Curling

Nevertheless, today a rock which deviates from a straight line is said to curl. Other:. One possible derivation is that it came from the old verb "curr" which describes a low rumble, a sound that is strongly associated with the game (curling is often called the roaring game). Natural phenomena:. It was first used in print in 1630 in Perth, Scotland. Artistic works:. The origins of the word "curling" are not known. Fictional characters:.

In the early history of curling, the rocks were simply flat-bottomed river stones which were sometimes notched or shaped; the thrower had little control over the rock, and relied more on luck than skill to win. Ophelia may be:. Curling probably does not take its name from the motion of the stones. Reviving Ophelia, non-fiction book by Mary Pipher. Curling is the provincial sport of Saskatchewan, home of one of the most famous curlers, the late Sandra Schmirler, who led her team to what was believed, until 2006, to be the first ever gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics. Dying Like Ophelia, fiction film. However there are many young teams who turn heads, and junior curling is quite popular, with national finals being televised nationwide in Canada. Hurricane Ophelia, 2005 storm.

Because accuracy, strategy, skill, and experience are more valuable in curling than traditional sports virtues of speed, stamina, and strength, most competitive curlers are older than their counterparts in other sports. 171 Ophelia, asteroid. Curling survives as a people's sport, making its Winter Olympic Games debut in 1998 with men's and women's tournaments (some sources also include the competition held in 1924 as an official Olympic tournament). Ophelia (moon). While Canadian bonspiels (tournaments) offer cash prizes, there are no full-time professional curlers. Ophelia (album), of recorded music. The first ever world title was won by the Canadian team from Regina, Saskatchewan skipped by Ernie Richardson. Ophelia, choreographic piano piece by John Cage.

The first world curling championship in the sport was limited to men and was known as the "Scotch Cup" held in Falkirk and Edinburgh, Scotland, 1959. Ophelia (painting). The Tournament of Hearts and the Brier are contested by provincial and territorial champions, and the world championships by national champions. Ophelia, fictional character on The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. Despite its small population, the Brier has been won by the province of Manitoba more times than any other province. Ophelia (character), associate of Hamlet. Improvements in ice making and changes in the rules to increase scoring and promote complex strategy have increased the already high popularity of the sport in Canada, and large television audiences watch frequent curling telecasts, especially the Tournament of Hearts (the national championship for women), the Brier (the national championship for men), and the women's and men's world championships.

Curling is most popular in Canada, but is played in other countries including the United States, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and even Japan, all of which, with other countries, compete in the world championships. If no independent officials are available, the thirds measure the distances. An independent official then measures the distances using a specially designed device that pivots at the center of the button. In tournament play the most frequent circumstance in which a decision has to be made by someone other than the third is the failure of the thirds to agree on which rock is closest to the button.

No players other than the third from each team should be in the house while score is being debated. However, all scoring disputes are handled by the third, or vice-skip. Most decisions about rules are left to the skips. Scoring without the hammer is commonly referred to as stealing, or a steal, and is much more difficult.

This is called a blank end. If only one point is possible, the skip will often try to avoid scoring at all in order to retain the hammer until the next end, when two or more points may be possible. Naturally, it is easier to score points with the hammer than without; in tournament play, the team with the hammer generally tries to score two or more points. In the event that neither team scores, the hammer remains with the same team.

(In tournaments, this is typically assigned, giving every team the hammer first in half of their games.) In all subsequent ends, the hammer belongs to the team that did not score in the preceding end. Before the game, teams typically decide who gets the hammer in the first end by coin toss or similar method. The last rock in an end is called the hammer. This is often accompanied with saying "Good game!" Hands are also shaken before the game and is accompanied by saying "Good curling!" to the opposing team.

When a game is ended by normal means, both teams will shake hands as well. This may occur at any point during the game, but usually happens near the end. When a team feels it is impossible or near impossible to win a game, they will shake hands with the opposing team to indicate surrender. This is called a blank end and the end number usually goes in the furthest column on the right in the row of the team who has the hammer (last rock advantage).

However, some confusion can exist if no team gets points in an end. This scoreboard works because only one team can get points in an end. If they score two more in the second end, then a two will be placed beside the five in the red row indicating that the red team has five points in total (3+2). If the red team scores 3 points in the first end (called a three-ender), then a one (indicating the first end) is placed beside the number three in the red row.

The numbers placed are indicative of the end. It is set up in the same way, except the numbered row indicated points not ends, and it can be found between the rows for the team. The other form of scoreboard is the one used in most curling clubs (see photo). The number of points each team gets in an end is marked this way.

Below this are two rows — one for each team. On this scoreboard the ends are marked by columns 1 through 10 (or 11 for the possibility of an extra end to break ties) plus an additional column for the total. One is the baseball type scoreboard, which is usually used for televised games. There are two different types of scoreboards used for curling.

The score is usually marked on a scoreboard of some sort. Since the bottom of the rock is rounded, a rock just barely in the house will not have any actual contact with the ring, which will pass under the rounded edge of the stone, but it still counts.) The winner is the team with the highest score after an even number of ends — usually in high-level curling this is ten; however, at club play it is usually eight, or less. (A rock is considered in the house if any portion of its edge is over any portion of the 12-foot ring. Rocks that are not in the house (further from the center than the outer edge of the 12-foot ring) do not score even if no opponent's rock is closer.

After both teams have delivered eight rocks each, the team with the rock closest to the button is awarded one point for each of its own rocks that is closer than the opponent's closest rock. While a sound strategy, this made for an unexciting game. The team with the hammer could peel rock after rock, which would blank the end, keeping the last rock advantage for another end. This rule, a relatively recent addition to curling, was added in response to a strategy of "peeling" opponents' guard stones (knocking them out of play at an angle that caused the shooter's stone to also roll out of play, leaving no stones on the ice) that skilled teams leading a game would employ to prevent their opponents from "stealing" an end (scoring without having the last rock, or hammer) by placing guard stones and later trying to draw around them and using them for protection.

This rule is known as the four-rock rule or the free-zone rule; some people and leagues play with a three-guard rule, where the rule is in place until three rocks are played. If they are removed, they are replaced and the opponent's rock is removed from play. Until four rocks have been played, guard rocks left in the area between the hog and tee lines, excluding the house — known as the free guard zone — may not be removed by an opponent's stone. A player in the house, either the skip (captain) or vice-skip (also known as the third), will often coach the sweepers as to when they should sweep.

On each shot, two players are equipped with brushes or brooms with which they can vigorously sweep the ice in front of the rock so as to alter its trajectory or increase the distance of travel. When throwing the rock, it must be released before the near hogline is reached (players usually slide while releasing their shots) and must cross the far hogline; otherwise it is removed from play. In each end each player on each team throws two rocks in turn, the players on each side alternating shots. A competitive game usually consists of ten ends, while recreational games are more commonly only eight or even six ends.

Curling is played between two teams of four curlers. Brooms are also used by some curlers as a balancing aide during delivery of the stone. Today, brushes have replaced traditional corn brooms at every level of curling, but are universally referred to as brooms. Brushes were used primarily by elderly curlers as a substitute for corn brooms.

In earlier days, brooms were made of corn strands and were similar to household brooms. The skip will also hold the broom at the opposite end of the rink from the delivering player to show the deliverer where to aim the rock. The broom can also be used to clean debris off the ice, and is also used by the skip to show where she or he wants the rock to go. Agressive sweeping in front of the rock momentarily melts the pebble, which lessens the deceleration of the rock, and also straightens the trajectory of the rock.

The curling broom is used by the sweepers to sweep the ice surface in front of the rock. Another piece of equipment is the curling broom. This piece of equipment is needed when a player is sweeping, and needs traction with both feet. This is also usually made of rubber.

An additional piece of footwear is the gripper, which can slide on and off the shoe with the slippery surface. The other foot has a thin layer of rubber, to maximize traction on the ice. Left-handed curlers have this special shoe on their right foot, while right-handed curlers have it on their left foot. This enables curlers to slide out of the hack when delivering a rock.

Inexpensive sliders can be purchased that can be attached to any shoes by means of an elastic band. The sole of one shoe has a thin strip of Teflon or another type of smooth surface, called a slider. When curling, players need to wear special shoes. The two remaining players follow the rock and assist in guiding its trajectory by sweeping the ice before the rock, usually under direction from the skip and their own instincts for the weight of the rock, as well as stopwatch split timing.

Thus, each time a rock is thrown, there is one player throwing the rock, and another player at the far end. While the first three players throw their rocks, the skip remains at the far end of the ice to guide the players; while the skip is throwing, the vice takes this role. The lead for each team throws first, followed by the second, third (vice skip or vice or mate), and the skip who is the team captain; this order is not mandatory, and some prominent teams (for example, Randy Ferbey's) reverse the order in which the skip and third throw. The team members are named according to the order in which they throw in each end.

Curling is a team game, played between two teams of four curlers each. Because of the particular rarity of Ailsite, costs for curling stones can reach as much as $500 (CAD). Most curling stones are made from this granite. The Scots in particular believe that the best quality curling stones are made from a specific type of granite called "Ailsite", found on the Ailsa Craig, an island off the Ayrshire coast.

Lights at the base of the handle indicate whether contact was sustained past the line or not. The handle is coated in metallic paint; the circuitry detects the relative charge of the thrower's hand contact to determine if they are still in contact, and a linear field is established at the hog line to indicate its location to the internal sensor. A special handle has recently been developed for high-level tournament play, which integrates electronics to ensure a rock is released before it crosses the hog line. According to the Canadian Curling Association Rules of Curling, "The use of a curling aid commonly referred to as a 'delivery stick' which enables the player to deliver a stone without placing a hand on the handle is considered acceptable.".

This allows the game to be played by handicapped players, as well as those unable to crouch comfortably. Such a stick is designed to attach to the handle so that it can be released without requiring the player to place a hand on the handle in a crouched position. Although the rock is designed to be delivered by players grasping the handle as they slide down the ice, a special "delivery stick" may be used by players incapable of delivering the rock in this fashion. Ice on which the rocks curl well is said to be swingy.

The degree of curl depends on several factors, including the preparation of the ice and the flattening of common paths to the house during the game. On properly prepared ice the rock's path will bend (curl) in the direction the front edge of the rock is turning, especially toward the end of its trip. This small running surface allows the pebble applied to the ice to have an effect on the action of the rock. A special feature of the rock is that its bottom is not flat, but concave and the actual running surface of the rock is only ¼ to ½ inch (6 to 12 mm) wide on the rim of the concave bottom.

If the handle is rotated away from the body, the shot is said to be an in-turn, and if rotated across the body, it is an out-turn. The curling stone or rock used in the game weighs a maximum of 44 lb (19.96 kg) and is fitted with a handle on top allowing it to be rotated as it is released.
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A single moveable hack may also be used. On indoor rinks there are usually two fixed hacks, rubber-lined holes, one each side of the centre line with the inside edge no more than three inches (7.6 cm) from the center line and the front edge on the hack line. The hack is a device used to provide traction to the curler making a shot; the curler places the foot he or she will push off with in the hack. Twelve feet behind the junction of the centre and tee lines, the centre line is crossed at right angles by the hack line.

more than 12 feet from the centre) is not in the house and therefore does not score. The inner rings are merely a visual aid for judging which stone is closer to the centre; they do not affect scoring; however, a stone that is not at least touching the outside of the 12-foot ring (i.e. They are usually distinguished by colour. The rings that surround the button are defined by their diameter as the four-foot, eight-foot, and twelve-foot rings.

Two other lines, the hoglines, are drawn parallel to each backboard and 37 feet (11.3 m) from it. The two lines are the centre line, which is drawn lengthwise down the centre of the sheet, and the tee line, drawn 16 feet (4.9 m) from the backboard and parallel to it. The centre of the house, marked by the junction of two lines which divide the house into quarters, is known as the pin, tee, or spit. On the rink, a 12 foot (3.7 m) wide set of concentric rings, called the house, is painted near each end of the rink.

The curling action of rocks/stones changes during a game as the pebble evens out from wear. As the bottom catches on the pebble, it turns to the inside or outside, causing the stone's path to 'curl'. The pebble creates friction with the bottom of the stone. A key part of the preparation is the spraying of fine water droplets on the ice to create what is called pebble.

The curling arena is a sheet of ice 146 feet (45.5 m) long by 14 feet 2 inches (4.32 m) wide, and is carefully prepared to be absolutely level and to allow the "rocks" or "stones", as the polished granite is called, to glide with as little friction as possible. . Curling was on that occasion played outdoors. Previous opinion had been that all sports then had been demonstration events.

In February 2006 the IOC included the winning curling teams in the 1924 Winter Olympic Games, originally called Semaine des Sports d'Hiver ("International Winter Sports Week"), as medal winners in an official Olympic tournament. Curling has been an official sport in the Winter Olympics since the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Today, curling is played all over Europe and has spread to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and even China and Korea. The first curling club in the United States began in 1832, and the game was introduced to Switzerland and Sweden before the end of the nineteenth century.

The Royal Montreal Curling Club, the first sporting club of any kind in North America, was established in 1807. The game is currently most firmly established, however, in Canada. Whatever the truth of the matter, outdoor curling was very popular in Scotland between the 16th and the 19th centuries when the climate was cold enough to ensure good ice conditions every winter, and as a result the international governing body for curling, the World Curling Federation, is based in Perth, Scotland. The game is generally believed to have been invented in 16th century Scotland, although two paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Elder depict Dutch peasants curling.

Curling is a precision sport similar to bowls or bocce, but played on ice with polished heavy stones rather than plastic balls.