The Roaring Game

Lore of the Rings

100

Sometimes called "The Roaring Game" or "chess on ice", this sport might even be the OG team-based "shooter."

Curling

_{The titular "roaring" refers to the sound of the stones as they travel down the sheet of ice. This is especially noticeable when the players are moving all the rocks at once to put them away after a game!}

200

The best granite for manufacturing curling stones still comes from Ailsa Craig, an island to the west of this country which is commonly thought the be the birthplace of the sport.

Scotland

_{"The [Ailsa Craig] microgranite's unusual composition and crystalline texture make it particularly hard and resistant to impact, making this rock a favoured material for the manufacture of curling stones." (Wikipedia)}

300

Unlike curling stones of yore which varied in size and shape (and you were expected to bring your own!), the modern curling stone is more standardized, and typically weighs this amount in pounds.

44 lbs

_{Take the points in you were within 5lbs, why not?}

400

This year was when curling was officially added as an Olympic sport, and was also only the second time the winter olympics were held outside of Europe or North America.

1998 (Nagano)

_{In 1924, curling medals were awarded, but only to men's teams. The only three competing nations were Great Britain, Sweden, and France.}

_{Curling returned as a demonstration sport in 1932, 1988, and 1992 before being officially added in 1998.}

500

As of today, Canada (perhaps unsurprisingly) sits at the top of the all-time Olympic curling medal count followed by these three nations.

_{Full points if you get 2 out of the next 3 winningest nations.} 

#2 Sweden 11 (4 Gold, 3 Silver, 4 Bronze)

#3 Great Britain 6 (3G, 2S, 1B)

#4 Switzerland 7 (1G, 3S, 3B)

_{#1 Canada 12 (6G, 3S, 3B) watch out! Sweden is coming for you!}

Drawing a Blank

100

Each end (the curling equivalent of a "round" or "inning") concludes after both teams throw their 8 rocks, at which point the score is determined by which team's rock is closer to the middle of the house. Only one team can score each end, and that team gets points for every stone they have closer to the center than the closest opponent stone.
Which team scores how much in this example?

Yellow scores 2 points. The red stones are all "out-counted" by the yellow because proximity to the center is what it's all about. More examples:

_{Thanks for coming to my TED talk.}

200

Curling strategy isn't always about trying to be closest to the middle of the house. In fact, while watching a game you may see a team intentionally shooting for a "blank end", which results in this score.

No points for either team 

_{If no rocks from either team are touching the house after all 16 stones have been thrown, the score does not change and the team that just finished throwing last rock retains the hammer in the next end. Strategically speaking, if you can't get your two points when you have last rock advantage, you are often better off blanking that end.}

300

While rare in amateur leagues and unheard of in higher levels of play, it is possible that a team finishes an end by adding this point value, the highest possible in a single end, to their score.

8

_{This is known as an "Eight Ender" and requires all 8 of your team's rocks to be in play and out-counting the opponent's. Suffice it to say, if you find yourself on the receiving end of an eight ender, something did not go according to plan.}

400

The most basic kind of shot in curling is the draw, in which you attempt to get your stone to stop in a strategically beneficial location. In contrast, the other fundamental shot involves doing this to an opponent's rock.

Hit 

AKA "take out"

_{By the early 1990s, management of ice conditions had become so good, and top-level teams were so accurate with hits that games got boring with players trading take-outs for hours and just hoping for a miss from their opponent. As a result, the "free guard zone" rule was codified in 1992 which limits when stones in front of the house can be removed from play, leading to more varied stone placement and strategy.}

500

At all levels of play, curling is a game of courtesy and good sportsmanship, which may explain why it is not uncommon for a team to do this if they think the match is getting out of hand.

Concede defeat

_{More often than not (especially at higher levels), you'll see a team "shake" even before they are mathematically out of it. If a team is making their shots and has a nice lead, it can be hard for the trailing team to come back, especially late in the game.} 

Biting the House & Other Jargon

100

While the modern version of this essential curling implement is more regulated (and less hairy), colloquially it is often referred to by it's historical name and is still used by many players as a delivery aid. 

Broom

_{Sometimes called a curling "brush", the heads are now made of a standardized fabric. Until somewhat recently, the material wasn't regulated and it led to a big to-do that was labelled "Broomgate". Seriously, you can look it up.}

200

The "house" is the name of the big "bulls-eye"-looking target that everyone on the sheet is shooting for and often is designed with alternating colors of these at 4ft, 8ft, and 12ft from the center.

Rings 

AKA circles

_{The various colored rings don't have different point values, they are just there to help visually distinguish the distance from the center and serve as reference points. You'll hear curlers talk about "a draw to the top of the 4-ft" or a "biter on the edge of the 12."}

300

These familiar markings are frozen into the ice to help define certain areas of the curling sheet and have some fun names including "hog", "tee", "back", and "center".

Lines

400

The positions on a curling team in typical delivery order: Lead, Second, Vice, _____.

Skip or skipper

_{Lead- Throws first}

_{Second- Throws second}

_{Vice, AKA Vice-Skip or Third- Throws third and holds the broom while the skip is shooting.}

_{Skip- Typically calls the strategy and stands at the target end of the sheet holding a broom for their team.}

_{"I'm playing lead in the bonspiel this weekend but I've been thinking about skipping my own team on Monday nights to get some more experience in the house."}

500

Also called "The Hammer" or just "hammer", this is an important factor that largely dictates a team's strategy in each end.

Last rock advantage

_{"Yeah but if you go with the draw, make sure your stone is buried; we don't have hammer and if they take us out we could give up a big end."}

Multiple Choice

100

The button is ________

A. The name of the running surface of a curling rock

B. The middle of the house where the tee line and center line intersect

C. The final rock of the end

D. A signal from the skip to the sweepers

B. The middle of the house where the tee line and center line intersect.

_{There is usually a small hole called "the pin" in the center of the button where a measuring device can be inserted if needed for scoring.}

200

The rubber thing frozen into the ice that curlers push off from when delivering a stone is called _______.

A. The hack

B. The boards

C. The wedge

D. The blocks

A. The hack

_{If you hear someone refer to "hack weight", they are asking for the stone to have enough force to make it through the house and end up stopping near the hack at the far end of the sheet.}

300

"Hurry!! Haaaard! SWEEEEEP!" What is all the yelling about and why do they sweep in front of the rocks?

A. To keep debris out of the path of the stone

B. To keep the rock on a straighter path

C. To extend the path of the stone

D. All of the above

D. All of the above

_{Sweepers need to be good judges of weight (how fast the rock is moving) and listen to the person in the house who is watching for line (how much the rock is curling) and work together with good communication. Every shot is a team effort!}

400

"Stealing" in curling refers to _______

A. Using the other team's rock(s) to bump one of your own into scoring position

B. Winning a game without allowing the other team to score a single point

C. Curling a stone to hide behind an opponent stone

D. Scoring in an end when your team does not have the hammer

D. Scoring in an end when your team does not have the hammer

500

Which of the following is NOT a type of shot you might hear called during a curling match?

A. Split

B. Double take-out

C. Corner freeze

D. Center guard

Trick question, these are ALL types of curling shots. Take the 500 points as a peace offering following my cruel subversion of the game format.