UUnit
3: Games
Lesson 2: Curling
Approximate
Lesson Length: 30 min
|
UUnit
3: Games |
|
Lesson
Objectives:
Upon completion of this
lesson the student will be able to:
|
Lesson Links
| Please click on any of the links below to take you to the specific section of the lesson. |
| Definitions, Rules & Duties |
Introduction
| In today's lesson we will be looking at a game familiar to many Canadians -- curling. For those of you who have never tried to curl before, it is alot of fun and involves a great deal of teamwork and strategy. |
| Lesson - Curling |
Curling's origins go back to the 16th century in Scotland. A wide variety of curling stones, which can be dated, have been recovered from lochs and ponds to affirm this date. In its early stages, curling was an 'impromptu' game played on outdoor natural ice with teams varying in size from a few hardy souls up to a dozen or more on each side. And, as with many early games, one might say the rules were made up 'on the spot'. Curling has since become a sport played worldwide, and in fact, has become a full medal Olympic sport.
Also, when delivering a stone, the player induces a spin which provides a more stable line down the ice. This spin causes the stone to veer toward the right or left depending on the rotation. The sweeping action also reduces the effect of the spin because of the reduced friction. Thus, a swept rock will travel in a straighter line, and an unswept rock will veer further, sometimes as much as four feet. Teams are made up of four people. The 'skip' is the team leader, and calls all the shots using a series of hand and broom signals. He also gives a target for the thrower. The 'skip' throws last as he/she is usually the best on the team. The 'third' gives a target when the skip is delivering, and throws third. The 'second' throws second and the 'lead' throws first. When players aren't throwing, they sweep the stones for their teammates. The Very Basics Curling is played on ice with (approximately) 42-pound granite stones. The size of the playing surface (a'sheet') is 138 feet long by approximately 14 feet wide. The goal is, after all 16 are played (8 by each team), to have a stone of your team closest to the center of the house, called the 'tee', see diagram below). This is accomplished by sending your stone to rest in scoring position by knocking your opponent's stones out of scoring position or by guarding your own stones with others. The team with the closest stone, inside the house, scores a point, or more if they also have the second closest stone and so on. Each round is called an 'end' and consists of two stones delivered by each player on each team. The stones are delivered from the hack on one side of the sheet to the house on the opposite side. This consists of the player pushing off from the hack with the stone and releasing it with a spin, or 'curl', which gives Curling its name. Object of the Game : The object of the game is to complete each end with as many of your team's rocks closer to the button than the nearest of your opponent's stones. Scores are awarded as one point for each such rock. Each player shoots or delivers two stones each end, or inning, alternately with their counterpart on the opposing team. A twist of the handle on release makes the stone curl, a little like a "hook" in bowling. All four team members shoot two stones an end and sweep for their teammates' shots. While one player shoots, two sweep as needed. Sweeping polishes the ice so the stone travels farther if delivered too softly, and vigorous sweeping requires fitness. In a typical two hour game, a curler walks almost two miles. The skip acts as team captain and strategist. Strategy is a major factor in curling, as important as shooting skill. Some people call curling "chess on ice". The playing surface is called "a sheet of ice", and is designed to allow play in both directions. The object of shooting is to get the stone, or rock, to come to rest at a predetermeined place (a draw or guard) or to move another rock (a takeout or raise). The score is determined after each end of 16 stones. A 12 foot circle, the house, is the scoring area. Stones in the house must be closer to the tee (center) than any opposing stone to score. The maximum score in one end is eight points. Typically, one to three points are scored. Games are 8 or 10 ends, lasting 2 to 2.5 hours.
|
Brooms and Brushes:
The use of brooms and brushes came about because curling was first played out-of-doors on frozen rivers and lakes. When a player delivered a stone, his team-mates cleared the snow from its path by brooming or brushing! The practice continues today, even on indoor ice, because it has been found that sweeping in front of a running rock causes it to go straighter and/or farther.
Curling Stones (rocks)
Curling stones are made from one of several types of shock-absorbing granites quarried in various parts of the world. Each piece of granite is carefully machined and balanced, a goose-neck handle is added for the player's convenience, and the result is a standard 42 to 44 pound (approx. 19.1 kg to 20 kg) rock. (Synthetic "rocks" of lesser weights are now being produced for the increasing number of younger curlers, aged 6 to 12 years, who are getting involved in the game.)
The curling stone originated in Scotland from large chunks of rock bowled across the ice, none having any particular size or shape. They evolved into what are now matched sets of fairly uniformly made stones. They're all made of pure granite, and they are amazingly hard. The best stones come from a single granite mine on an island off the coast of Scotland. Shipping is quite expensive due to weight (16 stones in a set at 42 pounds a piece, not including packaging), and manufacturing is expensive because of the toughness of the material, which is ground with diamonds.
The stone is concave on both the upper and lower surfaces. On some stones, the degree of concavity is different on both sides to allow for reversing the stone for 'faster' or 'slower' ice. A handle, usually on a circular plastic disc, is bolted onto the stone through a channel running through the middle of the stone to a bolt on the other end. The handle is affixed onto this circular surface.The bottom of a curling stone is concave. The red circle is the actual running surface of the stone. This allows the stone to go farther, more accurately, and pick up more 'curl' than would be possible on a flat surface.
There is a lighter-colored band in a ribbon around the curling stone. This is the 'striking surface'. In manufacturing, the entire stone if very highly polished. This surface is dulled down for the purpose of improving collisions with other stones, both so that there will be a larger contact patch in the collision and so that the stones will not chip.
The Ice A large element of the game not mentioned so far is the 'curl' of the stone. The stone is not coming in on a perfectly straight path. This is due to the curl put on the stone by the curler. As the stone is delivered, a slight spin is put on it, acting like a very, very slow curveball. The pebble is what helps the stone pick up the lateral motion. As is seen here, the ice is sprinkled before the game with a 'pebbler', which creates a smoothly hilly effect on the ice, much like little pebbles. Without the pebble, the stone would not be able to travel as far. Our best guess, based on what we've been told by people who know, is that the small travelling surface of the stone itself combined with the small contact area of the ice (created by the pebble) creates the same effect you get when you brake on an ice patch. A thin film of water on top of ice creates a hydroplane. Using brooms, the sweepers slightly warm the pebble and thereby increase this effect, causing the stone to glide farther and grip less (which also has the effect of lessening the lateral motion due to curl).
|
| Let's now better acquaint ourselves with curling terms, rules, and definitions. Curling Terms/Definitions
|
In this lesson, you learned about the sport of curling. Topics covered are shown below.
In this lesson we completed the following activities:
Section 1 - Curling, History & the Basics
Section 4 - Definitions, Rules & Duties
Conclusion
If you have never curled before, check out your local curling club to see what programs they offer. You may want to give it a try. Curling is a fun and social sport. You are not required to submit an assignment for this lesson, however, you will be responsible for knowing the content covered in this lesson on your unit test. |
© Rocky View Learning Connection - 2011
The rules of the sport have matured over time as well,
to keep play fair and entertaining. In curling, two opposing teams
take turns delivering
stones across an ice surface toward a target area. The target area
is known as the house. After all stones have been played, the team
with the stones closest to the center of the house scores points for
that end. There are typically 8 or 10 ends in a curling game. The point
total is equal to the number of stones closer to the center than the
nearest stone of the opposing team. While the stone is traveling down
the ice, the delivering team's players are allowed to sweep in front
of the stone as a method of controlling the stone's speed and direction.
Sweeping is done with a broom designed for curling. The sweeping action
very slightly melts the surface of the ice, thereby reducing friction.
That allows the stone to travel further. 
Lesson
Review