Only in the early 2000s did Russians discover an exciting team game - curling. But she, as historians believe, is at least 500 years old. At first glance, the game seems senseless and even boring to an uninitiated spectator. Players shout some strange words, use brushes and throw large round shells. But why rub ice in curling? Can the stone itself not be able to reach the right place? How are points scored and who ultimately wins?
A bit of history
The first players in curling are the Scots. Long winters and a large number of lakes gave rise to a very similar fun - iceberg. This game has its first annalistic mentions in monastery books back in the 16th century. The paintings of the Dutch artist Peter Bruegel, which depict peasants playing something similar to curling, belong to the same period. Thanks to close trade relations, the game quickly spread to the continent, primarily the Netherlands infected it.
But curling as an original game with its own rules can only be spoken of starting in the 18th century. Then time appears the first curling club in the north of Scotland. One could also see the first man-made curling field - a dam, which encloses a site measuring 100 by 250 meters. Gradually, curling on ice is becoming popular not only in Europe, but also in North America. The first immigrants take part in fun with pleasure. This is especially true of Canada, where the natural conditions are very similar to the Scottish.
The origin of the word curling
The game with stones and brushes on ice did not immediately get its name. For the first time as curling, she was mentioned in the play of the 18th century Scottish poet Henry Adamson. Interestingly, there are several versions of the origin of the word curling. According to one of them, it came from the English "curl" - curl. Due to the imperfect shape, the first stones left various patterns on the surface of the ice, similar to curls and spirals. In addition, due to natural conditions, the stones mainly moved in an arc.
According to another version, the game got its name from the Scottish verb "curr", meaning to publish a low roar or roar. The fact is that when moving on ice, stones make a characteristic sound. To many historians, this version seems more believable, since in nature both curling ice and stones had an imperfect shape. As a result, the "growl" was more audible.
Rules of the game
Despite the apparent complexity, the rules in curling are quite simple. The team whose stones were closest to the center of the house wins. This is such a target at the end of the field. For each such stone, the team receives one point. There are a total of 10 such endings (calls) per game. Each player has 8 stones from each team. After all throws are completed, the end ends and scoring is carried out. The team that will score more points, and becomes the winner of the whole game. And this is exactly what the ice in curling really does: everyone wants to win, but more on that later.
Each curling team consists of 4 players: skip, vice-skip, first and second. Skip, or captain, is in the house and controls the course of the game (except for the time when he throws himself). Using a brush, he helps the thrower to aim better, in addition, he determines the strategy of the whole game. The vice skip replaces the skip when it performs the throws. The first makes the first and second throws in each end, the second - the third and fourth throws.
Game tactics
However, despite the simplicity of the rules, curling from players requires not so much strength as patience and endurance. Many experts even call it a game of nerves. It is required not only to accurately perform the throw, but also to set the stone in such a way that the opponents could not knock it out of the house. And therefore, in the free zone in front of the house, there are guards, or defenders. There are many tricks on how to make stones inaccessible for knocking out.
And the throwing technique itself is very complicated. Depending on the tactical goal (to put a stone in a house or a defender, to knock out stones of an opponent and others), an experienced player can make a different throw, spinning a stone. And here it is necessary to understand why the ice in curling is rubbing (or sweep). After the completed throw, the stone can only slow down. A sweep helps to extend its trajectory or even change. But the thing is that during the game crumbs and irregularities form on the ice surface that interfere with the movement of the "shells". Players literally sweep the ice with brushes.
It is through this device that you can put the stone as close to the center as possible. The main thing is to be able to maneuver them. So, intensively rubbing ice in front of the shell, you can extend the trajectory of its movement by 3 m. Moreover, this is the most difficult job, which requires considerable physical effort. And if you rub ice on only one side, you can make the stone move in an arc. Of course, if the throw is made with the necessary strength and in the right direction, you can do nothing at all. But adjusting the movement will never be superfluous.
Sometimes, in response to the question of why ice is rubbed in curling, one can hear that this is done so that a thin water film forms on the surface. But according to the laws of physics, this is simply impossible. The rubbed surface is too large, and the stone is often far from the brushes themselves. By the way, you can sweep not only your stone, but also your opponent (if he crossed the center of the house). This is done in order to take him out. Thus, such manipulations are designed not only to help your projectile get closer to the target, but also to prevent the enemy from doing the same.
Inventory and curling field
Well, why do we rub ice in curling, we sorted it out. But how is this done and what? It was the appearance of special sports equipment and a prepared ice platform that made curling independent of luck, and allowed players to develop tactics and learn from their mistakes. The main tool of the game is a stone. Its dimensions are strictly standardized and are 11.5 inches in diameter and 4.5 inches in height. The mass of one stone is 44 pounds. The playing field also has standard sizes: 16 by 150 feet. The target is 12 feet in diameter. Each player is equipped with a special brush, which performs a sweep. In addition, before the throw, the player puts on a special pad on the boot that makes it easy to slide - a slider.
Conclusion
There are a lot of sports games. And they all have some unique features, their own tactics and strategy. Sometimes these or those rules cause, if not surprise, then bewilderment, especially among the uninitiated. No exception and curling. Why rub ice with brushes? In fact, to set the direction of the stone or to adjust the trajectory of its movement. But in fact, to win, as in any other game. In the heat of excitement, Russian athletes sometimes forget about generally accepted terms, as a result of which they hear the very cherished: "Three! Three! Three!"