Curling

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American curlers in action at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics
Curling fields
Curling at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck

Curling [ ˈkʰɜːlɪŋ ] is a winter sport played on the ice that is similar to ice stock sport and has parallels to the ball sports of boules and boccia . Two teams of four players each try to play their curling stones closer to the center of a target circle on an ice rink than the opposing team. Curling is particularly popular in Canada , Scotland , Scandinavia and Switzerland and is also known as chess on the ice because of its complex tactical possibilities . It belongs to the precision and team sports .

history

Development since the 16th century

alternative description
Detail from Die Jäger im Schnee (1565). The painting shows a game similar to curling on the front ice surface

The word curling comes from the Scottish verb tae curl ("to turn") and describes the movement of the stones as they slide over the ice.

The oldest preserved curling stone dates from 1511. It bore the inscription St. Js B Stirling , which is why the stone is also called Stirling stone . The game then gradually developed in the late Middle Ages and spread across Europe. The first written mention of a game with stones on the ice came in February 1541 on a document written at Paisley Abbey in Renfrewshire : a Scottish admiral had begun to slide his talisman , a flattened cannonball , across the ice.

A type of curling was also played in the Netherlands in the 16th century , as evidenced by the painting The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1565). Henry Adamson first used the word curling in a poem in 1620.

The first curling club was founded in Kilsyth in 1716 , and the first rules of the game were also drawn up. At that time the stones were neither standardized in size nor in weight, so that there was a real competition between the clans for the largest curling stone. The heavier the stone, the more difficult it was for the opposing team to shoot it away. Today in a museum in Scotland there is even a 58.5 kg stone on display. The stones were mostly untreated, flat stones that came from rivers or the shores of the sea. The thrower had little control over the stone's path and relied more on luck than on skill; In contrast to today, tactics were only a minor matter.

In 1795, the Duddingston Curling Society was founded in Edinburgh . In 1838 the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was established (now called the Royal Caledonian Curling Club ). This set up rules "to regulate the old Scottish game of curling by the general legislation".

Because of Scotland's close ties with Canada , this winter activity came overseas, where soon many people were curling enthusiastically . Curling is the most widespread sport in Canada in the 21st century (around 800,000 club-organized curlers were registered in 2005 ), many of them as professional athletes . There are also special ice rinks only for curling competitions.

On the European continent, the sport of curling began in Boulogne (France), where customs officers were shown this pleasure by incoming Scots. - Other sources indicate that curling is said to have originated in the Netherlands more than 400 years ago.

The Canadian Royal Montreal Curling Club , the oldest surviving sports club in North America, was founded in 1807. The first curling club in the USA followed in 1832 and at the end of the 19th century the sport of curling reached Sweden and Switzerland . Curling is now played in many European countries and is also enjoying growing popularity in Japan , Australia and New Zealand .

Competitions

Curling game 1898

In 1880 the first international curling tournament took place in St. Moritz / Switzerland; In 1884 there was a competition between the USA and Canada.

In 1959 there was the first men's world championship (Scotch Cup) in Falkirk and Edinburgh , in which only men's teams took part. Since 1979 women have also been active in this sport and take part in competitions.

Curlingfeld in 1965 in Grindelwald - the houses are marked with fine lines

In December 1975, the first European championships were held in Grindelwald, Switzerland, in which 21 men's and 18 women's teams took part. Since around 1990, the European Championships have also counted as qualifications for participation in the World Championships. In 2003 it could be seen that the international comparisons can also bear the name of a main sponsor, there was the La Gruyère Curling EM . For example, the 2005 World Championships were called the Ford World Championship .

In 1966, the World Curling Federation (ICF) was founded in Vancouver , which was renamed the World Curling Federation (WCF) in 1991 . It was not until 1979 that the World Cup was also opened to women, while the European Championships have been open to both genders since it was first hosted in 1975. Between 1989 and 2004 the men's and women's competitions were held at the same time, but since 2005 they have been separated again for commercial and scheduling reasons. One of the two annual world championships takes place in Canada.

A curling tournament had already been held at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix . For a long time, this was considered a demonstration competition, although at that time there was no differentiation between demonstration and original competitions. In February 2006 the International Olympic Committee decided that curling had been an official competition in 1924 and subsequently declared Great Britain an Olympic Champion. In 1932, 1988 and 1992, curling was a demonstration competition with no official status.

The fact that curling became an Olympic sport is not least thanks to the then President of the World Curling Federation (WCF), Günther Hummelt , under whose tenure (1990-2000) curling was recognized as an official Olympic winter sport and for the first time at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano as the 7th Olympic winter sport was there. In order to keep the number of participating teams at the Olympic Winter Games manageable and at the same time to guarantee a high level, the results of the World Championship placements from the intervening years are added up; the best 10 (women) or 12 (men) teams will then take part in the Olympic competition.

Curling has also been offered to wheelchair users since 1998. The first World Wheelchair Curling Championship was held in 2002, and in 2004 it was included in Paralympic sports. Wheelchair curling is now played by around 25 nations (as of 2015) and is recognized by the World Curling Federation (WCF).

A mixed doubles has been part of the Olympic program since the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang , which is due to the initiative of the board members of the World Curling Federation under Scottish President Kate Caithness.

Associations

The highest body is the World Curling Federation , based in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was founded in 1966. In Germany, the German Curling Association , based in Füssen, is the supreme association.

Rules of the game / principle of the game

As many stones as possible in the goal

There are always two teams - with a few exceptions - four players and a substitute player against each other.

Goal of the game

The aim of the game is to place as many of your own stones as possible closer to a given target mark (called tee, button or dolly) than the nearest stone of the other team in several rounds, called ends . For this purpose, these are set in motion from one end of the elongated playing field, with the teams taking turns. The target is at the other end of the field in the center of a target area formed by concentric circles, which is called the house .

Basic rule

Each end consists in the delivery of eight stones per team. Each player may therefore hand over ( place ) two stones one after the other, alternating with an opponent . In this order, the players are named Lead, Second, Third, and Fourth.

matchfield

CL:  Centreline • HOL:  Hogline • TL:  Teeline • BL:  Backline • HA:  Hackline with hacks • FGZ:  Free Guard Zone
Detail of the curling pitch: the 12 foot circle overlays the backline

The playing field (called sheet , English ice sheet = "ice sheet") is an ice surface that is carefully prepared so that it is as level as possible. The aim is for the stones to move with as little friction as possible. The ice cream master sprinkles the surface with fine drops of water (called pebble , English "rubble"). Due to the friction between the stone and the water droplets, the stone rotates inwards or outwards depending on the letting go. that is, it "curls". The turning movement changes as the game progresses, as the drops of water are gradually planed off as the stones slide. The playing field is constructed symmetrically both in the longitudinal and transverse axis and has the following appearance:

  1. The standard length of the field is 150  feet ( 45.72 m) and a maximum width of 16 ′ 5 (5.00 m), usually 16 ′. If there is insufficient space, the length can be reduced to a minimum of 146 ′ (44.50 m) and the width to a minimum of 14 feet 6 "(4.42 m).
  2. On each half of the playing field there are clearly visible mostly black lines in the ice, from one long side to the other:
    1. The "Teeline", line width no more than 1/2 inch (″) (1.27 cm), 57 ′ (17.38 m) from the center of the playing field.
    2. The "backline", line width no more than 1/2 ", placed so that the outer line edge is 6 ′ (1.83 m) away from the middle of the line of the tealine.
    3. The "hogline", line width 4 "(10.16 cm), placed so that the inner (tea-side) line edge is 21 ′ (6.40 m) away from the middle of the line of the tea line.
  3. A "centreline" (center line), line width no more than 1/2 ″, which connects the centers of the teelines and projects over them by 12 ′ (3.66 m) towards the ends of the web.
  4. A "Hackline", line width no more than 1/2 ″, 1 ′ 6 ″ long, parallel to the Teeline, at each end of the Centreline.
  5. A courtesyline, line width no more than 1/2 ″, 6 ″ (15.24 cm) long, placed 4 ′ (1.22 m) outside and parallel to the hoglines, on each side of the field.
  6. For events with wheelchairs there are two “wheelchair lines” at each end of the playing field, one on each side and parallel to the centreline, from the “hogline” to the outermost edge of the innermost circle, with a distance of 18 ″ between the centreline and the outer edge of the dashed line .
  7. At each intersection of Teeline and Centreline there is a center hole (tee). With this hole as the center, four concentric circles are drawn at each end of the playing field. With the outer edge of the outermost circle, these have a radius of 6 ′ (1.83 m), the next circle a radius of 4 ′ (1.22 m), the next circle a radius of 2 ′ (0.61 m) and the innermost circle is 6 "(15.24 cm) in radius.
  8. Two so-called "hacks" are attached to each hackline, on both sides of the centreline, with the inner edge 3 "(7.62 cm) away from the center of the centreline. The width of the hacks should not exceed 6 "(15.24 cm). The hack should be made of a suitable material, and the inner edge of that material should be placed on the inner edge of the hackline so that the hack does not protrude more than 8 "(8") forward beyond the hackline. If the hack is let into the ice, the depth must not be more than 1.5 "(3.81 cm).
  9. The lateral delimitation of the playing field is mostly realized by the side boards, with simple systems also by side lines.

The area enclosed by the circle with a radius of 6 ′ is called the “house”. The area between the target-side hogline and the teeline, if it does not belong to the house, forms the Free Guard Zone (FGZ).

Stones

Curling stones in the house

The stones ( rocks or loofies ) have a round, polished shape, are mostly made of pore-free granite and have a handle. Due to the concave underside, the running surface is only a ring with a width of about 6 to 13 mm and a diameter of 130 mm. As you slide over the ice, a thin layer of water collects on this ring. This is greater due to the stone's rotation around its own axis and the higher pressure on the front of the stone caused by the braking of the stone. This reduces friction at the front, which leads to a curve in the raceway.

The stone is set in a slow turning movement when it is released, the curl , which means that it does not run straight, but rather describes a parabolic curve. This makes it possible to play around an opponent's stone. The radius of the curve can be influenced by wiping with a curling broom. If you wipe in front of a stone while it is in motion, the curve radius increases and the stone runs more straight. Wiping also affects the running time of a stone. A swept stone loses speed less quickly and therefore covers a greater distance.

Modern stones are made of two individual parts, with the part that slides on the ice made of higher quality material. Most of the competition stones have been made by a Scottish company in Ayrshire since 1876 , the raw material (pieces of rock) comes from the nearby island of Ailsa Craig . These stones are also known under the trade name Ailsite . Because of their rarity, such curling stones can cost up to 1300 euros . Many curling clubs use stones of lower quality, which are available from around 450 euros. The stones used for the 2006 Winter Olympics came from the Garn For quarry on the Lleyn Peninsula in north-west Wales .

The stones and their submission are subject to the following rules:

  1. Circular shape, 36 "(91.44 cm) maximum circumference, 4.5" (11.43 cm) minimum height, and a total weight between 38  pounds (17.24 kg) and 44 pounds (19.96 kg).
  2. Each team uses a set of eight stones with the same handle color and individual markings. If a stone becomes unusable, a replacement stone can be taken; if none is available, a stone that has already been taken from the game can be used again.
  3. If a stone breaks while it is being played, both teams decide where the replacement stone should be placed in accordance with the spirit of curling . If no agreement can be reached, the end is repeated.
  4. If a moving stone rolls over or remains on its head, it must be removed from play.
  5. If the grip loosens while playing a stone, the person delivering it can decide whether the stone is valid or whether he wants to play a replacement stone as soon as moved stones have been placed back.
  6. A given stone is removed from the game if it
    1. has not completely crossed the far edge of the hogline of the target side when standing still, unless he touches another stone (i.e. just behind the hogline). In this case he stays in play.
    2. completely crosses the rear edge of the backline.
    3. touches the sidebars.
    4. is only released during delivery after it has already started to cross the hogline of the delivery side. There are two LEDs on each stone so that this rule violation can be clearly identified . If the delivery is correct, both light up green. If the stone was only released after the hogline, both light up red.
  7. Measurements on stones may only be carried out visually until the last stone has come to a standstill. This does not apply to measurements to determine whether a stone remains in play or (before the second, third or fourth stone) whether it is in the free guard zone.

From this regulation and the dimensions of the playing field, it follows that each stone given must slide freely for at least a distance of approx. 74 feet in order to be valid.

player

A team consists of four players. Each player, alternately with an opponent, plays two stones in continuous order. Before a game begins, a team determines the order in which the players play the stones. The four players of a team are named accordingly as lead (first), second (second), third (third) and fourth (fourth). In addition, the skip (captain) and a vice skip must be named. This order must be maintained throughout the game.

Lead

The lead plays the first two stones in one end. The lead's job is to place the stones as well as possible at the beginning of an end. The lead often plays his stones in front of the house and thus creates an obstacle for the opponent. If the obstacle is close to the Centreline, it is called a center guard . If the stone is to the side in front of the house, it is referred to as a corner guard . The lead also wipes the stones of his teammates after he has played his stones.

Second

The second plays the third and fourth stone of the team. Its main task is to play away (take-out) opposing stones. In addition, he wipes the stones of his teammates.

Third

The third plays the team's fifth and sixth stones. After each end, the two thirds have to come to an agreement on which team scored how many points. If there are disagreements or ambiguities, the thirds can measure the distance between the stones and the center with the help of a measuring device in order to determine which stone is closer. In large tournaments, this task is carried out by a referee. In important tournaments, the recording of the score on the scoreboard is left to an official, otherwise the third takes over this task.

Fourth

The fourth plays the last two stones. This task is particularly demanding and is usually performed by the skip.

Skip

The skip is the captain of the team and determines the game tactics. He points with the broom at the point where the other players should aim (calling) . The skip himself seldom wipes unless the stone moves around the house or behind the tea line. The skip is obliged to stand outside the immediate play area when the other team is playing their stones, but he can wipe their stones away from behind the tea line if he thinks this is advantageous. According to the international rules of the game, only the skip and vice skip are allowed to wipe away the opponent's stones behind the tea line.

Usually the skip plays in fourth position, i.e. the last two stones of his team in one end, but he can also swap his position with any other player. The team is often named after the skip, e.g. B. "Team Müller". Exceptions are international tournaments that play for a nation or national championships where the team bears the name of the club it is playing for.

Vizeskip

The Vizeskip supports the skip in their tasks. When the skip plays the stones, he takes over the display of the destination. Usually he plays in third position.

Missing players

In the event that players are completely or partially absent, the following rule applies:

  1. If a player is missing at the beginning of the game, the team can either start the game with three players, whereby the first two players play three stones, the third two and a possibly late fourth player can join in at the beginning of an end at his position, or the game can begin with a qualified substitute.
  2. If a player can no longer continue the game, the team can either continue the game with three players, whereby the player can return to his position once, or continue the game at the beginning of an end with a qualified substitute. In this case the rotation order of the players, the skip and the vice skip can be changed.
  3. A team cannot have fewer than three players and all players must play all of their stones in one end.
  4. A team may only name one substitute per game.
  5. If a player is no longer able to play the second stone after playing his first stone, the following procedure applies to the other three players: Is the player the
    1. first player, the second player plays the stone.
    2. second player, the first player plays the stone.
    3. third player, the second player plays the stone.
    4. fourth player, the third player plays the stone.
  6. If a player is unable to play a stone during an end, the following procedure applies to the other three players: Is the player the
    1. first player, the second player plays three stones, then the third player plays three stones and the fourth player plays the last two stones.
    2. second player, so the first player plays three stones, then the third player plays three stones and the fourth player plays the last two stones.
    3. third player, the first player plays the first stone of the third player, then the second player the second stone of the third player and the fourth player then plays the last two stones.
    4. fourth player, the second player plays the fourth player's first stone, and then the third player plays the fourth player's second stone.

Playing a stone

When playing a stone, the player accelerates it forward with his hand in the delivery area. He can repel himself from the abutments, the "hacks", which are embedded in the playing field. The movement must start before the teeline on the playing side and continue towards the target. The given stone must be released before it crosses the hogline of the playing side, and it must at least slide fully behind the target-side hogline. A turning movement given to the stone enables a curved sliding line.

Free Guard Zone

The area between the target-side hogline and the house is the Free Guard Zone. There, placed stones may no earlier than the third cornerstone of a team swept out to be. If this happens unintentionally beforehand, the stone can be put back in the old place. This rule is intended to prevent a team, once in the lead, from preventing the opposing team from catching up by constantly "sweeping the field empty" of all other ends.

Wipe

The Swedish team tries to wipe the path of the stone at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Wiping the ice in front of a stone with a broom reduces the curvature of its path and the braking of the stone. Wiping is the only way to influence the movement of the stone. As soon as the stone has been played, it may no longer be touched, not even by the broom. If a stone is touched, it "burns" and the skip of the opposing team may request that it be removed.

Sliding the stone

A stone set in motion must no longer be touched. Because there must be no stone between the hoglines, the given stone can slide through this route without any obstacles. The time required for this is used as a measure of the speed of the move. The playing team may influence the behavior of the sliding stone by wiping the ice surface in front of the stone. If the stone slides over the teaspoon, its behavior can be influenced by the skip of the opposing team by wiping.

Moves

When playing a stone, the player can not only try to place his stone optimally, but also remove stones from the opposing team from the game.

validity

A stone is invalid and out of play if it:

  • is still touched by the hand when passing the play-side hogline.
  • comes to a stop at least partially on or in front of the target-side hogline during delivery.
  • hits the sidebar or slides over a sideline when submitting or in the later course of the end.
  • slides completely over the backline behind the target area during the submission or later in the end.
  • experiences various touches (see below).

Invalid stones are immediately removed from the game without waiting for its movement to end. So that z. B. can be prevented that a rock bouncing off the sidebar hits another stone and thus has further effects.

Scoring

As soon as all stones in one end have been played, the result is determined as follows: It is counted which team has one or more stones closer to the center than the stone closest to the center of the other team. Only stones that are at least partially in the house are counted. If there is not a single stone in the whole house, no team gets a point. If it is not possible to see with the naked eye which of several stones is closer to the target, a circle-like aid is used. It must not be used during the end. Then the game continues in the direction of the opposite house.

Touching or moving the stones

Touching or shifting a stone includes both direct influences, mostly caused by a foot, and those caused by clothing, brooms or other equipment.

Touching a stone that is still moving
  1. If a moving stone is touched by a member of the team that is currently playing before he has crossed the hogline on the target side, this stone is immediately removed from play.
  2. If the contact occurs only after crossing the hogline, the opposing skip decides how to proceed:
    1. take the touched piece out of play and put all other pieces back in their original position,
    2. Place the touched stone where he thinks it would have stopped without touching it, and place other stones where he thinks they would have landed by pushing off if the sliding stone had not been touched.
    3. Leave all stones in the position they came to rest.
  3. If a sliding stone is touched by a member of the team that is not playing, the skip of the playing team can place the stone where, in his opinion, it would have come to a standstill.

In general, the skip of the team that did not violate the rules has the choice between removing the touched stone and placing other stones back or leaving the consequences of the contact as they are.

Moving stationary stones
  1. If a stationary stone, which would have had an impact on a currently sliding stone, is moved by a member of the team currently playing, the opposing skip can decide after all stones have come to a standstill
    1. the moving stone is removed and affected stones are replaced or
    2. the outcome of the shift is recognized and everything is left as it came to a standstill.
  2. If a stationary stone, which would have had no influence on a stone that was just sliding, is moved by a member of the team that is currently playing, the opposing skip can replace the stone.
  3. If a standing stone is moved by a member of the team that is not playing, these options apply analogously to the skip of the playing team.
Olympic Winter Games 2006 , stone donation by the Canadian team

Right of the last stone

The right of the last stone is of fundamental importance ; this enables a team to write at least one more stone (a point) or (better) an additional stone at the end. Before the game, this right is drawn for the first end (in large tournaments, however, it is determined). In the further course of the game, the team that lost the previous end always has the right of the last stone. In the case of a zero end , i.e. if neither team has scored points and the house has remained empty, the right of the last stone is not changed. Makes a team a point, although it did not get the last stone speaks, one from a stolen End (steal).

If the house is empty at the end of an end, it is called a zero end . This is much more often a strategy than just coincidence. Since the minimum to lose the right of the last stone is one point, the team wants to write two or more points with the last stone if possible. So this team prefers to forego the only possible point and tries to empty the house completely in order to keep the right of the last stone. If this succeeds, the end ends with 0: 0.

Playing time

Classic timekeeping

A game (match) in large tournaments usually lasts ten ends. Eight ends are also common for smaller competitions. If the game is tied at the end, additional ends are played until a decision can be made. If a team no longer sees the possibility of winning the game, it can give up if at least six ends have been completed. To play ten ends, each team is given 75 minutes (73 minutes for playing itself and two times one minute for time-outs ). Each team has 11 minutes for an additional end (one minute of which is for an additional break). If a team exceeds this time, it automatically loses - even if it is in the lead.

Thinking time

At the European Championships in 2014 , the WCF introduced the so-called Thinking Time for the first time . With this rule, each team now has 38 minutes (30 minutes for 8 end games) to think about. The time is stopped as soon as the piece has crossed the T-Line at the delivery end. As a result, teams that play a lot of slow stones (draws and guards) have no disadvantage compared to teams that play fast stones (take-outs).

mixed double

The mixed doubles have slightly different rules. A team consists of two players, a woman and a man. The games go over 8 sets (ends). Each team plays 5 stones per set.

At the beginning of each set, the starting team places a sixth stone in either position A or B. The other team's stone is placed in the vacant position (A or B).

Positions A and B are defined as follows:

  • Position A: Placement centrally on the Centreline in front of or behind three predefined points. The points are on the Centreline in the following places:

001) In the middle between the hogline and the house. 2) Towards the house three feet from the center. 3) Three feet from center towards the Hog Line.
00
00

00The exact definition of position A depends on the ice conditions and is determined by the teams before the start of the game.

  • Position B: The stone is centrally located on the Centreline and immediately behind the Tee Line.

The team whose stone was placed in position A (in front of the house) plays the first stone in the set. The team whose stone was placed in position B (in the house) plays the last stone in the set. After the first set, the team that has not scored any points in the previous set has the right to place. In the event of a set without points (zero end), the team that played the first stone in this zero end receives the right to placement.

Before the 4th stone in the set, no stone in play may be removed from the playing field.

Once per match, a team can, as it were, demand a joker situation (power play) by placing the stones on the side rather than on the center line of the playing area.

equipment

broom

Curling broom
Gripper (left), slider (middle) and shoe with a roughened sole (right)

The broom is used to wipe the surface of the ice in front of the stone. Vigorous wiping heats the ice and thaws it briefly. The stone slides faster and further on the resulting film of water. Its course will also be straightened. The broom can also be used to remove dirt from the ice. In addition, the skip shows with the broom where his fellow players should aim the stone.

The broom was once used to keep the ice free of snow, branches or leaves, as curling was originally played outdoors. The Canadian straw brooms used in the past were initially replaced by horsehair brooms and later increasingly by pillow brooms. These have fabric or plastic pillows instead of hair and have a higher wiping efficiency. In addition, no hair can be lost here, which unintentionally influence the movement of the stones. The broom is also used as a balancing aid for sliding delivery (stone delivery).

Shoes

During the game, the curlers wear special shoes. The sole of one shoe has a thin layer of Teflon or another material with a smooth surface. This slider is used when the player pushes off the hack to play the stone. Left-handed people wear this shoe on their right foot, right-handed people on their left foot. Some players attach a rubber sole under the smooth sole of the shoe while wiping to prevent slipping (anti-slider) . Inexpensive sliders can be attached to ordinary shoes with an elastic band.

The other shoe has a thin layer of roughened rubber on the sole to increase grip on the ice.

Other terms, designations, special features

Name of the stones

Cornerguards (red) and centerguards (yellow)
  • The stone that is closest to the tea point and still in the house “lies shot”. Only the team with a stone lying down gets a point (s) for an end.
  • The tactics during the game include protecting your own stones in the house with other stones, possibly also opposing stones. Such a stone is called "Guard". A distinction is made between a center guard near the centreline and a corner guard a little further to the side, but still in front of the house.
  • The stone just played is called the Shooter .

Designation of moves

Two possibilities to place the last stone in such a way that the end is won after all: On the left a "Draw", on the right a "Hit and roll"
  • Bump : The bumping of the stones to change their position on the field.
  • Take-out : The nudging of the stones in order to take them out of the game.
  • Draw : A stone that remains in the house without touching another stone.
  • Peel : When both a targeted stone and the stone that has just been played leave the house.
  • Freeze : A stone that easily hits another stone and remains in front of it in the house, making it very difficult to remove.
  • Hit and roll : The knocking of a stone in the house in such a way that the played stone ricochets off towards the target and the shot remains.

Records

  • A special Guinness record was reported from Arosa , Switzerland , when a curling "stone" 22 m high and 25 m in circumference was made from 7000 m³ of snow and ice in March 2000.
  • The Canadian Eddie Kulbacki pushed a normal approx. 20 kg stone 175.66 m on a specially prepared ice surface in Park Lake on January 29, 1989.
  • The American Scott Baird was a participant in the 2006 Winter Olympics at 54 years and 282 days, the oldest Olympic athlete across all sports in history.

Game culture

For a long time, curling was a purely amateur sport. In the meantime it has become more professional. Many of the top international teams practice the sport full-time during the season. The curlers of the German women's national team led by Skip Daniela Jentsch are sports soldiers and are financed by sponsors. Because curling skills such as accuracy, tactical skill, playful ability and experience are far more important than the usual sporting requirements such as speed, endurance and strength, most internationally successful curlers are significantly older than other top athletes. Nevertheless, there are also successful young teams. Junior championship finals are also televised in Canada.

Even more than in other team sports, athletic, fair behavior is an integral part of curling. Looking forward to an opponent's mistake, which can be quite common in other sports, is frowned upon in curling. Even on an international level, a player is expected to point out his own illegally played stone and to inform the opposing skip of this. It is also customary for the winning team to buy the losers a drink after the game.

Competitions

International competitions have been held since 1959 and have been held annually since then. The game system in international competitions consists of a round-robin process in which each nation plays against all others. There is one point for every win. Then an overall ranking is created, usually the first four teams make it to the finals. If two or more teams have reached the same number of points, there are two options: If the qualifying places are in the semi-finals, additional games are played between the teams with the same number of points ( tie-breaks ), otherwise the direct comparison counts.

At the 2005 World Championships, the so-called page playoff system was introduced to determine the finalists. The first in the ranking will play against the second in the first semi-final and the third in the second semi-final against the fourth. The winner of the first semi-final is directly qualified for the final, the loser plays against the winner of the second semi-final for the remaining place in the final.

In 1959, the Scotch Cup, the forerunner of today's World Curling Championship, took place in Scotland for the first time. It was an international match between Scotland and Canada, which the Canadians clearly won with 5-0 wins. From 1961 more and more countries took part in the Scotch Cup, which gave the tournament the character of a world championship. Germany took part in the Scotch Cup for the first time in 1967 and came last.

In 1968 the Scotch Cup was given the status of an official curling world championship. The first women's world championships took place in 1979 and were held separately from the men's world championships until 1988. Since 2005 the men's and women's competitions have been held separately again. The first European championships were held in 1975.

Important tournaments

Germany

The men have already won six European championships and five silver and bronze medals at world championships. The women became world champions twice through Andrea Schöpp and seven times European champions, of which six titles were also achieved through Andrea Schöpp as skip.

Switzerland

Swiss curlers have been among the best in the world since the World Curling Federation was founded. After the successes at various world championships and the Olympic Games, a real curling boom broke out in Switzerland. There are around 8,000 active curlers in Switzerland. Switzerland is therefore the country with the third most curling players. Curling is only more widespread in Scotland (approx. 15,000) and Canada (approx. 800,000).

The men became two Olympic champions, three times world champions and eight times European champions. The women became world champions six times, including twice in a row in 2013 and 2014 and six times European champions.

Austria

Austria has also taken part in world and European championships. The best placings were three times a seventh place in the women as well as the victory of the B-European championship in 2004 and 2006 and a seventh place in the men and also a victory in the B-European championship.

In Austria there are currently seven clubs that are combined in the Austrian Curling Association. The Austrian Federal Center for Curling is located in Kitzbühel .

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Curling  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Curling  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. duden.de - keyword "curling"
  2. ^ Christian Gräf: The winter pictures of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Ä. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Saarbrücken 2009, ISBN 978-3-639-12775-1 , p. 52.
  3. ^ Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum - Museum Curling in Scotland , accessed January 12, 2018.
  4. ^ Website Sport complete , accessed on January 1, 2018.
  5. ^ TV Eurosport (teletext), December 3, 2002.
  6. ^ TV Eurosport, December 2003, the comments on the EM broadcasts.
  7. ^ British subsequent winners . In: Berliner Zeitung , 18/19. February 2006.
  8. a b Blitz or real curling? ( Memento from February 11, 2018 in the Internet Archive ), on: tagblatt.ch, from February 7, 2018
  9. a b c d Rules of the World Curling Federation (PDF download)
  10. ^ The Scottish company that makes Olympic curling possible , accessed January 1, 2018.
  11. Details on the curling stones , accessed on January 12, 2018.
  12. - Feature: Thinking Time
  13. Rules Mixed Doubles Curling ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , at: muerrentaechi.ch, accessed on February 10, 2018 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.muerrentaechi.ch
  14. Guinness Book of Records , 2001, p. 214.
  15. Guinness World Records 2003, p. 221.
  16. Baird increases average age . In: Berliner Zeitung , February 12, 2006.
  17. teamjentsch. Retrieved September 22, 2019 .
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on March 4, 2006 .