CURLING SCHEDULE » Day 5 » Day 7 » Day 9 » Day 11 » Day 13 » Day 15 Tuesday, Feb. 16 Thursday, Feb. 18 Saturday, Feb. 20 Monday, Feb. 22 Wednesday, Feb. 24 Friday, Feb. 26 Men Men Men Men Tiebreakers Women’s bronze-medal 9-noon,7-10 p.m. 9-noon,7-10 p.m. 9-noon,7-10 p.m. 9-noon,7-10 p.m. 9-noon game,9-noon Women Women Women Women 2-5 p.m. Women’s gold-medal game 2-5 p.m. 2-5 p.m. 2-5 p.m. 2-5 p.m. 7-10 p.m. 3-6 p.m. » » » » » » Day 16 Day 6 Day 8 Day 10 Day 12 Day 14 Saturday, Feb. 27 Wednesday, Feb. 17 Friday, Feb. 19 Sunday, Feb. 21 Tuesday, Feb. 23 Thursday, Feb. 25 Men’s bronze-medal Women Women Women Women Semifinals game,9-noon 9-noon,7-10 p.m. 9-noon,7-10 p.m. 9-noon,7-10 p.m. 9-noon,7-10 p.m. Women,9-noon Men’s gold-medal Men Men Men Men Men,2-5 p.m. game 2-5 p.m. 2-5 p.m. 2-5 p.m. 2-5 p.m. 3-6 p.m. DECONSTRUCTING THE GAMES CURLING: Of rocks, pebbles and brooms It might look relatively straight forward, but there are a lot of elements at play in this tactical, technical sport. Canwest News Service writers Al Cameron and Lyndon Little explain: SWIVEL HANDLE Equipment BROOM: Takes the Putting the curl in curling advances old-style push broom to another level.Lighter, From the initial delivery at one end of the 44.5-metre sheet Today’s brooms are more manoeuverable, of ice to the final result at the other,what makes a curling lighter but stronger, more effective. rock behave as it does is more complex than it might seem. making a difference Below are the various factors at play. for sweepers,espe- MATERIALS: The handle cially in weekend itself is the key,made of cashspiels where carbon-fibre.Heads,with teams can play 10 hair or synthetic material, games in three days. are interchangeable de- pending on ice conditions. CORN BROOM: The original sweeping WEIGHT: Old-style wood- tool is used by only a handle brooms weighed few players today and nearly two pounds;the even then it’s only new brooms are half that. used for the delivery. Over 10 ends of sweeping, that’s significant. PUSH BROOM: SWEEPING RANGE: A Introduced in Europe swivel head allows a and now used sweeper to manipulate throughout the the sweeping position, world,it’s easier providing better coverage to use than a corn in front of the rock. broom and leaves less debris on the ice. 1.THROWING Stone It all starts with the delivery.In the early days of curling, SMART FACTS THE ATHLETES competitors delivered their stone directly with a push 1.OH,CANADA Physical and mental strength from the hack,the foothold frozen into the ice at both Canada hasn’t missed the podium since curling ends of the sheet.Later,players began experimenting with Curlers need touch and nerves of steel to became a medal sport in 1998,although they’ve a slide before releasing the rock.Whatever the method,the throw a rock 40 metres down a sheet of ice won gold just twice in six attempts. rock must be released before the player reaches the near 4.PEBBLES to a target that’s probably behind cover, hog line,which is just over 10 metres from the near hack. Pebbles — water droplets frozen 2.HOME SWEET HOME? through openings often no bigger than the Before release,the curler gently spins the rock to throw as tiny bumps on the surface of No host country has ever hit the medal podium rock itself. an in-turn or out-turn.An in-turn spins clockwise for right- in curling,although the Canadian women, the ice — reduce the friction Top sweepers have incredible arm and core handers,counter-clockwise for lefties;an out-turn does the skipped by Linda Moore,claimed gold in 1988 between the ice surface and the body strength;they need both strength and opposite.Ideally,rocks rotate three to four times down the stone by reducing the total when curling was a demonstration sport. ice,and curls up to five feet on draws,less on takeouts. cardiovascular endurance to get through an contact area between the two 3.RULE BRITANNIA Olympic tournament. surfaces.When the cup of the stone is raised off the ice surface, Rhona Martin’s stunning win in women’s curling Arm and Cardiovascular 2.HOW THE ROCK REACTS resistance is reduced.The at Salt Lake City was Great Britain’s only gold core body endurance Science tells us that stones curl thanks to a thin film of number of pebbles,therefore, medal in 2002.In the UK,49 per cent of TVs strength water that builds under the rock’s narrow running surface influences the draw weight. were tuned in to the gold-medal game,despite — which is only 12 cm in diameter.As the rock rotates, Without pebbles,most curlers its post-midnight start local time. one side of the running surface (the outside edge) moves wouldn’t be able to throw the 4.BY THE NUMBERS faster than the inside edge.The film of water, stone hard enough for it to reach Canadian men have a cumulative 24-7 record in caused by friction,is larger and more the rings at the end of the sheet. three Olympic Games to top the overall stand- slippery on the outer edge than the ings,followed by Norway at 20-9.The Canadian slower inner edge.This causes the women also have a 24-7 record,while Sweden rock to curl to the right or left is second with a 21-9 mark. depending on the turn. RINK 4.32-4.75 m 5.WORLD RECORDS Hack:Two rubber Canada is coming off a season in which it failed blocks,one at each to win a gold medal at the world men’s,world Running surface end,are starting women’s and world junior championships. places for the The last time that happened:1992. throwing curler. 3.SWEEPING 6 . 4 No amount of sweeping can make a rock travel faster. 0 Team:Each team m Sweeping can,however,make a stone travel farther than has a lead (throws it otherwise would by decreasing the rate of deceleration. first),second,vice- MEDAL FAVOURITES Good sweeping can add close to four metres to a rock’s skip (assists the Canadians are among the medal contenders distance.Sweeping breaks down the ice pebble on which skip with tactics, the stone slides,reducing the friction on the rock. throws third) and a WOMEN: While Sweeping also helps to control the amount of curl. skip (throws last). Canadian teams 4 still enter world-level Vigorous sweeping will help a stone curl less than it 2 . Umpires:There 5 events as favourites, otherwise would.Therefore,players doing the sweeping 0 are two. m — with help from the skip,who watches the rock’s it’s hardly automatic progress from the other end — must at times make anymore.Jennifer Free guard zone: difficult decisions on whether it’s more Jones didn’t medal at In this zone,the 2 the 2009 world cham- advantageous to sweep the rock for direction 1 first two shooters . 9 pionship,while 2006 Bernard Wang Norberg McCormick or for distance. 5 may place their m Olympic rep Shannon Often you’ll hear the skip yell “No for line”, stones so that they Kleibrink struggled to meaning the rock doesn’t need any help from block access to the win bronze that year. spot at the 2010 Wang of China,whose of Sweden.Debbie the sweepers controlling the amount of curl. house.This is a pro- Calgary’s Cheryl Games.She’ll face for- country has enjoyed a McCormick of the After that,it’s up to the sweepers to decide if the tected area, since Bernard knocked off midable opponents stunning rise in the United States also rock needs sweeping for distance. the first two shoot- both at Olympic qual- led by newly crowned sport,and 2006 cham- has a world title on ers on each team ifying to secure her world champ Bingyu pion Anette Norberg her resume. are not allowed to Hog remove the oppos- Line ing team‘s stone MEN: Canada has within it. reached the final in three previous Tee Line:Behind Games,and given this line,players Button Kevin Martin’s track may sweep a stone record it’s hard to thrown by the op- imagine him not posing team. making the podium in 2010.The Edmon- Martin Murdoch Ulsrud Shuster House:Only ton skip — trying HAMMER stones totally or to replicate Brad The team with the last stone partially in this Gushue’s gold-medal champion,2008 Britain’s David Mur- favourite,along with is said to have the hammer.It’s circled area can performance at Turin world champion doch has won two Norway’s Thomas akin to the home team’s last score points. Back Line four years ago — is a and 2002 Olympic of the past four world Ulsrud and John at-bat advantage in baseball. four-time national silver medallist. titles and is also a Shuster of the U.S. 2010FOR MORE ON THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES GO TO VANCOUVERSUN.COM/2010 GRAPHICS:BY ROGER WATANABE AND MAGGIE WONG/VANCOUVER SUN.