You’ve probably seen it. A group of people sliding giant stones across a sheet of ice while two others furiously sweep in front of them. But what actually is curling?
Despite looking like someone combined bowls with an ice rink, curling is a surprisingly tactical sport, and once you understand the basics, it becomes a lot easier and a lot more fun to follow.
First Things First: The Stones
A curling game is played between two teams, with each team usually consisting of four players. The aim is to slide your team’s stones down the ice towards a target at the other end, known as the house.
The stones are those big, round granite things you see sliding across the ice. Each team has eight stones, and players take turns throwing them.
A full round of throws is called an end, similar to an innings in cricket.
The ultimate goal is to get your stones closer to the centre of the house than the other team’s stones.
Simple, right? Well, this is where it gets interesting.
Why are they sweeping?
Sweeping in front of the stone reduces friction between the stone and the ice. This allows the stone to travel further and can slightly alter its path.
The person throwing the stone gives it a rotation – or “curl” – get it?
This causes it to gradually curve as it travels. The sweepers then try to control exactly where it ends up.
This is why you can sometimes see players shouting things like “Hard!” or “Sweep!” at their teammates. They’re essentially communicating how much they want the sweepers to affect the stone.
So who wins?
Once all 16 stones have been thrown in an end, the teams look at which stones are closest to the centre of the house, with only one team being able to score in each end.
The scoring team gets one point for every stone that is closer to the centre than the opposing team’s closest stone.
So, if you have three stones closer to the centre than your opponent’s nearest one, you score three points.
Games are normally played over ten ends at senior international level, although the exact format can vary depending on the competition.
Not Just Throwing Stones
Curling isn’t always about getting your own stone as close to the centre as possible. Players can deliberately throw their stone into an opponent’s to knock it out of play, known as a takeout.
Sometimes, the best move is to make life as difficult as possible for the other team. A player might place a stone directly in front of the house to block an opponent’s path, hide one behind another stone for protection, or knock out an opposing stone that is in a better position.
This is where the strategy really comes into play.
Every shot can change the position of several stones, meaning players have to think ahead and decide whether to attack, defend or take a risk.
Why should you care?
Curling might not have the obvious speed of football or the physicality of rugby, but that’s part of what makes it interesting.
A match can change completely with just one shot.
And now that you know the basics, the next time you see curling on television, you might find yourself watching it a little differently.
Congratulations, you now understand curling.
Mostly.
Featured Image Credit: Ralf Roletschek via Wikimedia Commons
3rd year journalism and sport student at the University of Stirling, with a particular interest in music and sports. Sport editor for Brig Newspaper.
