Napanee & District Curling Club

THE SPORT OF CURLING

Curling's origins go back to the 16th century in Scotland. A wide variety of curling stones, which can be dated, have been recovered from lochs and ponds to affirm this date, In its early stages, curling was an 'impromptu' game played on outdoor natural ice with teams varying in size from a few hardy souls up to a dozen or more on each side, And, as with many early games, one might say the rules were made up 'on the spot'. Curling has since become a sport played worldwide, and in fact, has become a full medal Olympic sport. The rules of the sport have matured over time as well, to keep play fair and entertaining.

THE BASICS

In curling, two opposing teams take turns delivering stones across an ice surface toward a target area. The target area is known as the house. After all stones have been played, the team with the stones closest to the center of the house scores points for that end. The point total is equal to the number of stones closer to the center than the nearest stone of the opposing team.

While the stone is traveling down the ice, the delivering team's players are allowed to sweep in front of the stone as a method of controlling the stone's speed and direction.

Sweeping is done with a broom designed for curling. The sweeping action very slightly melts the surface of the ice, thereby reducing friction. That allows the stone to travel further.

Also, when delivering a stone, the player induces a spin which provides a more stable line down the ice, This spin causes the stone to veer toward the right or left depending on the rotation, The sweeping action also reduces the effect of the spin because of the reduced friction. Thus, a swept rock will travel in a straighter line, and an unswept rock will veer further, sometimes as much as four feet.

Teams are made up of four people,

The 'skip' is the team leader, and calls all the shots using a series of hand and broom signals, He also gives a target for the thrower. The 'skip' throws last as he/she is usually the best on the team.

The 'third' gives a target when the skip is delivering, and throws third.

The 'second' throws second.

The 'lead' throws first, When players aren't throwing, they sweep the stones for their teammates.

Note – Information generously provided by Ian Munro