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history of curling ...
curling
(kūr'l'ng) noun - A game originating in
Scotland in which two four-person teams slide heavy
oblate stones toward the centre of a circle at either
end of a length of ice.
Curling: winter sport, similar in principle to
bowls and quoits, played on ice by teams of four. Each
player hurls a squat, circular stone—weighing 38 lb
(17.2 kg), dished on bottom and top and having a top
handle for the player's grip—at the tees, or fixed
goals, which are placed 38 yd (35 m) apart. Around each
tee a circle is drawn with a radius of 6 ft (1.8 m).
Each player is provided with a crampit, or spiked metal
plate, to get a foothold on the ice, and a broom to
sweep the ice in front of the swerving stone—one of
the eye-catching features of the game. The players on
both teams alternately send the stones toward one tee;
the stones lying nearest the tee at the end of play
count toward the score. The play is then made toward the
opposite tee. A curling tournament is called a bonspiel.
Curling is a major winter sport of Scotland, where it
was played perhaps as early as the 16th cent. The Royal
Caledonia Curling Club, founded in 1838, is the
governing body of the sport. Curling is a winter Olympic
sport.
The
word "curling" first appears in print in
an elegy written in 1620 by Hendry Adamson following the
death of a close friend James Gall who was obviously a
sporting gentleman. His name was M. James Gall, a
citizen of Perth, and a gentleman of goodly stature, and
pregnant wit, much given to pastime, as golf, archery,
curling and jovial company. The ice rink in Perth
(Dewars Centre) has long been a main centre of curling
in Scotland. Many top teams compete from the Perth rink
and many major events are held there each year. Eight
sheets are available for curling from September to April
each year. PERTH IS WHERE mcleanscotland ARE BASED and
some of the local Curlers are our friends.
The origin of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club
dates back to 25 July 1838 when the Grand Caledonian
Curling Club was formed in the Waterloo Hotel, Edinburgh
– John Cairnie of Curlinghall, Largs, being the first
President. It was in the year 1843 that Her Majesty
Queen Victoria graciously granted the Club the title of
Royal Caledonian Curling Club, following upon a visit
which her Majesty and the Prince Consort made to Scone
Palace in 1842. On that occasion the Earl of Mansfield
gave his Royal visitors a demonstration of the curling
game upon the polished floor of the Scone Palace
ballroom. On behalf of the curlers in Scotland the Earl
then presented the Prince Consort with a pair of curling
stones with inscribed handles, but it is not on record
whether Prince Albert ever used these. ‘To unite
curlers throughout the world into one Brotherhood of the
Rink’.
CURLING EXPLAINED
How to talk the talk!
Bonspiel: a curling tournament.
Brier: the Canadian men's curling championships.
Broom or brush: used for sweeping the ice, the
sweeping melts the ice. End: after
both teams of four have thrown eight stones each the
"end" is complete. World championship matches have 10
ends. Curl: a twist of the stones handle
designed to make the stone curl. Guard:
a rock/stone outside the scoring area used to protect a
team's stones in the house. Hammer: the
final stone thrown from an end. A huge advantage to that
team. Heavy ice: when the ice is slow
the stones have to be thrown harder. Hog line:
21 feet from each button, a stone must be released
before the near hog line and travel beyond the far line.
Otherwise it is removed from play. House:
the rings that form the scoring area. Lead:
the first player on each team to deliver two stones.
Rocks: also known as stones. Made of granite only
found at Ailsa Craig, Scotland. These are 42 pounds in
weight and a set of 18 costs approx $8000.
Scoring: only one team score at each end. One point
is given for each stone nearest to the button than the
opponents stones, the maximum score is 8.
Sheet: the 146 foot long ice playing area. The sheet
allows play in both directions. Skip:
the player who determines the strategy and directs play
for his/her team. The skip normally delivers the two
final stones of the team. Stones: see
rocks.
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