Curling was nonexistent on television in the U.S. prior to Dec. 23, 2007. On that day, NBC broadcast the Korbel Elite Challenge, an exhibition match against Sweden’s Peja Lindholm and Bemidji’s Pete Fenson which took place in Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Visually, the broadcast was great, with Rockefeller Plaza decked out in holiday splendor and the skyscrapers framed by a bright blue sky.

In contrast, the game was pretty disappointing, mainly but not entirely due to the ice conditions. The sheet was outdoors, and despite damage control by icemakers, it was not immune to warm weather and rain on the days leading up to the match. There were numerous hogged rocks and missed easy takeouts, even in the later ends. It wasn’t real fun to watch a professional curler shrug his shoulders and laugh after delivering a rock. But there were other issues besides the ice, such as only playing six ends in a two and a half hour broadcast, and one of the two color commentators having seemingly no clue how the game is played.

After the surprising success of NBC’s coverage of curling in the Torino Olympics, couldn’t they have done a better job than this? The location was an interesting choice, and made for good holiday visuals, but if they insisted on outdoor ice, they could have also insisted that it be filmed later in the year, when below freezing temperatures are more reliable. For our one chance to see curling on the big screen this year, NBC and Korbel could have done a lot better.

Here’s a YouTube video of the setting– and a hogged shot: