Curling, Etcetera_ A Whole Bunch of Stuff About the Roaring Game - Bob Weeks [33]
SCIENCE OF CURLING
Why a curling rock actually curls has been a mystery to many curlers, but the CBC radio program Quirks and Quarks tried to de-mystify it during a 1980 broadcast. Here, according to Dr. Mark Shegelski, are the reasons a 40-pound piece of granite curls.
When a rock is turning as it travels down the ice, one side is turning toward the direction the rock is travelling and the other away from it.
The speed of the two edges relative to the ice is different due to friction. When a rock is first thrown, the amount of friction is about the same. But as the rock slows, the edge that is turning back toward the curler (the right side on an in-turn) is turning more slowly because it is turning in the opposite direction to which the rock is travelling.
Because this side is turning slower, friction has a greater effect upon it. That causes the stone to deflect to one side (in the case of the in-turn, to the right).
The sharpest move a rock makes is often right at the end as it stops, because one side of the rock stops first while the other side continues to rotate.
And now you know!
REGAL CURLING
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, first Earl of Dufferin, first Marquess of Dufferin and Ava—the name may not mean much to curlers, but this gentleman served as Governor General of Canada from 1872 to 1878 and had a profound effect upon the sport of curling.
A devoted enthusiast of the roaring game, in 1873, at his own expense, he added a curling rink to Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s official residence. It exists to this day, along with the Governor General’s Club, an exclusive and honorary club whose membership is made up of those who have given a great deal to the sport of curling.
And he presented a trophy for annual competition, which came to be known simply as “the Governor General’s.” It was awarded to the winners of the Ontario double-rink competition, and for many years was emblematic of the provincial championship. The competition ceased being held in 1996.
WOMEN’S DATES
A few notable dates in women’s curling:
• The first women’s curling club in Canada was established in 1894 in Montreal. Prior to that, women were discouraged from coming to curling competitions due to liquor being present.
• The Ladies Curling Association of the Canadian Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, which became the governing body for women’s curling, was established in 1904. It looked after the rules> and competitions for the women’s game in the Quebec and Ontario regions, although there were few formal events held.
• The Canadian Ladies Curling Association was formed in 1960 (taking over authority from the above-mentioned body), and a year later, the first Canadian women’s curling championship was held. Prior to the event, Dominion Stores, a nationwide chain of grocery stores, approached the fledgling association and asked if it could be the title sponsor, one of the few times a sponsor has come to the event and solicited involvement and not the other way around.
• The United States Women’s Curling Association has a longer history, having formed in 1947. The first national women’s championship was held in 1949, although it wasn’t until 1977 that it was formally recognized as the national championship. Prior to that, it was run as a bonspiel.
• The first women’s world championship was held in 1979 in Perth, Scotland, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
JUNIOR-SENIOR
Only eight male curlers have won both the Canadian Junior and the Canadian Men’s championship. Here is the list, noting the first time they won each event:
Name Junior Men’s
Ed Lukowich 1962 1978
Neil Houston 1975 1986
Kevin Martin 1985 1991
Dan Petryk 1985 1991
Jon Mead 1986 1999
Scott Pfeifer 1994 2001
Craig Savill 1988 2007
Brent Laing 1988 2007
BAD ICE
Icemaking has become a combination of art and science, and