The "14th Winter" curling competition is hot! If you want to play curling well, you need more than just two brushes

Curling is a traditional winter competition event, but compared with traditional ice and snow sports such as short track speed skating and skiing, curling does not seem to have an advantage in terms of name awareness and has a natural sense of distance from the public.

However, in recent years, with the popularization of health awareness among the general public, the broadcast of many international curling events, and the successful bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the exposure of curling in China has been greatly improved. People have begun to be curious about this somewhat "brain-burning" ice sport, and curling halls have been built in many local stadiums. The unique charm of curling is gradually being discovered by people.

►The origin of curling

Curling is known as a "gentleman's sport" and originated in Scotland.

In the 14th century, a game similar to bowling became popular on ice in Scotland. In the 16th century, curling competitions began to appear, which is the prototype of what we call curling. In 1795, the first curling club was founded in Scotland, and in 1838, the Scottish Curling Club formulated the first official competition rules.

Traditional Scottish curling scene

Although curling originated in Scotland, it became popular in North America, especially in Canada. Curling was introduced to Canada in 1807 and became popular in the United States and other places in 1820. Since then, curling has gradually developed as a winter sport in Europe and North America.

In the early 20th century, through the efforts of Canadian curling enthusiasts, the rules and methods of the sport were improved, and the sport gradually moved from outdoors to indoors. The first national curling competition was held in 1927.

Curling made its debut as a demonstration sport at the Winter Olympics in 1924. In the following years, curling received rave reviews on the international sports stage and was finally listed as an official Winter Olympic sport in 1998.

►What exactly is curling?

If you have only watched curling games remotely or in person, then the impression of curling in your mind should be like this: Wow! It's so small! The surface is smooth, the shape is round, and if you look closely, it's a little cute!

However, this seemingly small pot of ice is only 11.43 cm tall (from the bottom to the top) and about 91.44 cm in waist circumference, but it weighs an astonishing 19.96 kg (including the handle and the bolt). Imagine throwing out four bags of 10 catties of rice at the same time and making them arrive at the designated location as you want. Isn't it quite difficult?

The reason why the curling stone is so heavy has a lot to do with its material. It is made of natural Scottish granite that does not contain mica, and all the natural granite used to make high-quality curling stones in the world is produced on a small island off the coast of Scotland. Only the Scots have the technology to make world-class curling stones.

►How to play curling?

So, how is curling played? Why does it attract so many fans?

From the competition point of view, curling is a team sport, divided into two teams, each team consists of four people, and the two teams take turns throwing the pot. In each round of throwing pots, one person from each team is responsible for "throwing" the pot at one end of the track. During the sliding process of the pot, the other two people hold a brush similar to a floor brush and frantically "mop the floor" next to the pot. There is also one person on the other side of the track, staring at the direction of the pot nervously, and shouting from time to time. Finally, the team members will gather at the end of the pot's sliding to discuss the tactics for the next round.

What are they doing? Why are they working so hard to "mop the floor"? After the pot has stopped, why do they still use the "mop brush" to wave around their own pot and the other person's pot?

To understand this, you must first understand the curling venue and competition system.

►The unique features of the curling venue

The curling competition venue is an ice track with a length of 44.5 meters and a width of 4.32 meters. At one end of the ice track is a circle with a radius of 1.83 meters, which is used as the player's service area and is called the home base. There is also a circle at the other end of the ice track, which is called the camp (also known as the "base camp"). The base is composed of four concentric circles with radii of 0.15 meters, 0.61 meters, 1.22 meters and 1.83 meters respectively. The task of each team is to throw as many of their own stones into the base camp as possible and make them as close to the center of the circle as possible. In the game, each player throws two stones respectively, and 8 people throw 16 stones in total. Finally, when the players of both sides have thrown all the curling stones, the winner is determined by the distance between the curling stones on the field and the center of the base circle. Each stone counts 1 point, and the team with more points wins. The scoring rule is to see which team's stone is closer to the center of the circle, not the number of stones in the base camp. Sometimes the distance cannot be distinguished by the naked eye, and professional tools are needed for measurement. For example, if the opponent has 6 pots entering the base camp and we have 4, but 2 of our pots are closer than the opponent's pot closest to the center of the circle, then we get 2 points.

Of course, the reason why curling games are so exciting and fun is not just about throwing the pots into the base camp. Technology is the foundation of curling games, and tactics are the soul. Before each pot is thrown, it needs to be "carefully designed". The pots are not isolated, but closely related, mutually restrained, step-by-step, and self-contained. Therefore, each pot has a different mission. Some are to rush to the center of the base camp to grab points, some are to hit the opponent's pot away, some are to "occupy the road" to hinder the opponent's pot from moving forward, and some are to get close to the opponent's pot so that the opponent is not easy to attack themselves during the throwing process...

All of this cannot be accomplished by the player who throws the stone alone. Throwing the stone and wiping the ice are the most frequently used basic techniques in curling. The tactical planning of the whole team and the work of the two ice wiping players are particularly important.

The curling track looks horizontal, but it is not. The cross section of the track is U-shaped. The reason for this design is not the ice maker's mistake, but the reflection of the ice maker's professional level, because the U-shaped ice surface can help high-level athletes hit arc balls. In addition, the ice surface of the curling track is different from the ice surface of the skating rink. The surface of the curling track is not smooth, but has a layer of small bumps, called "ice points". The process of making ice points is called "dotting", which is extremely technically difficult and has more stringent requirements for ice makers. At present, there are no more than 20 top ice makers in the world, and our country's ice makers are not among them.

Ice making is a technical job

►Why can curling change its sliding path “by itself”?

The athletes' influence on the curling stone is achieved by rubbing the ice to generate heat and removing debris such as broken ice to reduce friction with the ice surface. By rubbing the ice, the sliding speed can be increased and the sliding trajectory can be changed. These two points have an important impact on the final landing position of the curling stone.

Curling ice wiping requires strong physical fitness as a basis. The ability to recover after quick ice wiping and the ability to continuously wiping ice with high intensity during the game are important for achieving success in the game.

►Gentleman's sports show sportsmanship

It is worth mentioning that although curling is a sport, it is also a sport that pays great attention to etiquette and embodies "gentlemanly style" everywhere. Before the start of the game, opponents and teammates should shake hands with each other to show respect. During the game, the audience must also abide by the order of the field, and are not allowed to use flashlights or make loud noises. If there are spectators making loud noises, according to the rules, the athletes can even suspend the game on their own. At the same time, in the curling game, whether it is calling a timeout or dealing with the opponent's fouls, it is decided by the athletes on the field through negotiation. If the score difference is too large, the lagging party should take the initiative to admit defeat to avoid wasting the opponent's physical strength. The friendliness and respect between athletes make the curling game more beautiful, and it is also the most solid foundation for this ancient and traditional sport to continue and flourish to this day.

Although my country is a major sports country, it does not have a clear advantage in curling, and there is a certain gap with traditional powers such as Canada and Sweden. However, in recent years, my country's curling team has been working hard to catch up, and has achieved a series of good results in international competitions. The women's curling team even won the third place in the 2006 Vancouver Olympics.

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