It’s that time again: when viewers become entranced by a sport that many do not understand.
Here’s an introduction to the Olympic sport of curling.
THE HISTORY OF CURLING
The exact origins of the game are unclear, but curling is widely believed to be one of the world’s oldest team sports, according to World Curling Federation.
While its origins are a mystery, “the first recognised curling clubs were formed in Scotland, and during the 19th century the game was exported wherever Scots settled around the world in cold climates, most notably at that time in Canada, United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand,” according to World Curling Federation.
WHAT IS CURLING?
The Official USA Curling website describes curling as a winter sport that is played on ice between two teams.
HOW DO YOU PLAY CURLING?
The game is played between two teams of four players each.
A game consists of a series of rounds called ends.
In each end, the two teams take turns “throwing” stones until each has thrown eight.
After all stones are delivered, the team with the stone closest to the house center, which is the target at the other end of the sheet, scores points.
*FUN FACT:
WHY IS IT CALLED “CURLING”?
The game gets its name from the stones moving, or “curling” to one side or another, as they travel on the ice. Stones will “curl” to the right or left after they are released.
CURLING TEAM
A curling team is typically made up of 4 people:
- Lead: Releases the team’s first two stones and then sweeps the remaining stones in the round (known as an end).
- Second: Releases the 3rd and 4th stones. Sweeps the lead’s stones and other stones after they are released.
- Vice also known as the Vice-Skip: Releases the 5th and 6th stones. Sweeps the first 4 stones, then holds the broom for the Skip’s stones.
- Skip: The team’s captain who releases the last two stones. They call the shots. The skip does not sweep.
WHY DO “SWEEPERS” SWEEP THE ICE?
The delivering player (the person who releases the stone) can influence the curl by rotating the stone. If they rotate it clockwise then it curls to the right. Meanwhile, rotating it counterclockwise makes it curl to the left.
Sweeping influences the curl and the distance the stone travels. The skip of the team directs the sweepers.
Sweeping a stone will reduce how much it curls or if it follows a straighter path. Sweeping can also help a stone travel further down the ice.
According to USA Curling website, modern sweeping techniques allows sweepers to change the direction of a stone. Some techniques promotes curl, instead of just making the stone’s path straighter.
HOW TO SCORE IN CURLING
Similar to bocce, in curling points are determined by how close the stones are to the target, with the score being determined after all 16 stones in a round, known as an end, have been delivered.
Only one team scores in each end — the team with a stone closest to the center of the house, known as the pin.
The stone closest to the pin scores, and that scoring team gets an additional point for every other one of their stones that is closer to the pin than the closest stone from the opposing team.
In order to be eligible to receive a score, though, stones must touch the rings in the scoring area.
Regardless of the distance from the target, each scoring stone is worth 1 point.
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