Curling is a team sport practiced on ice. Athletes, equipped with ice-skatings, play on a rectangular field at the bottom of which a blue and red target is drawn. They need to slide a granite stone from the starting line to the target center.

A lead first throws the stone up to reaching a line. This line is a ground mark indicating the player that he must release the stone. 2 other team members, the sweepers, are then in charged of giving a direction to the stone but are forbidden to touch it! They are equipped with brooms and sweep more or less energetically the ice field, while always revolving around the stone.

Benefiting from the speed previously given to the stone, their job is also to maintain its course at a certain pace: sweeping the ice makes a rush of air pushing the stone into a direction.

They however sweep the ice for two main reasons: removing little piles of ice obstructing the stone course, and melting the ice to modify the stone's trajectory. The team whose stone is the closest to the target center wins a point.
It takes about two hours to finish a curling contest.

But did you know it is called “chess on ice”? Indeed, it is a very complex and strategic sport, requiring for the players to have a good knowledge of the field and of the friction effects.

Come melting the ice at TomsGames.com