Taped Curling Beats Hockey in Ratings

Taped Curling Beats Hockey in Ratings

SWEEPING WITH STARS: Curling gets the star treatment on NBC Sunday with something called the Elite Challenge (2 p.m.) It's a made-for-TV event that pits the U.S. men's and women's champions against each other, with skier Picabo Street and speed skater Dan Jansen joining in. "For people who had never even touched a rock until the morning of the event, (Street and Jansen) were unbelievably good," says announcer Don Chevrier, who will be joined by fellow Canadians Don Duguid and Elfi Schlegel. "It's a fun, made-for-TV thing but it will go a long way toward building curling interest in the United States." If you're wondering why NBC is doing this, don't forget that in 2004 taped curling beat ABC's NHL broadcasts in the ratings. ... The serious curling season starts tomorrow with the Continental Cup (1 p.m., CBC). ... The Vanier Cup gets the A-list treatment tomorrow (3 p.m., The Score) with a broadcast in high definition complete with virtual first-down line.