There are also several technical similarities. Both sports require their athletes to throw either a ball or a stone as close as possible to a particular location (the target in curling and the jack in boccia). As an athlete you have to be very precise with your actions. You have to know exactly where you want the ball to land and also have the skill to put it there.
In both sports, too, tactics count for a lot. Often teams have a mix of experience and up-and-coming talent, partly because experienced players can read games well and adjust tactics if necessary. In Beijing, our team benefited from the experience of Nigel Murray and I think the curling skip Michael McCreadie will have the same sort of role as Nigel.
Good teamwork is important in both sports because you have to work as a team to get the best possible result.
That’s where the similarities end though – I can’t imagine getting on the ice!
I’m keeping track of Britain’s progress at the Paralympic Winter Games through the ParalympicsGB website and their Facebook Fan Page.
