Curling, Etcetera_ A Whole Bunch of Stuff About the Roaring Game - Bob Weeks [12]
• He is often seen at curling events wearing his trademark pink cowboy hat.
WHAT IF MY ROCK…
When it comes to stones, the rule book makes provision for unusual happenings in a game
For instance, although it’s rare these days for stones to break—even with the tremendous force with which they are thrown by some of the top players—Rule 4 (2) covers just that situation. It reads as follows:
“If a stone is broken in play, a replacement stone shall be placed where the largest fragment comes to rest. The inside edge of the replacement stone shall be placed in the same position as the inside edge of the largest fragment with the assistance of a measuring stick.”
If the stone doesn’t break but merely flips over or comes to rest on its side, the rule book takes care of that situation in 4 (6): “A stone that rolls over in its course or comes to rest on its side or top shall be removed immediately from play.”
So it seems it’s better to have your rock break than flip over.
ENFANT TERRIBLE
In the 1970s and early ’80s, Paul Gowsell gained a reputation for being curling’s enfant terrible, shocking curling audiences big and small with his outlandish appearance as well as his exceptional talent. Although most of his success came as a junior and he never reached the heights some had predicted for him, tales of his antics are still told frequently in curling circles. A few stories about Paul Gowsell:
• On his way home from being honoured as Athlete of the Year in Calgary in 1977, Gowsell was stopped by police and charged with possession of marijuana.
• Gowsell was extremely nervous between games. He would often eat at the opening banquet or Calcutta (a form of betting where the teams are auctioned off, usually held at a party) on the first night and then not again until the event was over.
• Gowsell’s team was the first high-profile Canadian rink to use push brooms, and it is generally credited with starting the nationwide move away from corn brooms.
• At the 1976 World Junior Championships, Gowsell was turned away from a banquet because he wasn’t wearing a jacket or tie. He went back to his hotel room, put on the appropriate clothes, but returned without shoes or socks.
• At the closing banquet for the 1978 World Junior Championship, which Gowsell won, he was refused entry by a security guard who told him, “This is a banquet for curlers, not hippies.”
• Gowsell was cut from his high school team in Grade 10 and 11. The following year he made the team and promptly won the Canadian junior title.
• At a major bonspiel in Winnipeg, Gowsell arranged for a pizza to be delivered to him in the middle of a game. As 1,000 fans looked on, the delivery guy walked down the sheet, handed the box to Gowsell, and took his payment. Gowsell opened the box and asked his opposing number, Larry McGrath, if he wanted a slice.
DEAD HEAT
Want to win a mug of your favourite beverage from your curling friend? Here’s a trivia question that might just do the trick: Can you name two occasions when, at the conclusion of an end, there are rocks in the house but no team scores?
The answer can be found in The Rules of Curling, which is published by the Canadian Curling Association. The first occurs when two stones finish exactly the same distance from the centre. Under Rule 13 (8), if, after using a measuring stick, it can’t be determined which of the stones is closer to the centre, then the end shall be declared blank. That is, of course, if there are no other rocks closer to the centre than the ones being measured.
The second situation happens when two rocks are so close to the centre that the measure can’t be used, and it can’t be determined visually which is closer. That would happen if two stones finished almost on top of the exact centre of the house.
Curling Quote
“There’s nobody out here that concerns me.”
—Randy Ferbey, when asked his opinion on the field at the 2005 world championship
THE ICE KING
At curling clubs around the world, a strange-looking machine