Could someone explain the ice sport where you use a broom?

[brentspeak]

Curling, I think it's called. It looks like the sweeper is there to remove any friction that would slow down and stop the large hockey-puck thing they're tryng to move.

[politicaholic]

1. Curling, the sweeper brushes off the condesation on the ice...

to keep the rock's path from bowing (the water droplets make it turn slightly) and also to make it retain its speed.

Other than that the rules are similar to suffle board.

[opiate69]

2. That's pretty much it..

it's kinda like shuffle-board on ice.

http://www.curling.com/

[RagingInMiami]

3. broomball?

It's like hockey except they're on sneakers and they use broom and I think some type of volleyball or something

[brentspeak]

5. sneakers

I keep expecting them to slip on the ice and toss the broom into someone's face.

[goddess40]

4. Curling is great

but I'm guessing you know more about than you're letting on. Since you know about the sweeping.

But for those that don't know the game involves
- 2 teams of of 4 members each
- Each member throws 2 rocks down the ice - really we slide one 42 pound rock down the ice toward a target, called the house, at the other end of the sheet. Each team throws alternatively.
- Sweeping is done to keep the rock going straight, and to get it to go farther.
- The skip holds their broom so you have something to aim at.
- A game consists of 8 ends, an end is where all 16 stones are thrown. You determine who scores by which rocks are closest to the center of the target, which resembles a dartboard under ice.

The most important part is after the game, you have to have a drink with the other team.

[brentspeak]

7. I've only seen it on "The Wide World of Sports"

a few times when I was a kid. And I think maybe I saw it as a demonstration sport during a Winter Olympics. But I'm from NJ; it's an alien sport in these here parts.

[goddess40]

16. Not completely alien, you have two clubs in NJ

Plainfield Curling Club
133 McKinley Street
South Plainfield, NJ 07080
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 266, Flemington, NJ 08822
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Sheets of ice: 2

Club president: Don Baird

Garden State Curling Club
17 Warwick Road
Summit, NJ 07901
Phone: [phone]
Sheets of ice: None available

Club president: J. Peter Mitchell


For more information on curling: http://www.inthehack.com/base/

[CatBoreal]

6. For a really good explanation....

Watch Men With Brooms...

http://www.serendipitypoint.com/menwithbrooms/frameset.asp

Paul Gross explains it well using lipstick and a navel.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

9. That wasn't Paul.

It was one of his teammates (can't remember the actor or character's name) who did that.

[CatBoreal]

12. Seriously??

Watched the trailer again (haven't seen the movie yet... Damn Netflix!) and would have sworn that was Paul's voice.

Ah well.....

[democracy eh]

8. Glorious CURLING

for a detailed explanation that won't sink, repost in the Canada forum

or watch



On television it may seem like shuffleboard with style, but it is a lot harder than it looks. There is a kind of poetry to curling. It's a very delicate, finesse style sport. It's also a non-professional sport, so people are really doing it for the love of the game - not for money or big business. Those two elements combined make a great metaphor for those true moments of poetry in our lives. Those moments which really exemplify our spirit - what we really want to leave behind are not the things we do for money but things we do for love."

[stpalm]

10. okay, so it requires finesse

but how is that game an OLYMPIC SPORT? Honestly!

[democracy eh]

11. way more strategy than trampoline

and atheticism, sweeping can be exhuasting requireing beer to quench the thirst

some of the tensest moments on TV have been brought to you by curling

[goddess40]

15. My husband thought it was a wimpy sport too

but the first day, after he split his pants practicing the delivery, he gave us another laugh. After sweeping a few rocks, he was sweating so much the steam was rising out of his fleece so that it looked like he was on fire.

Besides it is more physically demanding that archery.

The off season sport for curling seems to be golf - I'm not a golfer because the swing bothers my back. But so far I can curl - and if the delivery every bothers my back I'll have to go to the stick. My only concession to my bad back so far is that I had to go to a no-lift delivery.

We have a team that comes to our men's bonspiel from Thunder Bay every year - they are quite the party animals.

[rug]

13. I use a broom to smack the cat across the ice

[liberalpress]

17. Sweeping in front of him to keep going straight of course

[WMliberal]

14. the brooms help ease the friction

you can guide the path and speed of the whatever the huge rock is called by controlling the friction.