With the Vancouver 2010 Olympics underway, I have seen online posts from people who are baffled by the winter sport of curling. Although I don’t play myself, due to a balance and coordination issue that makes it impossible for me to run along icy surfaces, I do know how the game works. I grew up in a rural community in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Curling – either playing or watching – was almost a requirement during the winter months. My father was an avid curler and the Skip of his own rink. I’ll explain those terms later for those who don’t speak the language of curling. Needless to say, I spent many an afternoon and evening freezing my butt off at an unheated curling rink watching my dad and his team hurl rocks down a sheet of ice.
Here are the curling basics.
Mastering the Language of Curling
Like any sport, curling has its own terms and language. And like any language, you’ll find variations in different regions and locations. Here are the terms, as I understand them:
Curling Rink: This is the venue in which curling is played, at least in rural areas of Canada and the US. It may have different names in other countries.
Curling Team: This is a group of four people who play together against an opposing team of four people. In some locations, a curling team is also called a rink . Where I came from, a Skip assembled a rink that would go to the rink to curl. Make sense?
Skip: The Skip is the leader of the rink. You might liken it to the position of captain of a hockey team. The Skip is regarded as the most accomplished curler in the rink. He or she is responsible for strategy and for throwing the last and most difficult rocks. The Skip indicates to other rink members where to aim the rocks that they play.
A rink is usually named after the Skip, as in "the McDonald rink". It may sometimes be named after location, as in "the Manitoba rink".
Skip is also used as a verb. e.g. George is going to skip the Manitoba rink.
Lead: The Lead is usually the least skilled or least experienced player in the rink. The Lead plays first. The first rocks thrown are allegedly easier to position, since the other players are then responsible for defending the first rocks.
Second: The Second player follows the Lead.
Third: The Third plays after the Second. The Third is also responsible for showing the Skip where to aim when the Skip plays.
End: When all players in the two rinks have played two rocks each, to a total of 16 rocks, the score is calculated and one End is completed. Recreational curling usually has eight Ends, but competitive curling has ten Ends.
Curling Rock: This is a flat-bottomed, rounded object with a colored handle. Players hurl the rock down a sheet of ice from a squatting/kneeling position, using a movement that is partly a toss and partly a shove. The players make a small curl with the wrist when throwing the rock, thus determining direction of travel.
Rocks are called stones in some countries. They weigh about forty pounds.
Curling Broom: In some places, this is called a Curling Brush . Players use the broom to sweep the ice directly ahead of a speeding rock. The sweeping can influence the speed and direction of a rock.
Burning the Rock: This is a “foul” . It refers to touching the moving rock with the broom or with any body part. Any player who burns the rock is expected to fess up and tell the Skips what has happened.
House: The two ends of the rectangular sheet of ice both have an area known as the House. The House contains three colored, concentric circles and is marked off by a line painted horizontally across the ice.
Hog Line: The horizontal line mentioned above is called the Hog Line.
Tee Line: The Tee Line is a line that runs directly through the middle of the House.
Bonspiel: A competitive curling event is known as a bonspiel. In curling country, this is usually shortened to simply “’spiel”.
Playing the Game
I have always likened the sport of curling to the board game known as Crokinole. If you have ever played crokinole, you have an idea of what curling is all about.
In an End, each player plays two rocks each, for a grand total of 16 rocks. The Leads from both rinks play first, taking turns, followed by the Seconds, Thirds and Skips.
When tossing the rock, the player must release the rock before it crosses the Hog Line. Otherwise, the rock is taken out of play. Once tossed, the rock must also travel far enough to cross the Hog Line at the far end, or it is disqualified.
The goal is to place more rocks in the center of the House than does the opposing team. At the completion of an End, scoring is determined by deciding which rink has a rock closest to the innermost circle. In some cases, this is obvious. In other situations, rocks from both rink may appear to be the same distance. In this case, deliberation occurs over which rock is the closest. Once it is decided which rink has won the End, scoring is determined by counting the number of that rink's rocks that are closer to the inner circle than any of the opposing rink's rocks.
If the game is tied after completing eight (or ten) Ends, the rinks will continue playing until one rink has scored points.
The Strategy
Although curling looks easy, making the rocks do what you want is anything but simple. The Skip determines the strategy of the game. This may involve attempting to first place a rock in the center of the House, and then placing a row of protective rocks around it. Opposing rink members will try to take out the protective rock and may well succeed.
Rocks thrown too hard can go right through the House and land in the out-of-play area. Rocks thrown not hard enough will not cross the Hog Line and will be out of play. The condition of the ice changes from game to game, so determining the strength of a throw is a different matter for every game played. Also, a rock that veers out of the intended path may take out your own rink's rocks rather than rock belonging to your opposition.
The Skip may direct players to sweep the ice in front of a traveling rock. Sweeping can influence the speed and direction. When the rock is traveling down the ice, players sweep their own team’s rocks, but do not sweep the opposing team’s rocks. Once a rock passes the Hog Line, players from the opposing team may sweep the rock, with the goal of changing its direction so as to protect their own rocks.
The sounds most commonly heard at a curling game are the voices of the Skip and the spectators hollering, “Sweep, Sweep! ”
Curling Etiquette
Curling differs from many sports in that etiquette and good sportsmanship are expected. Trash talking is unacceptable and cheering or celebrating when the opposition makes an error is frowned upon. Spectators at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics unknowingly breached these rules of etiquette by raucous vocalizations when the opposing team erred.
Players are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship and are expected to report their own fouls, such as may occur if they accidentally burn the rock.
Should it become apparent that one team is going to lose, it is a matter of honour for that team to concede.
At the end of each game, each player shakes hands with each player on the opposing rink.
The words shaking or shook are used to indicate the game is over. For example, you might hear, They shook after the sixth end.
After the game has been played, tradition has it that the winning team must buy a drink for the losing team.
In my home town, that particular custom was observed with considerable enthusiasm.
