Communication For today's curling tip I think back to the recently completed US Olympic Team Trials held in Fargo, ND (home of a beautiful new 6 sheet curling club by the way). As a fifth player on one of the teams, I had a front row seat to all the action, what really stuck out to me was that the teams with the best communication seemed to rise to the top. It's no secret that good communication is important in our sport, from skip to shooter, from shooter to sweepers, from sweepers to skip, and vice versa. The teams that were fighting for those Olympic berths at the end of the week were the ones that were communicating best. They always seemed to know exactly where the best place to put the stone was, and how to adjust if the line or weight was a little off to get the most out of those shots that weren't quite perfect. With that in mind, next time you step on the ice make sure that you're all on the same page as to the goal of each shot. If you're not sure what shot is being called, or the weight required to make it perfect then ask. If you're sweeping make sure the skip knows the weight as it's traveling down the sheet, that way he or she can make the appropriate sweep call based on line. The more information flowing between teammates the better.