Wheelchair curling
Wheelchair curling is an adaptation of curling for people with physical disabilities. The sport has been an official discipline of the Paralympics since the 2006 Paralympic Games in Turin .
history
Since 1998 the Swiss Curling Association has been offering a curling training program in the various curling ice rinks together with the Wheelchair Sports Organization. After Swiss championships and international competitions, the first unofficial world championship took place in Sursee near Lucerne . These rapid advances, not only in Switzerland , but also in Denmark , Sweden , Scotland , France and the Czech Republic , have shown that curling is also an attractive sport for paraplegics and quadriplegics. After the International Paralympic Committee was officially launched in 2004, the wheelchair curling in Paralympic sports with and made his debut in 2006 with a victory for the Canadians in Turin celebrated, was in some curling clubs, even in Germany , eager for the next 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver trained . There are now around 25 nations in which wheelchair curling is practiced. Here are China , Finland and Slovakia new with represented. World and continental championships are played internationally.
regulate
The game is played according to the rules of the World Curling Federation , which has adjusted the rules for wheelchair curling. Wheelchair curling is still a young sport in Germany and has been officially played since 2003. The main difference to pedestrian curling is that there is no wiping. On an approx. 43 m long, specially prepared ice surface, two teams playing against each other alternately push special stones across the ice surface. A team consists of four players, one of whom is a lady. The team that has at least one of their own stones closest to a specially marked circle after submitting eight stones is credited with points for this. The team that has scored the most points after 8 rounds wins the game. It can be compared to chess on the ice. Every single player is highly concentrated with his stone donations in order to make the best possible move. The decisive factor is the skip (team leader), who in most cases determines the tactical approach. There is an infinite number of moves to which you can react tactically accordingly.
Style of play
The stick
The stick, a telescopic handle, is the player's extended arm and can be changed in length as required. With it the stone is brought in the direction and played. The stone is given the necessary “handle”. At the end it is equipped with a holder that enables the handle of the stone to be grasped.
The stone donation
The great difficulty, but also the great challenge for the individual player, is to find the stone in the target, which is a good 40 m away. To be placed with cm or mm accuracy. A sophisticated technique is required for this, which must be trained just as often and persistently in wheelchair curling as in pedestrian curling. The entire sequence of movements is therefore anticipated (anticipated) during the concentration phase and is aligned with the target at the other end of the path. Another special feature of wheelchair curling is that the stone has to be played precisely in terms of length, direction and curl, as it is not allowed to use the broom and thus the stone cannot be influenced after it has been handed over.
The stone
The stone weighs a maximum of 19.96 kg (including the handle and bolt), must not exceed 91.44 cm in circumference and is made of granite. The tread is ground in a ring shape; compare with a saucer. In wheelchair curling, the stone is given either by hand or with a "stick".
The player has to try the stone with the help of the stick and the necessary handle to play the stone into the opposite house with the force that corresponds exactly to the move. The use of force varies depending on the task at hand. Should z. For example, if an opponent's piece is played out of the house (take out), the piece must be played quickly. The use of force is therefore very dynamic, unlike in a draw.
