I do not understand curling

[demtenjeep]

I understand shuffleboard (bar style)

why to they brush the "floor"

do they want their disc in the center of the bulls eye?

[av8rdave]

1. I was stuck on a LONG bad weather layover in Edmonton once, and wound up watching

a lot of curling on TV. There is more to it than it seems at first glance. The brushing can actually alter the path of the stone, but only slightly. How much and how soon completely depends on the teamwork of the folks doing the brushing (I forget what they're called). The person launching the stone (I forget what he/she is called) is also critical, since the brush people can only cause so much effect.

It's been long time since I've watched it, but as I recall there is some shuffleboard - style strategy involved as well.

I think the sport is a bit like baseball in the sense that the more you know, the more you appreciate/enjoy it.

[ashling]

12. The guys doing the brushing are called

Darell and Darell and the guy that launches (well, kinda of slides purposefully) is their other brother ...
Darell

[GoCubsGo]

2. Brushing the floor supposedly melts the ice to reduce friction

It also removes any debris in the way. That helps the stone stay on its desired trajectory.

[lazarus]

5. actually

sweeping can change the trajectory by up to six feet.

On edit: It does reduce friction, but by smoothing out little pebbles of ice on the surface.

[trof]

3. I thought it was a hair thang.

;-)

[Swede]

4. I just noticed Carmen Schäfer the third on the Swiss team

has a pierced tongue. I googled her and she's not too hard on the eyes.
The Swiss are playing Canada right now,tied 3-3. Here's a photo of Miss Schäfer.

[arbusto_baboso]

6. What's to understand?

Curling is from the same culture that gave us golf, another pointless "sport".

Oh, and BTW, I'm Clan Cameron, so I can say crap like that and get away with it.

[lazarus]

7. you want more stones

closer to the center than your opponents' stones. If they're in the house, you score points.

You don't always aim for the center of the house. They throw 8 stones per team per end (10 ends per match), so an early stone in the house will get knocked out. What they do is put blocking stones up in front of the house, in the anticipation that your throwers and sweepers will be better able to negotiate the obstacles than your opponents'.

The thrower puts spin on the stone. This causes the stone to curl, iow the trajectory will bend at the end. The ice actually covered with little "pebbles" or drops of ice. The sweepers smooth these out, changing the trajectory or extending the distance the stone will travel. This can also affect when the curl starts. You sweep to improve the stone's final position.

Most ends finish with only one point, although occasionally a team will score two.


On edit: I'm watching the US vs Japan right now, and the Japanese scored three. A great shot by the US prevented them from scoring 5, which is incredible.
BTW, there's a black line where the thrower releases the stone. This is called the "hog line". You have to release the stone before that line.

Curling is less like shuffleboard and more like team golf. It's a very mental game.

[demtenjeep]

8. Thank you

I was also watching US/JP and your explaination made it really understandable.

[lazarus]

9. happy to help!

I just wish I could watch it more than every four years.

[ashling]

13. It's a very mental game.".

I was going to say that ... but the word I was going to use has been banned by Sarah :shrug:

[flvegan]

10. Builds the biceps when done right.

The brachialis as well, when done as hammer curls.

[Generic Brad]

11. That's because it's not a real sport

Brooms? Stones? Ice? You've been punked!

[SeattleGirl]

14. I love curling, but why are the Norwegians wearing pajama bottoms?

:shrug:

[lazarus]

16. I love those pants

nice change from the black everyone else wears.

Did you see the Azerbaijani pants in the opening ceremony? I gotta have a pair of those.

[Mike 03]

15. Sorry, totally confused. I was thinking about shuffleboard literally.

[nadine_mn]

17. When I was in school - we had curling as part of our gym class

I graduated from high school in 1990 - I grew up in Northern Minnesota and our gym winter sports consisted of archery, cross country skiing, ice skating and curling.

I loved curling - its very fun.

The sweepers are helping to control the speed of the rock - by brushing the ice, you get a smoother surface with less friction which will make the stone slide further and faster if needed.

Someone else explained it better - I just have to say for those who say its not a real sport... pfft - try it first.

[Bucky]

18. I have ice skated, I have played shuffleboard, and I have even swept the floor with a broom.

Therefor I have, cumulatively speaking, tried curling.

I'm not saying it's not a real sport. I'm saying it's not a sport.

[sarge43]

19. They brush to redirect their opponent's stone and their own.

The point is not only to get your stone to target, but to prevent opponent's from getting there. So, one of the strategy is to try to set a 'fence' of your own stones around the bull's eye to block other guy's.

Brushing makes a very thin layer of water on the ice which allows the stone to move more quickly and, if you're good at it, redirect.

Wiki has a good, detailed article on the art of curling.

[Orsino]

20. So what is it that actually curls? n/t

[workforced]

21. Janitors on ice

I love curling - there's no other sport where vigorous sweeping is a skill. I hire ex-pro curlers to clean my house. The wooden floors are so shiny they're almost reflective.