PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu writes:
I checked this site last night but found no answers to my questions. Am I
missing something?
Cliff Parker
I looked under "everything you want to know..." then " the quick guide"
and got a page that had graphics which covered the critical words. Here is
the page sans graphics: -Ken Fox
THE OLYMPIC SPORT OF CURLING
Submitted by Lisa
Schoeneberg
Curling history dates back to the 16th century, when Scottish farmers
passed time during long, gray winters by sliding large granite stones,
retrieved from nearby channels at low
tide, across frozen
lochs. Curling appeared as a demonstration sport in four Olympic Winter
Games: 1924 in Chamonix, France, Lake Placid in 1932, 1988 in Calgary,
Alberta, Canada, and 1992 in
Albertville, France. Curling
made its Olympic medal debut at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.
The Game is played between two four-member teams who use stones with
different colored handles. Each game consists of ten ends, which are
similar to innings in baseball.
During an end, each team
member alternates throwing stones toward a circular target area, called
the house, the center of which is approximately 93 feet away. Only one
team scores points per end. The
team with their stones closest to
the center of the target area, called the button, gets one point for each
stone between the button and the opposing teams nearest stone. After each
end is completed, play is switched
to the house at the other end
of the sheet.
The Free Guard Zone is the space between the hogline and the tee line,
excluding the house (see diagram, next page). No stone lying in this zone
may be removed from play by the
opposition until the first 4 stones in any end have come to rest. Any
opponents stone(s) removed from the Free Guard Zone prior to the first 4
stones being played, the opposing
team will place
their stone back in it’s original position and play continues.
Curling teams consist of four players: the lead, second, third (or
vice-skip) and the skip, who is the team strategist. As each player
releases the stone, an in-turn (clockwise) or
out-turn
(counter-clockwise) release is used to rotate the stone as it glides down
the ice sheet. This turn or “curl” gives the sport its name. The vigorous
sweeping actually melts a thin top
layer of the ice surface,
reducing the friction between the stone and the ice. Vigorous sweeping
helps the stone travel straighter and farther, increasing the distance by
as much as 10 ft.
Equipment
Shoes: Curling shoes are made of leather. One shoe has a slippery Teflon
or steel sole that allows the athlete to slide during the
delivery. The other shoe has a rubber sole for traction.
Broom: Also called a brush, it is used to sweep the ice, creating a film
of water between the stone and the ice, like a hydroplane.
There are several types of brooms constructed of different
materials including synthetic bristles, hog or horsehair bristles or
straw.
The Sheet (playing surface)
The house consists of a bull’s-eye series of 4 concentric circles.
Identical houses are marked on opposite ends of the sheet.
· The hack (a) - a small, rubber block sticking out of the ice,
from which the delivery motion begins.
· The Back Line (b) - the end of the playing field.
· The Center Line (e) - the center of the lengthwise sheet.
· The Tee Line (d) - the center line of the house.
· The Button (c) - innermost circle of the house
· The Hogline (f) - the athlete must release the stone prior to
the stone crossing this line. At the other end, the stone must cross the
hogline in order to be in-play.
Each sheet is specially prepared using a pebbling process. The ice is
sprinkled with droplets of warm water, which freeze on contact. The small
bumps (much like an orange peel
texture) on the ice surface
allow the running edge of the stone to easily glide down the ice.
The Delivery
Strategic Moves
The draw is a rock that stops in the house. A freeze is a stone that
touches an opponent’s and stops. There are a number of takeout shots that
involve moving another stone by
striking it. The hit and stay is
a shot that removes an opponent’s stone from play, leaving the delivered
stone at or near the point of contact.