P: Sports: Ex-NFL Pro Bowl players try curling with 2022 Olympic goal - PressFrom - Canada

array( '1.head' => 'Sports: Ex-NFL Pro Bowl players try curling with 2022 Olympic goal - PressFrom - Canada', '2.body' => array( '1.span' => 'news', '2.span' => 'sports', '3.div' => array( '1.div' => array( '1.div' => array( '1.div' => array( '1.div' => array( '1.i' => 'Sports', 2 => 'Ex-NFL Pro Bowl players try curling with 2022 Olympic goal', ), '2.div' => array( '1.div' => '21:20  04 january  2019', '2.div' => array( '1.span' => '21:20  04 january  2019', '2.span' => array( '1.span' => 'Source', 2 => ':', '3.span' => 'msn.com', ), ), ), '3.div' => array( '1.div' => array( '1.span' => array( '1.h2' => 'Curling rocked in 2018: Here\'s why', '2.p' => 'The 2018 curling season marked a massive shift in the landscape of the sport and included highs and lows for Canadian competitors. As the year comes to a close, here\'s a look around the rings at some of the top moments.', '3.blockquote' => array( '1.p' => 'All four football players agreed that the reception they’ve received from lifetime curlers has been decidedly different than the one that might “I looked at their broom heads and I was disgusted. I was wondering why these former pro football players couldn’t afford new broom heads,” he said.', '2.p' => 'It seems like the impossible switch: from National Football League player to Olympic curler . But that\'s exactly the challenge Jared Allen, who was named to five Pro Bowls during his 12-year The whole idea of trying to qualify for Beijing 2022 came from a friendly bet that the former defensive end', ), ), '2.p' => 'Defensive lineman Jared Allen retired from the NFL in 2015 and wasn\'t ready to give up on the competition he\'d come to enjoy as a five-time All-Pro.', '3.p' => 'His solution: The Olympics.', '4.p' => 'The problem: He didn\'t compete in any Olympic sports.', '5.p' => 'Less than a year later, Allen and three other former NFL stars — none with any prior experience — are attempting to qualify for the U.S. national curling championships against players who have been throwing stones for most of their lives.', '6.p' => 'It would be the first step toward competing in the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.', '7.p' => '"Every team in the NFL — whether you\'re hot garbage or the defending Super Bowl champions — every coach come August says the same thing: \'We\'re trying to win the Super Bowl,\'" Allen said. "We come from that mentality, where we set lofty goals.', '8.h2' => 'What Does Winning an Olympic Gold Medal in Curling Do? Crazy Things', '9.p' => '“It is the world’s greatest coaster,’’ and other insights from the United States men’s curling team’s monthslong, wacky tour after the Pyeongchang Games in February.', '10.blockquote' => array( '1.p' => 'Ex - NFL star Jared Allen says his new career as a pro curler -- the ice sport -- is NOT a joke and it all began after making a stupid bet with some buddies. Now, they\'re REALLY competing against other elite curling teams and Jared says they\'re dead serious about making it to the 2022 Olympic Games', '2.p' => 'The five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman said his curling pursuit began when a friend bet him he couldn\'t become an Olympic athlete. After considering and then dismissing badminton, he settled on curling . Allen recruited Bulger, Bulluck and Roos -- all three former Pro Bowlers -- who also live in', ), '11.span' => array( '1.span' => Provided by thecanadianpress.com', 2 => 'In this Jan. 3, 2019 photo, former NFL offensive lineman Michael Roos practices with his curling team for a competition in Blaine, Minn. Roos and three other former NFL football players who have never curled before will attempt to qualify for the U.S. championships with a goal of making it to the 2022 Olympics. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)', ), '12.p' => '"Our short term goals are continually to get better: Fundamentals, strategy, sweeping. We know if we master these little things, it will take us a long way."', '13.p' => 'A 12-year NFL veteran who spent most of his career with the Chiefs and Vikings, Allen was lamenting the end of his playing days when a friend dared him to try an Olympic sport. Allen toyed with the idea of badminton but rejected it as too taxing.', '14.h2' => 'Ryan Fry to rejoin Team Jacobs after indefinite leave from curling', '15.p' => 'Ryan Fry is set to make his return to curling next week at a Grand Slam Curling event in North Battleford, Sask., less than two months after the now infamous Red Deer Curling Classic incident. Jamie Koe, Ryan Fry, Chris Schille, and DJ Kidby were all kicked out of the Alberta World Curling Tour bonspiel for "unacceptable behaviour," which included being "extremely drunk." In the days that followed, Fry, who won Olympic gold as the third on Team Jacobs, said he would be taking an indefinite leave from the team to work on personal growth and self-improvement.', '16.blockquote' => array( '1.p' => 'The Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League ( NFL ). From the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970 up through 2013 and since 2017', '2.p' => 'The NFL will have narrower uprights and longer kicks for extra-point tries at the Pro Bowl . The NFL experimented with moving extra points back to the 15-yard line during the first two preseason games of 2014 and the results didn\'t change much -- only eight PATs were missed in 141 attempts (94.3 percent).', ), '17.p' => '"We thought about curling. It was chill, and the winners have to buy the losers beer," he said. "We thought it was a win-win."', '18.p' => 'He rounded up former Rams quarterback Marc Bulger and Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck and tackle Michael Roos to form a team; all were Pro Bowl selections during their NFL career, and living near Nashville, Tennessee.', '19.p' => 'Adopting the name All-Pro Curling Team, they started from scratch in March and kept their plans under wraps until they felt like they had made enough progress.', '20.p' => '"We wanted the reaction when we got on the ice to be \'Oh, how long have you guys been doing this?" Allen said in a telephone interview after practicing on a converted hockey rink in Nashville. "We were serious. We didn\'t want it to seem like it was just some media hype, or just trying to stay relevant."', '21.p' => 'The first test was in November, when Allen and Bulger — with two "regular" curlers — competed in the Curl Mesabi Classic in Northern Minnesota. Their first opponent: The gold medal-winning team from Pyeongchang led by four-time Olympian John Shuster.', '22.h2' => 'Habs prospect Nick Suzuki traded to Guelph in the OHL', '23.p' => 'The prospect will join fellow Habs prospect Cam Hillis. As the Ontario Hockey League trade deadline approached, rumours started that Montreal Canadiens prospect Nick Suzuki would see himself traded for the end of the season. That happened this morning when Suzuki was part of a big trade that saw him get traded to the Guelph Storm. Attack acquire Woolley, Kirwin, Poirier and 3 picks for Suzuki, Durzi and Roberts. Full details: https://t.co/3m80TQlFmO#HearTheSound pic.twitter.', '24.blockquote' => array( '1.p' => 'When NFL players retire from the game, one of the things many say they miss is the high-level competition. After spending 12 seasons in the league , former defensive end Jared Allen has found an unusual way to challenge himself -- curling -- with an ultimate goal of winning a spot on the 2022 U.S', '2.p' => 'Ex - NFL star Jared Allen says his new career as a pro curler -- the ice sport -- is NOT a joke and it all began after making a stupid bet with some buddies. Now, they\'re REALLY competing against other elite curling teams and Jared says they\'re dead serious about making it to the 2022 Olympic Games', ), '25.p' => 'They lost 11-3, giving up five points in the sixth end.', '26.p' => '"Honestly, they were a little better than I had expected," said Matt Hamilton, the second on that team. "All in all, Jared was technically pretty sound. But at the end of the day, I\'ve seen thousands of curling shots and situations and that is ultimately going to win us more games."', '27.p' => 'Although curling matches are often conceded when they are out of reach, the Olympians kept playing through the eighth (of 10) ends, to help the football players gain the experience they\'ll need if they are going to be more competitive. (If it\'s any consolation for Allen\'s crew, Shuster\'s rink also scored a five-ender against Sweden in the gold-medal match.)', '28.p' => '"We had one bad end, and we just kept playing with them. We just wanted to be a sponge," Bulger said. "The key was they knew we were taking it seriously. It wasn\'t just us saying \'We\'re going to take over curling,\' kind of as a gimmick.', '29.p' => '"We hope to play them again," he said, "when we\'re better."', '30.p' => 'The All-Pros are back at it at the USA Men\'s Challenge Round this weekend in Blaine, Minnesota, where they are competing for one of four remaining spots in next month\'s national championships. (Top teams like Shuster\'s have already qualified.)', '31.h2' => 'Curling season reaches fever pitch as Scotties, Brier approach', '32.p' => 'It appears the level of curling is the highest it’s ever been. Many of the games are being decided by the smallest of margins as curling continues to evolve and grow. That level of play should continue at this week\'s Canadian Open in North Battleford, Sask.', '33.blockquote' => array( '1.p' => 'Super Bowl LIII, the 53rd Super Bowl and the 49th modern-era National Football League ( NFL ) championship game, will decide the league champion for the 2018 NFL season.', '2.p' => 'The official site of the The National Football League Events.', ), '34.p' => 'They got off to a rough start in their first match, falling 10-1 to Steve Birklid\'s Seattle-based rink on Thursday night. But, by hopping into the sport early in the Olympic cycle, they have almost three more years before the team for the 2022 Games is chosen.', '35.p' => 'Hamilton confessed he was put off at first about newcomers thinking they could reach the Olympics in a sport he\'d worked a lifetime to master. But he also realized the publicity will be good for curling, which has struggled to break out of its niche as an every-four-years curiosity.', '36.p' => '"If I really think I\'m that good, I should be like \'Bring it on!\'" Hamilton said in an email to The Associated Press from a competition in Japan. "How much they respected the game, though, is what made me realize they aren\'t making a mockery. We just have some extremely athletic individuals who respect sport but have a need to compete in their blood. Can\'t disrespect that!"', '37.p' => 'All four football players agreed the reception they\'ve received from lifetime curlers is decidedly different from a curler trying to break into the hyper-competitive NFL.', '38.p' => '"Oh, he\'d get smashed," Allen said. "We\'d go out of our way to test his mettle, for sure."', '39.p' => 'Instead, they found the tight-knit but friendly community of curlers was eager to accept them. In their match against the Olympians, there was trash-talking — or banter, depending on whom you ask — and Hamilton even gave them some of his old curling gear.', '40.h2' => 'Curlers do-si-do at Continental Cup', '41.p' => 'Kaitlyn Lawes playing third for Rachel Homan, Ben Hebert throwing lead stones for U.S. skip John Shuster and Sweden\'s Niklas Edin calling games with Scotland\'s Jennifer Dodds as his vice are all possible scenarios in this year\'s Continental Cup of Curling. The format of the annual Ryder-Cup style competition between North American and international sides starting Thursday in Las Vegas will include a day of "scramble" games, in which skips will play alongside thirds and a front-end player from another team. The Continental Cup will still include traditional team, mixed doubles and skins games over four days.', '42.blockquote' => array( '1.p' => 'Super Bowl LVI, the 56th Super Bowl and the 52nd modern-era National Football League ( NFL ) championship game, will decide the league champion for the 2021 season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 6, 2022 at Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California', '2.p' => '2 Patriots players selected to the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl . How women athletes are balancing kids and world-class success Six pro athletes on how they balanced motherhood without sacrificing their goals .', ), '43.p' => '"I looked at their broom heads and I was disgusted. I was wondering why these former pro football players couldn\'t afford new broom heads," he said. "So I went into my curling bag and gave them some gently used ones before the game. That really surprised Jared, claiming nothing like that would ever fly in football."', '44.p' => 'Like many of those who only experience curling every four years on TV, the football players saw the sweeping and the shouting and underestimated how hard it is. "We played football, but it\'s a lot of muscles we didn\'t use," Bulger said.', '45.p' => 'Sliding on the ice was also an adjustment, but the biggest challenge has been the strategy.', '46.p' => 'When he first started watching, Bulger said, he would see curlers setting up protective stones called guards and thought they were missing their shots.', '47.p' => '"We just assumed that you throw to the button every time, and we learned that is not the game," he said. "It\'s like a novice chess player going against" a grandmaster.', '48.p' => 'But their NFL experience did help in other ways, priming them with not just physical fitness but also good practice habits, making decisions on the fly and improving through film study and coaching.', '49.p' => '"Like any other sport, you have to learn, try to figure out how to get better," Bulluck said. "Playing football at a very high level, being one of the best at the position once upon a time, to get to that level in anything you do you have to be able to take coaching."', '50.p' => 'And, of course, they\'re competitive.', '51.p' => '"The message is: We want to bring attention to it. We want to have fun with it," Allen said. "But we\'re dead serious about what we\'re trying to accomplish."', '52.p' => '___', '53.p' => 'More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports', ), '2.p' => array( 1 => 'Gladys Knight to perform national anthem at Super Bowl LIII.', 2 => 'Gladys Knight will perform the national anthem prior to kickoff at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta on Feb. 3, the NFL announced Thursday. "The Empress of Soul" and seven-time Grammy Award winner rose to fame in the 1960s as part of Gladys Knight and the Pips, which produced such hits as "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "The Nitty Gritty." The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. "I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta," Knight said. "The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year.', ), ), '4.div' => '—   Share news in the SOC. 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Allen recruited Bulger, Bulluck and Roos -- all three former Pro Bowlers -- who also live in', '9.span' => 'Pro Bowl - Wikipedia', '10.p' => 'The Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League ( NFL ). From the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970 up through 2013 and since 2017', '11.span' => 'NFL to try narrower goal posts, longer kicks on PATs in 2015 Pro Bowl', '12.p' => 'The NFL will have narrower uprights and longer kicks for extra-point tries at the Pro Bowl . The NFL experimented with moving extra points back to the 15-yard line during the first two preseason games of 2014 and the results didn\'t change much -- only eight PATs were missed in 141 attempts (94.3 percent).', '13.span' => 'Former NFL star Marc Bulger aiming for spot on US Olympic curling', '14.p' => 'When NFL players retire from the game, one of the things many say they miss is the high-level competition. After spending 12 seasons in the league , former defensive end Jared Allen has found an unusual way to challenge himself -- curling -- with an ultimate goal of winning a spot on the 2022 U.S', '15.span' => 'Olympics | TMZ.com', '16.p' => 'Ex - NFL star Jared Allen says his new career as a pro curler -- the ice sport -- is NOT a joke and it all began after making a stupid bet with some buddies. 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