Curling

Curling is a sport which involves sliding heavy, polished granite stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. The target area consists of four concentric rings marked on the ice. It is not unlike other sports like bowls or boules, where players aim to place balls close to a target on the ground. The sport is played by two teams, each of four players. Teams take turns to slide one of their eight large stones, also called rocks, across the ice towards the house, the circles of the target. The purpose of the game is to accumulate the highest number of points, which are allocated to the stones closest to the centre of the house at the end of each round, or end when each team has thrown all their stones. A game can consist of eight or ten ends.

Curling players work closely as a team. The curler can induce a curved path by causing the stone to slowly turn as it slides. The trajectory of the stone can also be influenced by two sweepers with brooms who accompany the stone as it slides. With the brooms the sweepers can alter the state of the ice in front of the stone and affect where and how it moves. A great deal of strategy and teamwork go into the choice of path and the placement for the rock, hence the nickname for the sport of "chess on ice".

Curling is a sport that dates back to medieval Scotland. The first written reference to it appears in the records of Paisley Abbey, Renfrewshire, in February 1541. Two paintings, Winter Landscape with a Bird Trap and The Hunters in the Snow (both dated 1565) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depict Flemish peasants curling.