Curlers rock and roll with "Hurry Hard" condoms

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - While curling''s rock and roll lifestyle has more to do with on-ice strategy than partying, U.S. Olympians will arrive at the Vancouver Winter Games packing their own "Hurry Hard" condoms.

The Hurry Hard branding comes from the yelling that can be heard at any curling rink as skips who slide the rocks down the ice urge sweepers to clean the ice in front it with the shouts of "Hurry, hurrrrry, hard."

"I would agree curling and condoms aren''t really associated, we weren''t rushing to beat anybody to the punch on this," Rick Patzke, USA Curling''s chief operating officer, told Reuters. "I''m sure it''ll provide a few jokes for talk shows."

The suggestion of condoms for fundraising was initially dismissed "as a nice joke," but after talking with sponsors it developed into an idea to raise money and awareness about AIDS, Patzke said.

The condoms are packaged with a logo of a smiling curling stone and can be purchased online (www.hurryhardcondoms.com) for $4.99. Proceeds will be split between USA Curling and the Monterey County AIDS Prevention program.

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USA Curling is uncertain what kind of impact the cross-promotion will have on their sport or AIDS awareness.

Even after becoming part of the Olympic program in 1998 in Nagano, curling continues to be a butt of jokes, though it is a popular winter pastime across Canada.

The Simpsons television program is scheduled to air an episode where Marge and Homer go to Vancouver to join the curling competition.

Men with brooms does not conjure up the edgy image that snowboarders enjoy, but John Shuster, skip of the U.S. men''s team, says curlers have developed thick skin.

"There are sexual innuendo about things that are said by curlers, like when we''re yelling "hurry hard," said Shuster, who added he has no plans to pack some of the "Hurry Hard" condoms in his luggage.