"How it works In a curling match, two teams compete to see which can get the most granite stones closest to a bullseye target called the tee by sliding it on a narrow sheet of ice. The distance between where a player must release the stone and the tee at the other end is about 93 feet (28 meters). The sheet is only 5 meters or 16.4 feet wide and it shares stones for each team every round so it gets crowded."
"Each round, for up to 10 rounds, teams have eight chances to slide the specialized 44-pound (20 kg) stones toward the tee. They can aim directly for the center, try to knock their opponents' stones away or nudge their own stones closer to the target. Strategies include blocking and takeouts. Each throw involves all four teammates. One slides the stone, using a handle to make it curl, while others sweep the ice as the stone moves, altering its speed and direction."
"Terms to know; The house (the overall scoring area, centered by the tee); Ends, which are similar to an inning in baseball in that each team shoots eight rocks (two per person) or 16 total; the hammer, or the last stone of an end; the hog line, which is when a player must release their stone (21 feet from the tee); and pebbling, the droplets of ice on the sheet that impact the speed of the stone."
Curling began in the 1700s and was part of the first Winter Olympics in 1924, returning as a medal sport in 1998 with both men's and women's competition. The sport will open competition at the Milan Cortina Games two days before the opening ceremony. Matches feature two teams sliding 44-pound granite stones down a narrow 5-meter sheet of ice toward a circular target called the tee about 93 feet away. Teams play up to 10 ends with eight stones per team each end. Players sweep to affect speed and curl while skips direct strategy, using blocking and takeouts.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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