::DENVER CURLING CLUB::

About Curling

Curling is a seemingly simple sport. Two teams, each with four players, slide stones down a curling sheet to a target, called the 'house', at the other end. Sweepers caan help the stones travel farther and straighter on their way and the team with the most stones closer to the center of the 'house' than the other team wins. It is a sport that emphasizes strategy, communication, and good sportsmanship. It is a game that people of all ages and physical abilities can play. It is a game that everyone in Colorado can play! For more in depth information on the exciting sport of Curling, please click on the link below to download our PDF document. About the Sport of Curling

Delivery

A proper delivery of the stone is key to the success of all shots!! The Denver Curling Club is in the process of preparing a presentation on the proper delivery which will be available to view on our website.

Sweeping

The curling broom is used by players to sweep the ice surface in front of the stone. Aggressive sweeping momentarily melts the ice, which lessens friction, thereby lessening the stone's deceleration while straightening its trajectory (ie making the stone travel farther and straighter). The broom can also be used to clean debris off the ice, which is important to keep a throw from 'picking' debris and altering the course of the stone. When a stone is delivered, it is important that there be two players following the stone so that they are ready to sweep its path if needed.

In earlier days, brooms were made of corn strands and were similar to household brooms. Brushes were used primarily by elderly curlers as a substitute for corn brooms. Today, brushes have replaced traditional corn brooms at every level of curling, but are universally referred to as brooms. Curling brushes may have fabric, hog-hair, or horse-hair heads. Most modern broomsticks are now made of materials such as carbon fiber, allowing faster sweeping. Brooms are also used by most curlers as a balancing aid during delivery of the stone.

Strategy

Essentially, there are two kinds of shots in curling: the draw and the takeout. However, there are many variations of these shots. Draws are shots in which the stone is thrown only to reach the house (or in front of the house - when the rock is called a guard), while takeouts are shots designed to remove stones from play. Choosing which shot to play will determine whether the thrower will use an in-turn or out turn (for a right-handed person, the clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation of the stone, respectively.) Possible draw shots include guard, raise, come around, and freeze. Takeout shots include peel, hit and roll, chip and tap. The goal of all of these types of shots is to have 'shot rock' in each end.

Safety Tips for Curlers