Curling 101 - The Basics of the Olympic Sport of Curling

Curling 101

By Compete-At: Online Registration Solutions & Event Planning Software for Curling

What Is Curling?
• Originated in the 1500's on the
marshes of Scotland
• A team sport played on ice
• Curling is an Olympic medal sport
• Two teams of four players each slide
42-pound granite rocks down a sheet
of ice 140 feet long by 15 feet wide
• The rocks are delivered from one end
of the sheet to the other toward the
center of a 12-foot diameter target


The Object of the Game

• The Object : “Throw” rocks closest to the center of the 12-foot ring
to score points
• The targets are painted into the ice just below the surface at both
ends of the sheet of ice
• The game to be played back and forth, usually eight or ten times
• Each player throws two rocks toward the target, alternating with the
opponent. Rocks traveling down the ice will curve anywhere from six
inches to six feet.
• After all sixteen rocks have been thrown the score is determined.
• Teams score one point for each rock closest to the center of the
house without an opponent's rock closer. In each end (similar to an
inning in baseball), only one team can score.


What are they doing to the ice?

• A unique part of curling is the
concept of sweeping. Players
vigorously sweep, or brush the
ice in front of the rock to
keep it moving. The friction
and resulting heat of the
brooms momentarily melts a
molecular layer of the ice in
front of the rock. This thin
layer lubricates the bottom of
the rock allowing it to travel
farther and straighter.


Does the rock really curl?

• Rocks are intentionally rotated as they
are thrown.
• The friction of the rock’s small surface
area on the bumpy curling ice (as
opposed to smooth surfaces for hockey
or ﬁgure skating) causes the rock to
swing anywhere from 2-5 feet
depending on the pebble (bumpiness) of
the ice, humidity in the air around the
ice, and amount of speed and sweeping
during the delivery of the rock.


Who sweeps and who throws the rocks?
Teams are made up of four players. Each player throws
two rocks, alternating with the opponent.
• The Lead: Throws the ﬁrst two rocks.
• The Second: Throws the second two rocks.
• The third position is known as the Vice Skip and
throws the third two rocks.
• The fourth position is known as the Skip (calls each
shot and is the “team captain”) and throws the last
two rocks.


Curling as an Amateur Sport
• Canadian bonspiels offer cash prizes; however, there are no full-
time professional curlers
• Curling returned to the Winter Olympics in 1998–after a hiatus
since 1924
• By comparison, most competitive curlers are older than athletes
in other sports
• These days junior curling has become very popular
• Curling is considered a very social sport and drinking beer after
matches is common
• Curling is one of those rare sports that can be enjoyed and/or
played competitively for almost any age group


Gender in Curling
• Teams are either comprised of only
men, only women, or two men and
two women
• There are world championships in
men’s and women’s curling, but not for
mixed gender curling
• At the National Level there are also
Juniors, Seniors, Masters and
Wheelchair curling championships.
• There are clubs that offer mixed
leagues for recreation as well as clubs
that offer competitive tournaments
and Cash Spiels for mixed teams


Team Naming
• Except in international or national and provincial
events in Canada and the United States a team will
usually be known by the last name of the Skip
• There is an emerging tendency for teams with
sponsors, to name their team using the sponsor’s
name rather than the Skip’s name
• During international, national, and provincial events
teams are known by their country name
• Some groups are protesting the use of the last
name of the Skip as the team name because they
feel that it is offensive to the front-end curler

Common Curling Terms
• Bonspiel: A curling tournament
• Cash Spiel or Cashspiel: A tournament with signiﬁcant
entry fees and large prizes, sometimes part of a charity
event
• House: The three concentric circles where points are
scored
• Heavy: A stone that is thrown harder than required and
will probably slide too far
• Off!: A call given by the skip for the sweepers to stop
sweeping a rock
• Raise: A Shot in which the delivered stone bumps another
stone forward

Curling Game Play
• Competitive play usually consists of ten ends
• An end consists of a player from each team throwing two rocks
down the ice with the players on each side alternating shots
• It is not uncommon for a losing team to end the match before
all the ends are completed if they don’t think they have a chance
of winning
• In international competition, each side is given 73 minutes to
complete all their throws
• Curling clocks and clock software exist to time the matches,
such as this one: http://www.curlingclock.com/


Curling Facts
• There are 1.4 million curlers in the world
• 1.2 million of them live in Canada
• The granite for curling rocks come from only two quarries in the
entire world
• Each rock costs about $500 USD

• The person delivering the rock slides on the ice due to a thin
layer of Teﬂon glued on the bottom of one shoe
• Like golf, curlers call penalties on themselves for rules violations
• The winning team buys drinks for the losing team after the game


Curling Online

• The advent and inﬂuence of the internet has made
ﬁnding curling clubs and curling events easier
• Exposure on the internet and the introduction of
the sport back into the Olympics could lead to an
increase in participation
• USA Curling (http://www.usacurl.org), the
governing body of curling in the United States and
partner of Compete-At (www.Compete-At.com),
uses online registration for all of their events


Notable Links & Resources

• Curling on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling

• USA Curling Association: www.usacurl.org/

• Canadian Curling Association: www.curling.ca

• World Curling Federation: www.worldcurling.net

• Compete-At.com - Curling Events & Clubs


Image Credits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gesika22/2978462322/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barberenc/2939604130/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bretarnett/136222945/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trektrack/305673357/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sovietuk/602890123/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebino/2149359482/


Content Credits
• Curling on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling


Curling 101 - The Basics of the Olympic Sport of Curling

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Curling 101 - The Basics of the Olympic Sport of Curling