Curling is a sport which is similar to lawn bowls. In this sport, players slide stones across an ice sheet toward a target area divided into four concentric circles. It’s connected to boules, shuffleboard, and bowls. The house, a circular target marked on the ice, is the target for two teams, each with four players. The teams/players alternately slide heavy, polished granite stones, also known as rocks the over ice-curdling sheet. With two stones thrown by each player, each team has eight stones. The goal of the game is to get the highest score possible; points are awarded for the stones that are resting closest to the house’s centre at the end of each end, which is finished when both sides have thrown every stone once. Typically, a game has eight or ten ends.
If the player gently rotates the stone while it slides, they can create a curved route known as curl. Two sweepers, armed with brushes or brooms, follow the stone as it slides down the sheet, potentially influencing its course by sweeping the ice in front of the stone. “Sweeping a rock” reduces friction, allowing the stone to go farther and on a straighter, less curved route. The optimal course and location of a stone for any circumstance require careful planning and collaboration, and the curlers’ abilities dictate how much success the stone will have.
Curling at Olympics
Since the Winter Olympics in 1998, curling has been a medal-winning sport. There are tournaments for men, women, and mixed doubles (the mixed doubles category was added in 2018).
The curling competition from the 1924 Winter Olympics, formerly known as Semaine des Sports d’Hiver, or International Winter Sports Week, was decided retroactively by the International Olympic Committee in February 2002, and it was no longer considered a demonstration event. Curling was played outside at the time, hence the first Olympic medals were given out for the sport at the 1924 Winter Olympics. Great Britain took home the gold, Sweden took home two silver, and France took home the bronze. During the 1932 Winter Olympics, a showcase event pitted four Canadian teams against four American teams resulting in a 12 games to 4 victory for Canada.
Canada has dominated the sport since it was officially included in the Olympics in 1998. Their men’s teams have won gold in 2006, 2010, and 2014, as well as silver in 1998 and 2002. The women’s team placed first in 1998 and 2014, second in 2010 and second in 2002 and 2006 in the medal race. 2018 saw the mixed pairs squad win gold. Since 2006, Curling has been part of the Winter Paralympic Games known as Wheelchair Curling.
Curling at Paralympics
Every Paralympic Games since the Winter Paralympic Games in Turin in 2006, wheelchair curling competitions have been held. The competitions are designed for teams of mixed genders. Canada has won three of the five gold medals in the tournament, making them the most successful team.
Equipment required for Curling
Curling Sheet
The World Curling Federation Rules of Curling specify the playing surface, sometimes known as the curling sheet. It is a rectangular patch of ice that is 146 to 150 feet (45 to 46 metres) long and 14.5 to 16.5 feet (4.4 to 5.0 metres) wide. It has been meticulously groomed to be as level and flat as possible. The term “backboards” refers to the sheet’s shorter edges.
The intersection of the tee line, which is drawn 16 feet (4.9 metres) from and parallel to the backboard, and the centre line, which is drawn lengthwise down the centre of the sheet, centres the target, the house. The home is divided into quarters by these lines. The home is made up of three concentric rings, each with a diameter of 4, 8, and 12 feet, and a middle circle that is known as the button. The rings are created by painting or applying coloured vinyl beneath the ice, and they are typically identified by colour.
Curling Stone
The World Curling Federation specifies the weight, maximum circumference of 914 millimetres (36.0 in), minimum height of 114.3 millimetres (4.5 in), and maximum circumference of 17.24 to 19.96 kilogrammes (38.0 to 44.0 lb) for the granite curling stone, also known as a “rock” in North America. The running surface, a narrow, flat annulus or ring that is between 6.4 and 12.7 millimetres (0.25 and 0.50 in) wide and roughly 130 millimetres (5.1 in) in diameter, is the only portion of the stone that comes into contact with the ice. The sides of the stone bulge convex down to the ring, and the inside of the ring is hollowed concave to clear the ice. Sometime after 1870, J. S. Russell of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, made the initial suggestion for this concave bottom. Scottish stone producer Andrew Kay later adopted it.
Curling Broom
In addition to being used for sweeping the ice surface in the stone’s route, the curling broom, or brush, is frequently employed as a balancing tool when the stone is being delivered.
The majority of curling brooms created before the 1950s resembled traditional home brooms and were composed of maize strands. The corn straw in the middle of the broom was turned inside out by Montrealer Fern Marchessault in 1958. We called this type of corn broom the Blackjack.
Curling Shoes
Except for unique soles, curling shoes resemble regular athletic shoes. The “slider shoe,” also called a “slider,” is made for the sliding foot, and the “gripper shoe,” also called a “gripper,” is made for the foot that launches from the hack.
How is scoring done in Curling
The squad with the most points total after ten ends is declared the winner. After all teams have thrown their eight stones, the team with its stone closest to the button wins that end. The winning team then receives one point for each of its stones that are closer to the button than the closest stone of the opposition. This is how points are scored at the end of each of these ends.
In the score, only stones that are in the house are taken into account. If a stone is inside the 12-foot (3.7-meter) zone or if any part of its edge crosses the ring’s edge, it is considered to be in the house. A stone that is very slightly within the house won’t come into touch with the ring since the bottom of the stone is rounded; yet, the stone is still considered to be inside. This kind of stone is called a biter.
Curling Scorecard
There are two types of scorecards in curling:
Baseball-style scoreboard: For televised games, the baseball-style scoreboard was designed for viewers who were unfamiliar with the club scoreboard. Columns 1 through 10 (or 11 if an extra end is needed to break ties) indicate the ends, and there is also a separate column for the total. Two rows, one for each team, are below, with the team’s score for that end in the left-hand column and their overall score in the right-hand column.
Club scoreboard: Most curling clubs use the classic club scoreboard. Baseball-style scoring may require an unknown number of multiples of the digits, especially low digits like 1, but scoring on this board only requires the use of (up to) 11-digit cards. The numbers in the team rows indicate the point at which each team reached that cumulative score and the numbered centre row reflects the different possible scores. A 1 (signifying the first end) is placed next to the number 3 in the red row if the red team achieves three points in the first end, also known as a “three-ender.” A 2 will be positioned next to the 5 in the red row, meaning that the red team has five points overall (3+2) if they score two more in the second end. Because only one team can win points in an end, this scoreboard is functional. On the other hand, a blank end—a situation in which neither team scores a point in the end—may cause some confusion. In the row of the team with the hammer (last rock advantage), the blank end numbers are typically listed in the farthest column on the right, or a designated area for blank ends.
Conclusion
In the realm of sports, curling stands as a unique and captivating discipline akin to lawn bowls, with its distinct charm and strategy. This ice-bound competition, steeped in history and tradition, demands precision, teamwork, and foresight.
At its core, curling embodies a delicate interplay between skilful stone-sliding and calculated sweeping, with players strategically navigating the ice to secure victory. From the meticulous preparation of the curling sheet to the nuanced specifications of the stones, shoes, and brooms, every facet contributes to the game’s finesse and challenge.
Its journey to the Olympics, spanning decades, echoes a tale of evolution and recognition. Since its inception in 1998, the Winter Olympics have witnessed curling’s ascent to a medal-winning status, showcasing national dominance and global participation.