The roarin' game - curling

American Fitness, March-April, 1990 by Gordon D. Howard

The Roarin' Game

Curling beckons and beguiles as it sweeps its way into America's heart.

Last winter the world got its first glimpse of an invigorating, intriguing contest often erroneously referred to as "bowling on ice." A much beloved sport in Canada and Scotland, curling is a sport to be played and enjoyed by the young and old.

No one knows when the game of curling began, but its origin has been dated to the early 1500's. The first curling club was started 275 years ago in Kilsyth, Scotland.

Originally the game was played outside on the natural ice of frozen ponds and lakes. This led to its popularity in high altitudes or extreme cold. In addition to Scotland and England, clubs were formed in the Scandinavian countries, the Alps, New Zealand, China and especially Canada. After Scottish regiments found themselves in Quebec in the early 19th century, curling became as native as the maple leaf.

The soldiers who marched to bag-pipes introduced a change in the game. They devised a way for making stones of nearly equal size and shape. Originally, the stones skimming over the frozen ponds were erratic sizes. Traditionally used granite stones were hard to get from Scotland, so the soldiers serving in Quebec began casting their stones using iron cannon balls. The metal ball was used by many until the middle of the 20th century.

Today in Canada and the United States, all stones or "rocks" are uniform. Quarried granite is shaped to resemble a half-flattened basketball weighing exactly 42-and-a-half pounds. A smooth, polished finish enables it to slide on the ice as easily as runners on ice skates. The bowling ball-type grips have been replaced with L-shaped metal handles. They can be interchanged and the stones of one club may be used by another.

The action takes place on a sheet of ice, or rink, loosely resembling the lane of a bowling alley. At each end is a hack similar to starting blocks used by sprinters. In front of the hack is the house, three concentric circles of different colors with the outer circle 12 feet in diameter. Its center, called the tee, is comparable to the bull's-eye on an archer's target. And as in archery, the winner is determined by whose rock(s) is closest to the center.

Seven lines are drawn on the sheet. The center line extends from tee to tee. Lines perpendicular to this center line are drawn through the tee in each house and are called tee lines. Other lines, also perpendicular to the center line, are two hog lines drawn in front of the house. To be in play a stone must stop between the hog line and the back line.

Teams (rinks) are made up of four players. The captain (skip) directs the action of the other three. Players on opposite rinks alternate throwing two stones apiece. Each player has a specific function. The first player aims to place the initial stones in strategic spots. The second player sends the stones down the ice hoping to take out the opponent's stones. The third player, or vice-skip, strives to place stones as guards for counters already in the house, take out opponent's stones or draw-in to place additional counters.

Rocks are sent skimming down the ice by use of leverage generated by a back swing as in bowling or golf. The player gets a shove-off with the right foot in the hack and with left knee bent. Using the broom as an outrigger balance, the player slides forward guiding the rock with appropriate force and releasing it so it spins slowly or curls as it guides toward the opposite house.

The broom has two purposes. In addition to balance when delivering the rock, it also increases speed. The skip commands the use of brooms by calling out "sweep" or "brooms up." If a sweeper accidentally touches a stone with his broom or foot the stone is declared burned out and out of play.

Gordon D. Howard is a freelance writer living in Wilmette, Illinois.