(Our semi-regular contributor, Tim Russell – known to this audience for his regular dispatches late last summer chronicling his baseball stadium travels – wishes everyone a Happy New Year with a cap tip to a sport more popular to our northern neighbors but enjoyed by Tim and plenty of other Michiganders … curling. Please enjoy!)
SWEEP!
Hard.
Real Hard!
HARD!!!!
You’ve all heard that, if you’ve ever watched Olympic curling. A curler slides down the ice and you hear the shouts as it moves toward the other end of the sheet.
It’s an intriguing sport with lots of complexities. Some people have even called it chess on ice. An oversweep or undersweep can cause the stone to move a fraction of an inch off its desired path.
Curling is something I started participating in three years ago. I had watched it during the Winter Olympics and thought it could be fun. I started following the Detroit Curling Club on Facebook and saw some “Individual Curling Experiences” they advertised. I tried one … and then another … and another, before finally being able to work a “Learn to Curl” program into my schedule.
Photos of the Detroit Curling Club courtesy of the DCC.
The “Learn to Curl” program is how you gain entry into the club, but more on that later. You learn the basics of curling, including sliding, releasing the rock, sweeping, and basic strategy.
But first, let’s get into the basics of curling. Each team is made of four players: the lead will throw the first two stones, the second the next two, the vice (or the third) the next two and, finally, the skip will throw the last two. The skip will also tell the first three where to throw their rocks.
In an end, the two teams alternate throwing their rocks. The object is to get as many of your stones closer to the center of the house before your opponent places one.
Most games last 6-10 ends (think innings).
Before the game begins, the two teams determine who will get the hammer, in other words, be the second to throw in the first end. It is usually determined by a coin toss, or sometimes by playing rock, paper, scissors. After the first end, the losing team gets the hammer in the next end.
Unlike hockey or figure skating, the game is also played on special ice. To begin, the ice is smooth and then pebbled with droplets of water. You turn a sprinkler head facing up, move your arm back and forth quickly as you slide backward, letting the drops fall to the ice, creating a pebble. You then nip the tops off the pebble, creating an even layer, allowing the rock to glide over top. The pebbling is where the rock gets its curl from. Most shots will curl 4-6 feet.
Sweeping is also a part of the game. It accomplishes two things: keeping the stone moving straight; reducing the amount of curl. You may want to do that to get it past a stone in play, instead of having it hit it. It will also help the rock move further down the ice. It won’t make it faster, but will help it carry.
The rock is also special, made up of 42 pounds of granite. They come from one of two places: the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig and a Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales. The game itself was started more than 500 years ago in Scotland.
So why did I want to join the curling club? I’m glad you asked.
I had always watched the curling events during the Winter Olympics. It was one of those events I really looked forward to each time and always tried to find the time to tune in.
One thing led to another and I was able to try it out. To put it simply, I was hooked.
During the summer, there are ample things to do: golf, baseball or softball, bike riding, and kayaking to name a few. But the winter provided a problem, how do you stay – at least somewhat – active?
That answer proved to be curling. It got me out of the house two-to-three days/nights per week. It provided exercise. And yes, despite the cold ice, you work up a sweat, or at least build up some heat. The best thing to do when playing is to dress in layers. You exert a lot of energy when sweeping.
But I’ve found the best part about curling and the club is the people you have an opportunity to meet. Everyone has the same interest and are very helpful to new curlers. And after every game, you usually broomstack, or sit around the table for a round of drinks. Tradition has it that the winning team buys the first round to soothe any hurt feelings.
Even with plenty of training and practice, it does take some time to learn the proper weight to throw the rock down the ice. It may be the hardest part of the game. If you slide out too fast, the rock may move too fast and not curl as much. If you push off to slow, the rock may fall off and not reach its desired target.
You have to balance all that along with ice conditions that may change, depending on outside conditions. But basically, you push out of the hack with the rock and at some point, before the hog line, you release the rock.
The hack is what you place you foot in to start each throw. The hog line is about 10 meters in front of each house (or the targets at each end of the ice). If a rock fails to cross the far hog line, it is considered out of play and removed.
So where can you try it? Here in my native Michigan there are several places.
The Detroit Curling Club in Ferndale is the only place in the metro Detroit area with regulation, full-length ice. There are also other clubs throughout the state in Lansing, Midland, Kalamazoo, and Traverse City.
At the Detroit club, they have “Individual Curling Experiences” sporadically throughout the year. Those events last about two hours, with 20 minutes of instruction and safety and the rest out on the ice. The club also has rentals available during the season, which lasts from late October to mid-April. Those last 2 to 2 ½ hours, with basic instruction and the bulk of the time on the ice.
The HubStadium in Novi also has curling sheets available, along with basic instruction. They have six sheets, but the sheets are about five feet short of regulation.
Membership at the DCC begins with the “Learn to Curl” class, a three-weekend course going over the basics of how to play. The course is usually in November. Once joining, you participate in leagues and bonspiels, which is what curling tournaments are called.
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