What is the sport curling

l told my grandma she could get a gold medal for sweeping.

A stone is slid on the ice into a target area. It is sort of like shuffleboard. The link below will help you learn more.

Curling, a precision sport similar to bowls or bocce, is played on ice with polished heavy stones. In the early history of curling, the rocks were simply flat-bottomed river stones which were sometimes notched or shaped; the thrower had little control over the rock, & relied more on luck than skill to win, unlike today is reliance on skill & strategy. Although the game is generally believed to have been invented in 16th century Scotland, interestingly two paintings (both dated 1565 [1]) by Pieter Brueghel the Elder depict Dutch peasants curling.

The origins of the word curling r not known though was first used in print in 1630 in Perth, Scotland. The game was also known as ''the roaring game'' because of the sound the stones make while travelling over the pebble (droplets of water applied to the playing surface). One possible derivation is from the old verb curr which describes a low rumble. Although curling probably does not take its name from the motion of the stones, a rock that deviates from a straight line is said to curl.

Outdoor curling was very popular in Scotland between the 16th & the 19th centuries when the climate was cold enough to ensure good ice conditions every winter, & is home to the international governing body for curling, the World Curling Federation, based in Perth, Scotland. The game is most firmly established in Canada, however, & the Royal Montreal Curling Club, the first sporting club of any kind in North America, was established in 1807. The first curling club in the United States began in 1832, & the game was introduced to Switzerland & Sweden before the end of the nineteenth century. Today, curling is played all over Europe & has spread to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, & even China & Korea.

Curling has been an official sport in the Winter Olympics since the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. In February 2006, the International Olympic Committee retrospectively decided that the curling games from the 1924 Winter Olympic Games (originally called Semaine des Sports d'Hiver or International Winter Sports Week) would be considered official Olympic events & no longer be considered demonstration events. Thus, the first Olympic medals in curling, which at the time was played outside, were awarded for the 1924 Winter Games with the gold medal won by Great Britian & Ireland, two silver medals by Sweden & the bronze by France.

Basics of the game - Played on a sheet of prepared ice into which two archery-like targets (called the house) have been imbedded (see Playing surface below), the game involves two teams of four players. These teams r called rinks & named for the team’s captain (known as the “skip”). Each team has eight polished granite stones with which to score (see Curling Stone (or Rock) below).

During each round of play, called an “'end”' (see Game Play below), each player throws (see Throwing below) two stones. Play alternates between teams; one team does not throw two stones consecutively. Players influence where the stone lands by the amount of force used, or weight (see Scoring below), the curl (see Type of shots below), & aim. Once all the stones have been thrown during an end, the score is determined & the play reverses direction back to the other house.

The players r known as the Lead, Second, Third & Skip, & usually throw stones in that order (see Players (or Curlers) below). Additionally, the skip acts like the team’s captain determining the position played by each player, strategy during the game & representing the rink, which is usually known by the last name of the skip.

The basic goal of each end is to have more of ur curling stones nearer to the center of the target (see button below) once all the stones from both teams have been thrown for that end. Therefore, the maximum number of points a team can earn per end is eight, though this is very unusual. Strategies used during play, such as blocking (guard) & hitting rocks to reposition them (bump) or remove them from play (take-out) lead to lower scores. The term draw is used to describe a shot that comes to rest in the house. For more information, see Types of shots below.

To help ensure the stone lands where intended, one player stands in the house & indicates to the player throwing where to aim given the desired effect of the shot. The other two players sweep in front of the rock, which results in a straighter trajectory & reduces the slowing effects of friction. Once thrown, players may not touch a stone, so sweeping is the only way to influence the stone once thrown. Games, called matches, usually last eight ends, though in competitive curling there r usually ten ends & some recreational games last six ends. The losing team cleans the ice for the next match.

It is generally agreed that curling was developed in Scotland in the 16th century. Scottish farmers curled on frozen marshes using ''channel stones,'' which were naturally smoothed by the water is action. The principles of the game were similar to the modern game, although there were many differences in rules and equipment.