Japan's curling team makes a charm offensive
Team Aomori in 2006 were heart-warming girls-next-door. In 2010, they are a kickass women's curling powerhouse with glamour to boot
Team Aomori deliberates during a time out against Russia on February 21, 2010. They eventually won the game 12-9.
The Japanese Olympic women's curling team is better known as Team Aomori -- a successful outgrowth of the Aomori Curling Club established in 1986. In 2006, this cheerful story of four young women from a rural prefecture in Northwestern Japan competing at the Olympics captivated the hearts of the nation.
Now with four years of international competition under their belts and a new line-up, Team Aomori is back and badder than ever. At the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Japan is proving to be a formidable competitor, currently in fourth place with a 3-2 record in the round robin portion of the competition.
While their athletic skill has greatly improved, the women of Team Aomori have also launched an auspicious charm offensive. Mari 'Marilyn' Motohashi releases her own model DVDs and stars as the spokeswoman in various commercials. Team captain Moe Meguro has traded a short boyish crop for long luxurious hair. Newcomer Anna Ohmiya -- just 20 -- wins the wholesome award for spending her non-curling days working at the Aomori City Hall.
For those who want to learn more about the five athletes of Team Aomori, check their official profile page. There you will learn that Anna Ohmiya's special skill is "having interesting dreams" and that Motohashi happens to be very good at "curling and waking up early." Both of those must come in handy.
Click the photo gallery above for more pictures of Team Aomori.
While Team Aomori has quite a few people amoured, snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo's dress standards caused quite a stir in Japan. Other highlights from the Vancouver ice include some pretty arousing fashion disasters, curiously most from the men's competition. Plus, the heartwarming story of Chinese gold medal-winning duo (and real life couple) Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo and how they've become the darlings of their home-country.
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