Curling - The Basics  (Bruce Whitehill, Broomstones Curling Club)

Two teams with four players on a team compete for high score on a long sheet of ice, trying to get as many "rocks" or "stones" closer to the center target area than the opponent's closest stone; the 12-foot diameter circular target area in which a stone must lie in order to be counted is called the "house."

Though curling originated outdoors, it is now played inside (with rare exceptions) on carefully groomed ice. Players do not wear skates but instead wear a "gripper" when moving on the ice and a "slider" when delivering (throwing) the stone; the gripper covers the bottom of one Teflon-coated shoe (the other shoe is a normal shoe) and gives the player traction, while the coated shoe, or the Teflon slider that fits over the bottom of a regular shoe, allows the player to slide on the ice.

Each player throws two rocks--44lb blocks of granite specially made in Scotland where the sport originated--by sliding them along the sheet, pushing out from a "hack"--a rubber foothold fastened into the ice. Some players lift the stone on the backswing, but most curlers, including all those being taught today, don't lift the stone at all but push it out in front of them--it slides easily on the ice; the power comes from the leg pushing off from the hack. Teams alternate, taking turns with one rock at a time, and the team that scored the previous round, or "end," shoots first for the next end, giving the opposing team the opportunity to throw "last rock," which is a definite advantage.

The stones have a handle on top so the player can grip the stone and turn the handle to affect the stone's rotation as it slides down the ice. The captain or "skip" is at the target end of the ice, holding a broom at a point on the ice where the player who is "up" (the thrower) needs to aim. (The third player, or vice skip, holds the broom while the skip throws the last two rocks.) The hand in which the skip (or vice skip) holds the broom determines the "handle" the thrower should put on the stone--that is, the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction the stone should be made to curl when thrown; if you want a stone to curl clockwise--which means the stone will eventually move to the right as it slows down--you start by holding the stone with the handle at a "10 PM" position and release the stone as your hand reaches 12; for a left turn or curl, the stone needs to rotate counter-clockwise, with the player's hand starting at the two o'clock position and ending at 12.

As one player holds the broom and another throws the stone, the other two players run along the ice, each with a broom, sweeping in front of the moving stone as needed or as directed by the skip (or vice skip); sweeping causes the ice to melt and generally causes the stone to move faster and straighter; less sweeping means that a stone will slow down more and curl (turn) more. The stone is never supposed to end up where the player aims--i.e., where the skip held the broom--because it will curl to one side or the other; the thrower depends on the skill of the skip in determining "how much ice to take," in other words, where to place the broom to account for the distance the stone is expected to move, to curl or turn to one side.

Basic strategies include getting your stone to curl behind another stone so it is protected, or tapping back a stone in play so it comes to rest behind the shooter, or putting up a "guard" in front of a stone in play to protect it from being hit directly by the opponent; other strategies include hitting an opponent's stone to knock it out of play (out of bounds) or hitting it to move it to a more desirable position, so that it is either not counting or is sitting more exposed so you can hit it out of play next time if the opponent is unable to protect it. Players often want to "hit and roll," hitting an opponent's stone out of play while the "shooter" (the stone just thrown) then rolls behind another stone and is protected. A skip may ask that the thrower "finds the right weight" for the shot (how "heavy" or "light" the stone needs to be thrown) so the shooter lays up against an opponent¹s stone, using the opponent¹s stone as a "backer," outscoring it and yet positioned so it is difficult to hit out. Or a skip might want to "split the house," having a stone on each side of the 12-foot circle so that whatever stone the opponent might be able to hit out, the other one remains. It is possible to get two stones out of play at once (either the shooter hits both stones or it hits one stone into another stone)--this is called a "double"; less common, and very exciting to see, is the "triple," where a player is able to remove three opponent's stones in one shot. Besides the skill required of the players, curling can call for a high level of strategic play as well.

Most games are completed after eight "ends," but national and international competitions may go to ten ends. Only one team can score in an end (and there can be a "blank end" in which no team scores because no rocks are left within the house), and different methods are used at different times for breaking ties. Competitive curling is played in leagues and at "bonspiels" (tournaments) categorized as "men's" (all male teams), "women's" (all female teams), and "mixed" (two men and two women per team in competition, or any combination in "open" play). Most curling leagues in the United States are "social" leagues, rather than competitive, with curling rinks usually hundreds of miles apart and primarily in the northern part of the country. In Canada the sport is extremely popular and games are televised regularly; there could be two or three rinks near the same town. Curling is a winter sport (it is very expensive to keep groomed ice during the warmer months), played mostly between late October and mid April; there are some summer bonspiels, however, such as in Cape Cod where ice is made for a few weeks mid summer to offer some off-season competition. Curling, a game which does not require much power or strength (though it does help to have good "sweepers"), utilizes a balance of talent, strategy, finesse, and etiquette, and has been dubbed "The Hottest Sport on Ice!"

In 1998, curling became an official Olympic sport.