"The oldest artifacts from the ice sport of curling are stones, today extant but unknown, which prehistoric people slid toward a target along frozen rivers or lakes. These people may also have used primitive brooms to clear snow from the path of their sliding stones.
In 1565, Holland’s Peter Breugel painted "Hunters in the Snow" and another work depicting scenes resembling modern curling. Breugel’s paintings support the premise held by some that curling originated in continental Europe. The Scots, however, are the undisputed developers and formalizers of the modern game. By 1638 curling was considered, with golf and archery (in M. H. Adamson’s poem The Muses Threnodie), to be a usual recreational pastime. After a huge growth spurt in the 19th century, curling was played by thousands in nearly every Scottish parish.
It looks like a sport I could get into... I only participate in sports where you can drink a beer and have a cigar while participating... this doesn't technically rule out Tennis... but teh games are over pretty fast...
"Curling is a competition between two teams with four players each. The game is played on ice, and the two teams take turns pushing a 19.1kg stone towards a series of concentric circles. The object is to get the stone as close to the centre of the circles as possible.
One game consists of ten "ends". An end is similar to a baseball inning. During each end, each team delivers eight stones - two stones per person. The team members deliver the stones in a set order presented to the officials before the game. The first player is known as the "lead". He/she is followed by the "second," then the "third" (also known as the "vice-skip") and finally the "skip", who is the leader of the team. Each end starts with the leads alternating throws until they have each thrown their two stones. They are followed by the seconds in the same manner, and so on.
The score for the end is determined when all 16 stones have been delivered. The team that scores in an end shoots first in the next end. The team with the most points at the conclusion of ten ends is the winner."
These are the Olympic rules: may be variations in other countries.
from what I can tell, when they sweep it makes the ice smoother and lets the rock slide further/easier... the subtle spin they put on the rock allows it to curl one way or another further down the track as it slows... I'm pretty sure these guys drink free at any bar with a shuffleboard layout...
Whatever they do-they have it down to a science those sweepers---nothing, slow, fast, ultra fast--they are actually pretty good most of the time at placing the rock--and there seems to be some almost chess like strategy involved...
Whats on the end of those brooms?
Do they have some sort of special shoes?--its not skates--sometimes they walk--sometimes they glide
I've seen them crawling on all 4's...eyeball to the ground...I can't figure out what they're doing....are they looking for something? smelling something? What's on the ice, besides ice....air? Do they move air?
I watched it for the first time last weekend. I don't get it. But I guess there are people out there who like it. It is a competition. I just don't see the athleticism in it. I know they are gliding a heavy stone and some of the sweepers are moving 500 miles for a few minutes at a time, but is it really a sport?
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mstar1
It wa strange for me every single time I turned on the Olympics ( about 6 times) every single time I got Curling.....
I know that is probably someones favorite sport somewhere but 6 times in arow on worldwide TV?
Where do they do this other than the Olympics? are there curling leagues in the frozen north somehwre that I missed?
I know it takes skill, like bowling takes skill, but I doubt if any of the sweepers will ever be nominated for athlete of the year
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George Aar
Hey, in Duluth curling is taught in High School.
Not sure if it's required or just an elective, but...
Anyway, think of shuffle board on ice, but where you can change the speed and direction of the "stone" after it's thrown.
I've always loved it, but don't ask me why...
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topoftheworld
"The oldest artifacts from the ice sport of curling are stones, today extant but unknown, which prehistoric people slid toward a target along frozen rivers or lakes. These people may also have used primitive brooms to clear snow from the path of their sliding stones.
In 1565, Holland’s Peter Breugel painted "Hunters in the Snow" and another work depicting scenes resembling modern curling. Breugel’s paintings support the premise held by some that curling originated in continental Europe. The Scots, however, are the undisputed developers and formalizers of the modern game. By 1638 curling was considered, with golf and archery (in M. H. Adamson’s poem The Muses Threnodie), to be a usual recreational pastime. After a huge growth spurt in the 19th century, curling was played by thousands in nearly every Scottish parish.
The game of curling spread throughout the world through the efforts of thousands of Scottish soldiers and émigrés. In North America, curling’s origins likely date to the late 1700s. The first documented record is the founding of the Montreal Curling Club in 1807."
Gotta have something to do in the winter with those frozen lakes.
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
it is very popular in canada
they have curling areans just as we have bowling alleys in the us
and did you those brooms arc computerized or something
they can cost in the 10's of thous!!
or so i've been told
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Tom Strange
It looks like a sport I could get into... I only participate in sports where you can drink a beer and have a cigar while participating... this doesn't technically rule out Tennis... but teh games are over pretty fast...
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ex70sHouston
OK I'm from Texas and want to get this thread back on tract.
WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THE GAME?
tO ME ITS JUST SOMEONE SLIDING A ROCK DOWN THE ICE with two people sweeping like mad in front.
Are they trying to slow it down or help it along?
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topoftheworld
"Curling is a competition between two teams with four players each. The game is played on ice, and the two teams take turns pushing a 19.1kg stone towards a series of concentric circles. The object is to get the stone as close to the centre of the circles as possible.
One game consists of ten "ends". An end is similar to a baseball inning. During each end, each team delivers eight stones - two stones per person. The team members deliver the stones in a set order presented to the officials before the game. The first player is known as the "lead". He/she is followed by the "second," then the "third" (also known as the "vice-skip") and finally the "skip", who is the leader of the team. Each end starts with the leads alternating throws until they have each thrown their two stones. They are followed by the seconds in the same manner, and so on.
The score for the end is determined when all 16 stones have been delivered. The team that scores in an end shoots first in the next end. The team with the most points at the conclusion of ten ends is the winner."
These are the Olympic rules: may be variations in other countries.
I really have too much time on my hands.
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Tom Strange
from what I can tell, when they sweep it makes the ice smoother and lets the rock slide further/easier... the subtle spin they put on the rock allows it to curl one way or another further down the track as it slows... I'm pretty sure these guys drink free at any bar with a shuffleboard layout...
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Zshot
Good question!!! What exactly does the sweeping do?
Do the sweepers have fund raising events where they sweep the kitchen, garage, sidewalk etc?
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mstar1
Whatever they do-they have it down to a science those sweepers---nothing, slow, fast, ultra fast--they are actually pretty good most of the time at placing the rock--and there seems to be some almost chess like strategy involved...
Whats on the end of those brooms?
Do they have some sort of special shoes?--its not skates--sometimes they walk--sometimes they glide
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Shellon
LOL!!! All this time I thought curling was weight lifting.
Here at the gym I belong to, there are points of curls.
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mstar1
Here is an old VIDEO CLIP of some people trying to explain it...
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Wacky Funster
Glide?
I've seen them crawling on all 4's...eyeball to the ground...I can't figure out what they're doing....are they looking for something? smelling something? What's on the ice, besides ice....air? Do they move air?
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Nottawayfer
I watched it for the first time last weekend. I don't get it. But I guess there are people out there who like it. It is a competition. I just don't see the athleticism in it. I know they are gliding a heavy stone and some of the sweepers are moving 500 miles for a few minutes at a time, but is it really a sport?
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outintexas
The "brooms" look a lot like Swiffers.
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Shellon
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ChasUFarley
Okay, all I needed to know about it was in the first part of the link that Shellon posted....
SCOTSMEN INVENTED IT!
"Okay, Chas, what does that have to do with it?" you ask...
EVERYTHING!
Scotsmen also invented/patented:
HAGGIS
Haggis Hurling
invented coat hangers
the comb
think bagpipes sound good after 20 mins...
OF COURSE ---
now CURLING makes perfect sense!
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ex70sHouston
I think I'll just stick with chess.
I don't need ice for play and I'll stay warmer.
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