Curling, Etcetera_ A Whole Bunch of Stuff About the Roaring Game - Bob Weeks [41]
1993: Ontario becomes the first jurisdiction in Canada to change its rules, adopting a modified version of the free-guard zone, limiting it to the first three rocks of any end for its provincial finals. Russ Howard wins the Ontario, Canadian, and world championships using three different rules: three-rock free-guard zone at the Ontario final; no free-guard zone at the Canadian; four-rock free-guard zone at the world championship.
1994: The Canadian Curling Association adopts a trial of the three-rock free-guard zone rule beginning with its 1994 national championships. It continues with the rule for almost a decade.
2003: The CCA finally falls into line with the rest of the curling world and changes to the four-rock free-guard zone beginning with the 2004 championships. The Canadian Mixed becomes the first event in that country to use the four-rock rule.
ELECTRONIC EYE
In 1986, the Canadian Curling Association instituted curling’s equivalent of line judges, placing officials on the hog line to call infractions at the men’s and women’s national championships. The umpires were situated at either side of the hog line, and if both confirmed that a player failed to clearly release the stone before the hog line, the rock was removed from play.
The decision was not popular with all curlers, and over the course of the next 17 years there were many charges of incorrect calls, some which cost teams championships.
That all came to an end in 2003 when something known as Eye on the Hog was put in place. This system was a series of sensors, one in the ice and one in the rock.
If a player failed to release the rock before it reached the hog line, a red light on the handle flashed. If the player released the rock before the hog line, a green light went on.
The technological advancement not only ended all arguments about human error, but removed the cost of having numerous extra officials at the event.
TAKEN FOR GRANITE
Curlers might not think in too much detail about the material in the rocks they throw up and down the ice, but the granite used in curling rocks is very important. Over the years, there have been many different types of granite tried in curling stones, including Canadian granite as well as some from India.
But the best continues to be from Scotland and Wales. For many years, the best granite came from the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig, but quarrying there is no longer allowed. Almost all of the granite used to produce today’s curling rocks comes from Garn For Quarry in northwest Wales.
According to the Canada Curling Stone Company, here is a list of the various types of granite used in curling rocks currently in play around the world:
• blue hone: light grey in colour with random white specks. Often has half-moon shaped chips in the strike band.
• red/brown trefor: light to dark reddish brown marked by larger grains with white and black flecks.
• blue trefor: bluish-grey in colour with white and black flecks. It’s prone to premature pitting.
• grey trefor: greyish brown in colour, also with white and black flecks throughout.
• keanie: pinkish in colour with large white spots and black flecks throughout.
• common green Ailsa Craig: greenish in colour with large black flecks that usually have white deposits around them.
GIVING UP
Conceding a game at the Canadian championship is an accepted practice these days. When one team feels it no longer has a chance to win, it can elect to quit. But that wasn’t always the case. Prior to the 1973 Brier, teams were required to complete all 12 ends, no matter the score.