What Is Curling

Curling also known as chess on ice or the roaring game, is best defined as the landlocked cousin of golf, played on a board of ice with a set of two teams. The origin of this game is much speculated, as both Holland and Scotland are held as its place of origin. However, it was Scotland that popularized this game. Basically played with curling stones, made from the scraping of the North Sea across frozen lochs during that time, curling soon came to be recognized as a Scottish game that won great prestige over the years. Basically treated as a game of etiquette, the game begins on a handshake and the polite expression “Good Curling”. The game is played on a ‘sheet’ of ice. Curling begins with a coin toss where the winner usually chooses to go last. The game of curling has been in vogue since the sixteenth century and has been one of the most popular games in the Olympics too. To know more on the game of curling, read on.

How To Play A Curling

The game of curling is usually played between two teams, with each team consisting of four players. It is played on an ice sheet called lane, where the different players are positioned accordingly. The player positioned in the ‘lead’ makes the first throw and is responsible for sweeping all the team’s shots.
The second player positioned at ‘second’, just after the ‘lead’ has to make a second throw and then has to sweep all the players stones. The third player called ‘vice’ shoots third and sweeps the stones only after ‘lead’ and ‘second’ are done. The fourth player or the ‘skip’, who is basically the captain of the team, is usually the last one to make the throw. It is he, who directs his playmates when to sweep and supervises the curling of the stone too.
The stones used in the game of curling are particularly styled for the game. They are made of granite and usually weigh 42 lbs each. There is a ‘Tee’ on the lane, which is usually treated as the bulls-eye, meaning all the teams have to sweep their curling stones closest to this spot. Whichever team comes closest to ‘Tee’ wins the game.
The game commences only after the ‘skip’, who is situated at the farthest corner of the field, calls the shots. The ‘lead’ throws the first stone, while ‘second’ and ‘vice’ help to sweep the stones, on the command of the ‘skip’. Next the ‘second’ throws the stone and ‘lead’ and ‘vice’ help with the sweeping, while ‘skip’ commands and leads the team with his instructions. Next the ‘vice throws the stone and the ‘lead’ and the ‘second’ sweep. The final shot is reserved for the ‘skip’.
The last phase is the trickiest part of the game, when the sweepers are not allowed to touch the stone. They just have to sweep in and around it to lead the granite stones to their desired destination. The players can dislocate other team’s stones to score more points. The team which manages to get maximum curling stones near the ‘Tee’ wins the game.

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