Curling, game like bowls, played on ice; it has been a popular Scottish sport during the last 3 centuries and has now found a home in most parts of the world where the climate is favorable especially Canada and Switzerland.
Curling is a sport that is practiced on ice. In Canada, it is considered one of the national sports and it is estimated that there are 1.5 million people who practice it.
It is considered an Olympic sport since the 1998 Nagano Olympics.It has no age, both younger and older people can play.It is a simple sport, different, entertaining, and above all very grateful and tremendously fun.The CURLING is a team game, in which coordination, insight and strategy over individualities are the most important.It develops coordination, physical form, relationships with other people and concentration. It serves to relieve stress and disconnect from daily life.It will help you stay in shape, make new friends, reach new goals and excel personally.
The stone, which takes the place of the bowl, is a block of granite or whinstone rounded to the shape of a Dutch cheese and polished smooth. On the top is an iron handle by which the player grips it. The stone may be thrown in various ways, according to the direction in which the player wishes to send it. The weight varies from 35 to 40 lb., but 44 lb. is the maximum allowed.
By giving it a rotary motion to a greater or less degree it may be made to go in more or less of a curve, hence the name ‘curling’. The place of the jack at bowls is taken by a fixed mark called the tee. The ice is swept clean and 2 tees are constructed, 38 yds apart, I at each end of the rink. With the tee as centre, a circle of 7 It radius is then drawn at each end.
Behind each tee a line is drawn back from the tee to a distance of 4 ft, these being called the central lines. At the hinder extremity of the central lines foot-scores are drawn at right angles to them, 18 in. long, on the left hand on the central line as one faces the tee. With part of the foot-score as diameter and with their centres 6 in. from the central line, small circles 3 in. in radius are drawn. On these players must place their left feet when casting their stones. The scoring is as in bowls.
Those stones which are inside the tee circle and nearest to the tee count for the score, and a game consists of a number of ‘heads’ or ‘ends’, after each of which the players change ends. Seven yds from each tee a wavy line is drawn, known as the hog-score, and any stone which does not cross this is called a hog and removed from the rink. Midway between the tees a straight middle line is drawn.
The rink having been prepared according to the above rules, each side chooses its captain or skip. A side generally consists of 4 players with 2 stones apiece, and the skip is an autocratic director, giving minute direction to the other players where they must send their stones. The leader is generally directed by his skip to send his stone straight towards the tee, but on no account to go beyond it. The skip of the opposing side may then direct his 1st player either to send down a shot to remove his adversary’s stone, or to try to get his own stone nearer.
The 2nd and 3rd players are similarly told exactly what to do. The skip generally plays last, though this is not obligatory, and he himself is directed by a player, generally the 3rd, whom he has picked out for this purpose. As a rule when one good shot has been made it is customary for the following players to be directed to lay their stones as guards to protect this one. All the players are provided with brooms and a right judgement in ‘sooping’ (sweeping) forms no small part of the skill of the game.
The broom is used to sweep away any particles of ice or snow that seem likely to impede the progress of the stone, and is used only on the skip’s orders. The player’s party may sweep from the middle line to the tee, so long as they do not disturb either the running stone or any of those at rest. An umpire is generally chosen to settle disputed points.
The Curling track
It is 42 meters long and 5 meters wide. Two targets called houses, in each one of its ends of 1.83 meters of radio and a series of marks:
- HACK: it is the place where you have to position yourself for the launch, it is located on the “hack line” or hack line.
- BACK LINE: is the line that defines the track, if a stone completely exceeds it, it will be considered out of play.
- TEE: is the center of the target and is the main objective of the game. It is crossed by a line called “Tee Line”.
- HOG LINE: is a line located about 10 meters from the hack, before which, you have to release the stone during the launch. If it is exceeded, the stone is canceled.
