, like hundreds and 1000s of games that you play, you know, every game, you kind of learn something new. So you might have an idea of something that's worked in the past, and then somebody comes up with an idea to kind of stifle that, that strategy, and you have to kind of, you know, come up with something new to defend against that.
Nick VinZant 15:33
Is there any I mean, obviously, you wouldn't reveal what it is. But is there any time like bleeding into something big, like the Olympics, like we've got this new strategy, and nobody's ever seen it before? Like, we've got this new trick play in football? And wait till you meet US, Canada? Or is it anything, or is everybody kind of seen it all, by this time,
Chris Plys 15:51
I think for the most part, everyone's kind of seen it all, a lot of it is dependent on execution at this level. But there's certainly like our last Olympic trials that we played, there's a team from the US, led by Cory drop kin and, and they kind of had a strategy, you know, built for us for the Olympic trials and executed it very well, and just about beat us, you know, to go to the Olympics, and, and, you know, after that, first, they beat the best of three in the Olympic trial final, and they beat us in the first game, and we had to win the next two. But, I mean, after that first game that we lost, we had some very serious conversations in the locker room about how to defend against that, because this was something that we weren't used to seeing. And yeah, it was interesting, it hadn't happened in a lot. And in quite a while that I can remember where we really struggled with, you know, how to match up with someone strategically for you know, to answer what they were throwing at us.
Nick VinZant 16:43
What was it that they were doing? Like, is it something that a lay person would understand? Or is it um, this is high curling? Man,
Chris Plys 16:49
it I mean, it was essentially, you know, we like to be very offensive. So we like to have lots and lots of rocks in play. And they were just kind of taking that, that strip, like that strategy out of our, you know, out of our control. And yeah, I mean, looking back on it, it was kind of fun to it was, you know, to have that strategic battle in a big moment. And, yeah, made for a really exciting final.
Nick VinZant 17:14
Are you ready for some harder slash listener submitted questions? Let's do it. How do you slide like that?
Chris Plys 17:21
Okay, so um, so curling shoes have their two completely separate shoes. So our sliding shoe has, so this one has Teflon on the bottom. And so it's going to have some sort of slippery material, whether it's Teflon, which is the most common, or stainless steel, you'll see used ceramic used to be used back in the day a bit more. But this shoe is the what, what allows us to slide and then our other shoe is just a rubber. It's just super grippy. So when we're done throwing, typically, we'll put a rubber cover over this one so that we can, you know, walk on the ice and not be sliding all over the place. But yep, this is the this is the magic that goes into sliding around on the ice. It's just a quarter inch piece of Teflon.
Nick VinZant 18:05
This is my question, how far can you slide? Like, I'm always wondering, every time I see like, how far are they sliding when they do that?
Chris Plys 18:12
You know, before like warm ups and stuff. You'll see little kids doing it all the time. Because it's like, obviously, like when your little kid that's part of the fun of being out there. It's a sliding as far as he can. So I mean, you can slide to the other end of the ice, which is I mean, I should know how far that is. But it's 100 and some feet. Yeah, yeah. Yep.
Nick VinZant 18:29
Are you serious? Yeah. So
Chris Plys 18:31
it's, uh, I mean, typically, during, like, during a curling game, you have to release before a certain point. It's called the hog line. So typically, we're not sliding a whole lot further past that. Like we'll just stop our momentum and get up so we can be like involved in what's happening in the shot. But yeah, I mean, you can slide clear to the other end if you want.
Nick VinZant 18:51
Damn. This leads into another question. When is the last time you fell down on the ice? Oh, man.
Chris Plys 18:57
I mean, I've fallen a couple of times in practice just by like not being aware of my surroundings and tripping over a rock and going down and stuff but I took a good spill at the World Championships this last year, was sliding backwards and ran into the the sideboards and went right on my ass that was, thankfully, there was no fans because we are in a bubble. But if there was no event even more embarrassing,
Nick VinZant 19:18
not that's not on camera anywhere we can't find.
Chris Plys 19:22
It might be on there somewhere.
Nick VinZant 19:23
I sue. I remember that used to be a thing where like, if people at a restaurant dropped the glasses, like everybody would stop, like, does everybody in the arena know? Like all Chris just fell?
Chris Plys 19:34
Yeah, I mean, it's, uh, normally they won't make a big deal of what I'm there. So you'll definitely catch some flack from somebody after once you get into the locker room or something.
Nick VinZant 19:45
We kind of answered this question already. But I think we did. How many if we did it, but this person just writes What's with all the scrubbing.
Chris Plys 19:52
So essentially, you're just trying to put as much weight as much of your body weight as you can over the head of the broom or like the fabric part of the broom and then move as fast as you can. So typically we're sweeping on a normal shot, you're probably sweeping for 25 seconds or so. And then the other team was throw. So the name of the game for curling a lot of times is, you know, because it's you're exerting a lot of effort. And sweeping is man like, like, it's I played other sports and stuff, and you get into a, you know, a tennis match, and you're sweeping a ton, like it is physically exhausting, exerting that effort, and then getting ready to go again. And you're doing that over and over and over again. So like when we're training off ice for sweeping, it's a lot of interval training, because you're just trying to exert as much effort as you can, and then bring your heart rate back down, get ready to go again, and you know, you're doing that, you know, 40 5060 times a game.
Nick VinZant 20:44
I mean, it does look intense. I will say that, like, whoo, they're really sweeping. How good are you with a broom around the
Chris Plys 20:52
house? Oh, man, dude, like, back when I was in high school, I used to get so much crap from my friends. But I was just preparing myself for later in life of you know, being able to be really great at sweeping and cleaning and stuff. But yeah, I get I get my way around the house pretty well with a broom. You know, it's, I can handle that I can hold my own.
Nick VinZant 21:13
Like, look, you want to see somebody sweep up a kitchen, you know, hurler?
Chris Plys 21:16
Yeah, give me a call that you'll you'll be shocked at how clean your places.
Nick VinZant 21:21
Favorite piece of curling lingo?
Chris Plys 21:24
Huh? Um, it's a good question. I mean, there's a lot of times where curling can stand a little bit dirty. You know, talking about like, hitting it in the crotch or, or, you know, that kind of stuff. So there's a lot of times my friends that aren't super familiar with curling will hear hear us say something during the game? Like, what the hell are you guys even talking about? Like, sounds like you turn the if you weren't watching the TV, like you think you're watching something? You know, not safe for work?
Nick VinZant 21:55
Is there trash talk and curling? You know, there is a
Chris Plys 21:58
bid typically depends on how well you know, you know, the other team, like we have some teams around the world that we've played tons of times, and, you know, our good buddies off the ice and stuff. And so typically, the trash talk is happening more. You know, in good fun. They call it a gentleman sport. So there isn't a whole lot of, you know, trash talking opponents. You know, it's definitely happened, you know, there's definitely been times where you might think a guy is doing something that is a little bit cheap or something like that. And you might call him out and it might get a little bit, a little bit feisty. But other than that, it's it's pretty tame.
Nick VinZant 22:36
But you couldn't like the other person's getting ready to throw championship match, like walk up and be like, don't miss it left, Steve.
Chris Plys 22:45
I mean, you you certainly could, but I think you would be you'd be run out of the game pretty quickly. If that became a habit, this is
Nick VinZant 22:55
this is my personal opinion, that Curling is probably the best Olympic sport, or at least one of the most interesting Olympic sports to watch for the Winter Olympics. Like have you noticed an increase in attention?
Chris Plys 23:08
I would say since 2006, the US team won a bronze medal. The Olympics are in Trino that year. And I would say that there's been a higher you know, viewership and stuff. Because I mean, like any any sport in the US are, you know, people like to cheer for, for winners and stuff. So I mean, that definitely brought you know, definitely brought a little bit more eyes to the to the sport. But I think over the years have gone by, you know, curling is every every time is one of the most watched sports, I think part of it is people are drawn into, you know, seeing something that that they don't quite understand and getting involved in the strategy. But one thing I think is really cool about Curling is we're all miked. So you can hear our conversations on the ice during all the games. So you get to know a little bit of like, just like also the personalities of the players that are on the ice. But also get like a really in depth insight as to like what's happening out there. You don't just have you know, a talking head that's out there explaining everything to you the whole time. And, you know, the Olympics is It's cool, man, you get people that are from Arkansas, and you get somebody from Hawaii and you get somebody from West Virginia and they're all they're all They're watching and you know, tweet net Yeah. And it's it's fun, it's a lot of fun.
Nick VinZant 24:26
Can you make a living straight off of it?
Chris Plys 24:28
It's getting there. You know, we have a couple of guys on our team that are pretty much professional curlers, I have a side you know, job myself, but it's definitely getting to that point. I when I was a younger kid, I kind of had dreams that it would be a little would be a little bit further along at this point. But I think I think there's kids that are coming up right now that will for sure be full time, you know, curlers, but yeah, we don't have the million dollar contracts that you're seeing in other sports for sure.
Nick VinZant 24:56
Is there like a country that is like whoo, This is this is the this is curling Mecca, and you know they're gonna be tough every year no matter what.
Chris Plys 25:06
Yeah, I mean, I mean, like Canada has over a million curlers. So I mean, they're they're always on you know a podium contender you know what that that landscape is changing on the on the upper end of curling I'd say that there's you know every team that's had this Olympics I I truly think this will be the hardest Olympics ever. You know, Scotland I believe is the number one team in the world right now. Sweden is always up there Canada obviously the switch the Swiss guys are fantastic you know ourselves Norway I mean like it really go through the list there's there's really good teams coming from all over the world right now which is just phenomenal for the sport you know, not be seeing the same the same faces and the same teams all the time and just goes to show you know, Canada for sure. I mean, the game was originated in Scotland, but Canada's you know, it's if you're not playing hockey, you're probably curling so yeah, I would say Canada's probably like the mecca of of curling in the world.
Nick VinZant 26:09
First question anyone asked to see when they find out you're a curler? Huh?
Chris Plys 26:14
Are you the thrower? The Are you the pusher? The sweeper? Probably?
Nick VinZant 26:19
Yeah, the guy or the other guy? Yeah, exactly.
Chris Plys 26:21
Yeah, like go and we're all of them. How has
Nick VinZant 26:25
how has curling your ability to curl helped you in other aspects of life? Like as a curling like, oh, man, I can I can play beanbag toss like,
Chris Plys 26:38
man, I've won some. I've won plenty of beers and some money at shuffleboard at the bar, that's for sure.
Nick VinZant 26:43
Oh, you got to be able to crush it. Right? Oh,
Chris Plys 26:45
yeah, you get that? You got that touchdown. You know, you got a little strategy in there. So yeah, we've had some had some free beers come that way. But other than that, man, like, it's especially in a in a something that you've given so much to your life to which that necessarily hasn't like financially compensated the amount of time that you put into it. It's taught me a ton about, you know, just commitment to something, finishing a, you know, seeing things through and, and, you know, just kind of doing, doing all the hard work when nobody's watching, which I think it translates well into other parts of life.
Nick VinZant 27:23
What not to kind of push you out the door, but like, what advice would you give to the next generation.
Chris Plys 27:30
You know, my slogan, my grandpa has been one of my, you know, biggest supporters over my career, you know, whether it was starting off playing little kids soccer to, you know, now go into the Olympics, and his motto has always been, you know, the most fun wins. And I always told myself that I would retire when I stopped having fun. And I think one thing that concerns me a little bit about watching these kids come up behind me is there's a lot of emphasis on, on results right away. You know, kids becoming a not just in curling, but becoming like specialized at a, you know, 12 years old. I don't think that's healthy at all. Like, I think you should be able to play as many sports as you can have as much fun with your friends as you can. And only play sports if you're, if you're loving it and having fun because the truth of the matter is very select few of you are going to end up you know, being a professional in that sport. And the best times the best memories that I have from curling, even playing at the top are the time like the fun, the fun things that we've that we've gotten to do. And you know, the memories of just dicking around with your teammates playing pranks on people and just the the Yeah, all the fun stories that have come from other years of travel.
Nick VinZant 28:49
Anything you think we missed or anything else you'd like to add?
Chris Plys 28:53
Oh, no, man, I appreciate you having me on. If anybody has any questions, though, you know, my social media stuff is pretty active. And I got no problem. If anybody has any questions or anything, you know, having a conversation with somebody and explaining them something or there's no dumb question. So fire away.
Nick VinZant 29:11
How much does the curler away actually? Is it thing is it heavy? Like the stuff I've never done it?
Chris Plys 29:17
Yeah, the stone so the stones weighed 42 pounds. And kind of one of the cool things about Curling is, again to go back to golf but the golf course Turnberry, in Scotland. There's an island off of that golf course called Ailsa Craig. And the majority of all the stones come from that one specific island. So they're made out of granite, and it's a special kind of granite that it just doesn't have a whole lot of impurities into it. So you can bang them around as much as you can and and they're not going to break on you, or any sort of any sort of thing like that. So yeah, it's kind of a kind of a cool thing about curling.
Nick VinZant 29:54
I wouldn't say that every time I've seen it on TV. I've always been like those look really nice. But yeah, That thing's made out of that looks really nice.
Chris Plys 30:02
And that show how it's made, actually did a, an F, or like a part of an episode on how they make curling rocks. And it's actually pretty interesting. You know, going and watching that. So if you have like, Go on YouTube or whatever and check out the How It's Made. Curling rock, you'll be able to see exactly how those things are all made.