Curling:
The Outstanding Game With a History

Curling Sport

Curling is a winter team sport.

The essence of it lies in the fact that the participants of 2 teams on the ice by the loops are launched granite shells on the side of the target.

Rules of Curling

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Each side plays 2 teams of 4 people each. The team consists of a skip (captain, who determines the strategy of the game), the vice-skip, the first, and the other. Each game includes 10 independent periods – “indoors”.

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During one end, each team releases 8 stones by the draw. Initially, the rower is released from the starting block and unloads the stone on the ice. The grappler needs the stone to stop at a certain place or the opponents’ stone must be knocked out of the goal area.

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The team members can rub the ice in front of the stone using special brushes. It is also possible to rub the ice in front of the opponent’s stone, but under the condition that his stone crosses the teeline. And only one player is allowed to do this.

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After playing 16 stones in a valley, the points are counted. The team with the stone closest to the centre wins. They receive 1 point for each stone that is placed closer to the centre than the opponent’s stone.

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The winner of the entire game is determined by the sum of the points of all the endings. If the number of points is the same, an extra point is awarded.

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You can play not only in the team, but also in mixed doubles – a man plus a woman. Then the match consists of 8 tenders and 5 throwdowns.

Equipment for curling

To play the curling granite stone, which is mined in Scotland is used. The stone has a cylindrical shape and a handle is placed on top of it. A special brush is also used. The grappler, who carries out the throw, wears a slider, which ensures good covering. In order to prevent injuries, athletes wear knee-pads.

History of the curling

Curling emerged in Scotland at the beginning of the XVI century. The earliest orchestra is the Association of Players in the city of Kilsyth, located in the Scottish midlands. She was founded in 1716.

In the first half of the 19th century, the official rules were set up and have remained fairly unchanged since then.

The first World Championships in Men’s World Cup were held in 1959 at Folkerku and Edinburgh. The Women’s World Championship took place in 1979 in Perth, Scotland.

At the 1924 Olympics women’s team took part in the showpiece event of the tournament. In 1998, it was recognized as an Olympic sport. Starting from 2018 the program of the Winter Olympics included competitions in mixed doubles.

Why curling?

  • Official Olympic sport
  • Important social component to meet new people
  • Learn a new sport
  • Exercise and physical activity
  • Low risk of injury
  • Easy to learn
  • Affordable
  • Controlled environment (indoor winter sport)

A team sport with a strong Canadian association, curling is a sport for life and is open to all regardless of age, gender, or physical condition.

Curling season

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With few exceptions, curling clubs are closed during the summer season. Generally, a curling season begins in late September and ends in April.

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Curling is a sport in which two teams of four players compete by trying to place stones as close as possible to the centre of a target marked out on the ice.

Men’s World Championship

In 1959, it was decided that the winner of the Brier would represent Canada internationally. The World Championship, previously known as the “Scotch Cup”, was a five-game series between Canada and Scotland. The 1964 Scotch Cup was played for the first time in Canada at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. In 1968, Air Canada sponsored a new world curling championship called the Silver Broom. In the 1970s, Canada was on the losing end of the World Men’s Curling Championship. Since 1995, the World Curling Championship has been sponsored by Ford Canada and is known as the Ford World Curling Championship when held in Canada.

Men's Championship Photo
Women's Championship Photo

Canadian Women’s Curling Championship

It was more than fifty years before women had their own national curling championship. The first Canadian Women’s Curling Championship was played in Oshawa, Ontario in 1960, more than 33 years after its men’s counterpart in Toronto.

In 1972, the Macdonald Tobacco Company became the title sponsor of the National Women’s Curling Championship, renaming it the Macdonald Lassies Championship.

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World Women’s Curling Championship

The first World Women’s Curling Championship was held in 1979, with Switzerland’s Gaby Casanova winning. In 1980, Marj Mitchell’s foursome from Saskatchewan became the first Canadian team to steal the world championship title.

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Canadian Mixed Curling Championship

Another major event in the world of competitive curling is the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, which began in 1964.

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Scotties Tournament of Hearts

In 1982, a new era for women’s curling began with the arrival of Scott Paper Company as the title sponsor of the national championship. Originally called the Scott Tournament of Hearts, it was renamed the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2007 to match the company’s name change.

Other national championships

Other Canadian curling events include the Junior (since 1950), Senior Canadian (since 1965), Junior Women’s (1971), Senior Women’s (55+, since 1973), Canadian Masters (60+, since 2000), and the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship (since 2004).

Other Championship Photo