Watchingallsports.com

[img]

Introduction

Curling is a winter/ice sport originating in Scotland. Like most ice sports, curling is only played in countries with cold winters (Canada, the U.S., Europe), but its status as an Olympic sport has exposed to many people who would never have seen it otherwise.

Curling is focused on strategy and precision, which can be mistaken for staleness by novices. Really, curling’s scoring system and long form of playing are there to ensure that both teams have the chance to prove themselves thoroughly.

How to Play

The most common curling rules are for full teams of four players each – a variant called doubles curling was showcased at the 2018 Winter Olympics, which is similar except each team needs only two players and the pace of play is generally faster. There are some broad similarities to shuffleboard.

Curling is played on a long, thin sheet of ice called the pitch. Players start at one end and must push (“curl”) a rock close to a point at the other end, which is called the button. Each round (“end”), 8 rocks are curled by each team, and once the final rock has been curled, the team with the rock closest to centre scores points based on how many rocks are closer than the other team’s closest rock. To put it simply, curling players want their rocks to be closest to the centre of the button and with as few of their opponent’s rock on the button as possible.

How to Spectate

What makes curling difficult and interesting is the degree of precision required: each time a player curls a rock, he cannot touch it once it leaves his hand. Thus, he must rely on his teammates to use their brooms to sweep the ice in front of the rock to help it speed up or slow down depending on what the shot needs.

An end of curling can often be decided by millimetres, and the team who curls the final rock has a significant advantage. Over the course of an entire game, the teams will fight for position on the ice, but also try to maintain the power of curling second in the final ends.

When spectating a game of curling, think of what the next shot would look like: can the next player set up a rock that will block his opponent’s shots? Are there enough chances to score left in the end or in the game?

Leagues

In Canada, professional play is organized by Curling Canada. There are many municipal and provincial leagues, and there is a small but dedicated population of curlers who keep the sport alive.

Curling enjoys some international play in Asian countries, but the majority of the sport’s top players are Canadian and European, specifically from the Nordic and Scandinavian countries. There is some curling in New Zealand due to the country’s colonial history, but the population is too small to support a large, competitive league.

Trivia

Curling’s Scottish roots have given it eclectic jargon that you won’t find anywhere else.
– Bonspiel: a game of curling
– Skip: the captain of a team
– Biter: a stone just touching the circles that indicate the button
– Pebble: a spray of water that prepares a sheet of ice for curling play