Lori Olson (born on November 24, 1976), better known as Lori Olson-Johns is a Canadian curler from Edmonton , Alberta . From 2014–2018, she played third for Val Sweeting and with Sweeting, finished runner-up at the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and won two grand slam events (the 2016 and 2017 Tour Challenge ).
118-523: Lesley Kaitlyn Lawes (born December 16, 1988) is a Canadian curler . Lawes was the long time third for the Jennifer Jones team that represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics where they won the gold medal. They were the first women's team to go through the Olympics undefeated and the first Manitoba based curling team to win at the Olympics. Lawes curled with John Morris in the mixed doubles event at
236-554: A 6–1 record. In the semifinals they faced Norway in a rematch, this time prevailing. In the gold medal final they routed the Swiss team 10–3, with the Swiss team conceding after six ends. Lawes thanked supporters from home for her gold medal win, telling CBC News : "Everyone in Winnipeg, thank you so much for your support, and St. Vital Curling Club for helping our families come to cheer us on. We felt that support so much over here." After her win
354-524: A farmer, and lives in Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba . Her father Keith was also a competitive curler, having played for Newfoundland at the 1969 Macdonald Brier . Her half sister is Andrea Lawes , who was a member of the 1990 Scott Tournament of Hearts champion team, representing Ontario. Her nephew is curler Connor Lawes . Her mother is Cheryl Lawes and her brother is Kevin Lawes. Curling Curling
472-443: A five-way tie for third with Northern Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. With tiebreaker games abolished and the first tiebreaker (which was head-to-head between all tied teams) tied as well at 2–2, cumulative last stone draw distance between all the teams was used to decide who would make the playoffs. The Lawes rink finished first with a 231.6 and thus earned a spot in the playoffs. Facing Alberta's Selena Sturmay in
590-423: A foreign object is called a pick-up or pick . The thrower starts from the hack . The thrower's gripper shoe (with the non-slippery sole) is positioned against one of the hacks; for a right-handed curler the right foot is placed against the left hack and vice versa for a left-hander. The thrower, now in the hack , lines the body up with shoulders square to the skip's broom at the far end for line . The stone
708-404: A guard. Her rock, however, curled too much and hit the guard, giving up a steal of one and the game to Team Jones. After the game, Jones said that "We're there to pick each other up when you miss, not everybody can say that and that's really a big strength of our team." With the win, Team Jones travelled to Beijing , China to represent Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics . Through the round robin,
826-514: A landmark 'Winnipeg' sign at The Forks was lit up in gold and red to celebrate her medal win. Lawes and Morris were Canada's first two-time Olympic champions in curling, and Lawes the first Canadian to win gold in curling in two consecutive Olympics. Following her return from South Korea, Lawes joined the Jones team and took her spot at third back from Shannon Birchard who had played at this position in her absence. The team, victorious with Birchard at
944-596: A lot to be proud of. At the end of the day we tried our best and that's all we could do." On March 15, 2022, Team Jones announced that they would be parting ways at the conclusion of the 2021–22 season. Lawes and second Jocelyn Peterman then announced they would be joining Selena Njegovan and Kristin MacCuish of Team Fleury to form a new team for the 2022–23 season . Lawes would skip the team, with Njegovan playing third, Peterman at second and MacCuish at lead. Team Jones still had two more events together before parting ways,
1062-411: A player is not throwing, the player's slider shoe can be temporarily rendered non-slippery by using a slip-on gripper. Ordinary athletic shoes may be converted to sliders by using a step-on or slip-on Teflon slider or by applying electrical or gaffer tape directly to the sole or over a piece of cardboard. This arrangement often suits casual or beginning players. The gripper is worn by the thrower on
1180-431: A rectangular area of ice, carefully prepared to be as flat and level as possible, 146 to 150 feet (45 to 46 m) in length by 14.5 to 16.5 feet (4.4 to 5.0 m) in width. The shorter borders of the sheet are called the backboards. A target, the house , is centred on the intersection of the centre line , drawn lengthwise down the centre of the sheet and the tee line , drawn 16 feet (4.9 m) from, and parallel to,
1298-494: A successful first few events, making it to the semifinals at two slams and the quarterfinals at another. They also won the 2014 Canada Cup of Curling , defeating Homan in the final. The team would also win the 2015 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts , earning the team a berth at the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts . There, Alberta finished the round robin in second place with a 9–2 record, behind Team Manitoba, skipped by Jennifer Jones . They would go on to lose to Manitoba in
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#17329163204741416-620: A third-place finish at the 2023 Karuizawa International Curling Championships in Japan. Entering the 2024 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the top seeded team, Team Lawes lost just one game en route to claiming the provincial title, defeating Beth Peterson 9–8 in the championship game. This qualified them for the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts where they did not a good start, losing three of their first four games. Sitting 3–4 heading into their last round robin game, they were able to beat Northern Ontario's Krista McCarville 6–5. This created
1534-401: A violation by lights at the base of the handle (see delivery below). The eye on the hog eliminates human error and the need for hog line officials. It is mandatory in high-level national and international competition, but its cost, around US$ 650 each, currently puts it beyond the reach of most curling clubs. The curling broom , or brush , is used to sweep the ice surface in the path of
1652-458: Is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls , boules , and shuffleboard . Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called rocks , across the ice curling sheet toward the house , a circular target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones, with each player throwing two. The purpose
1770-416: Is closer to the button. Two hog lines are drawn 37 feet (11 m) from, and parallel to, the backboard. The hacks , which give the thrower something to push against when making the throw, are fixed 12 feet (3.7 m) behind each button. On indoor rinks, there are usually two fixed hacks, rubber-lined holes, one on each side of the centre line, with the inside edge no more than 3 inches (76 mm) from
1888-423: Is commonly used to enforce this rule. The sensor is in the handle of the stone and will indicate whether the stone was released before the near hog line. The lights on the stone handle will either light up green, indicating that the stone has been legally thrown, or red, in which case the illegally thrown stone will be immediately pulled from play instead of waiting for the stone to come to rest. The stone must clear
2006-439: Is designed for the sliding foot and the "gripper shoe" (usually known as a gripper ) for the foot that kicks off from the hack. The slider is designed to slide and typically has a Teflon sole. It is worn by the thrower during delivery from the hack and by sweepers or the skip to glide down the ice when sweeping or otherwise traveling down the sheet quickly. Stainless steel and "red brick" sliders with lateral blocks of PVC on
2124-435: Is extremely important. Large events, such as national/international championships, are typically held in an arena that presents a challenge to the ice maker, who must constantly monitor and adjust the ice and air temperatures as well as air humidity levels to ensure a consistent playing surface. It is common for each sheet of ice to have multiple sensors embedded in order to monitor surface temperature, as well as probes set up in
2242-407: Is placed in front of the foot now in the hack. Rising slightly from the hack, the thrower pulls the stone back (some older curlers may actually raise the stone in this backward movement) then lunges smoothly out from the hack pushing the stone ahead while the slider foot is moved in front of the gripper foot, which trails behind. The thrust from this lunge determines the weight , and hence the distance
2360-407: Is rare now to see a curler using a corn broom on a regular basis. Curling brushes may have fabric, hog hair, or horsehair heads. Modern curling brush handles are usually hollow tubes made of fibreglass or carbon fibre instead of a solid length of wooden dowel . These hollow tube handles are lighter and stronger than wooden handles, allowing faster sweeping and more downward force to be applied to
2478-463: Is something he knew we had it in us. I don't know how to describe it. I thought about him a lot during the game ... I wish that I could share this experience with him, but he was my inspiration." In addition to their Olympic win, the team won three Grand Slams on the World Curling Tour, winning the 2013 Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Women's Classic , the 2013 Colonial Square Ladies Classic and
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#17329163204742596-504: Is to accumulate the highest score for a game ; points are scored for the stones resting closest to the centre of the house at the conclusion of each end , which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones once. A game usually consists of eight or ten ends. Players induce a curved path, described as curl , by causing the stone to slowly rotate as it slides. The path of the rock may be further influenced by two sweepers with brooms or brushes, who accompany it as it slides down
2714-411: The 2011 Canada Cup of Curling . The team won the 2012 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts and represented Manitoba at the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts . There, they would win the bronze medal. For the first half of the 2012–13 season, Lawes skipped the team, with Kirsten Wall throwing third, as Jones was expecting her first child and sat out until January. Lawes won The Shoot-Out event on
2832-478: The 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials . At the Olympics the team became the first women's team to not only go through the round robin undefeated but also the first team to go throughout the whole tournament undefeated when they won the Olympic gold. They were the first Manitoba based curling team to win gold at the Olympics. After the win Lawes noted her recently deceased father stating "I know he would be so proud. This
2950-532: The 2014 Players' Championship . Following the Olympics in Russia, Lawes as part of the Jones' team won the 2015 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts , and then won the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw , Lawes' first national women's title. The team would represent Canada at the 2015 World Women's Curling Championship , where they made the final but lost to Alina Pätz of Switzerland 5–3, finishing in
3068-511: The 2018 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts , where she lost in the 3 vs. 4 game. After the season, the Sweeting rink announced they would be splitting up. For the 2018–19 season , Olson-Johns joined a new team skipped by Laura Walker with Cathy Overton-Clapham at third and Laine Peters at lead. They played in four of seven slam events, qualifying in three of them. At the 2019 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts , they were knocked out in
3186-465: The 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts won the right to wear the maple leaf at the 2018 Ford World Women's Curling Championship taking place in North Bay, Ontario . The team played very well and went through the round-robin undefeated. They would eventually beat Jamie Sinclair and her American team in the semi-final earning the right to face the Olympic champion, Anna Hasselborg in the final. Lawes and
3304-536: The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang , Korea but the team did not succeed, watching the Rachel Homan rink win the honour. She would still have an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics as part of the debut mixed doubles curling event . John Morris was scheduled to curl with Homan in the trials, but she was unavailable having already qualified as Canada's women's representative. Morris then teamed up with Lawes;
3422-433: The 2018 Winter Olympics where they won gold. This win made her and Morris the first Canadian curlers to win two Olympic gold medals, and Lawes was the first to win gold in two consecutive Olympics. Lawes was a member of the world champion team as a third at the 2018 Ford World Women's Curling Championship , where the team went through the event undefeated. She also won a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships . Lawes
3540-549: The 2021 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship . The pair failed to make the playoffs, finishing pool play with a 1–5 record. Lawes ended her season with Team Jones at the only two Grand Slam events of the abbreviated season, also held in the Calgary bubble. The team missed the playoffs at both the 2021 Champions Cup and the 2021 Players' Championship . Team Jones qualified for the playoffs in each of their first four tour events, however, were not able to qualify for any finals. At
3658-515: The 2022 Players' Championship and 2022 Champions Cup Grand Slams. At the Players', the team went 1–3, missing the playoffs. They then missed the playoffs again at the Champions Cup with a 1–4 record, ending the team's run together. The new Lawes rink began the 2022–23 season with a second-place finish at the 2022 Oslo Cup . After going undefeated in the round robin, they beat Marianne Rørvik in
Kaitlyn Lawes - Misplaced Pages Continue
3776-420: The 2023 Canadian Open where the team missed the playoffs with a 2–3 record. At the 2023 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts , the team was eliminated in the semifinal after losing 8–5 to Abby Ackland . Despite this, they still qualified for the 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts as a Wild Card team. After a 5–3 record, they lost in a tiebreaker to Nova Scotia, skipped by Christina Black . The team finished
3894-544: The COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba , so Curl Manitoba appointed the Jones rink to represent Manitoba at the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts . At the 2021 Hearts, the team finished with a 9–3 record, putting them in a third place tiebreaker match against Alberta, skipped by Laura Walker . Alberta defeated Manitoba 9–8 to advance to the semifinal. A month later, Lawes returned to the bubble to compete with her nephew Connor Lawes at
4012-558: The DeKalb Superspiel , and the season-ending Grand Slam event, the 2016 Humpty's Champions Cup . The Jones rink would not qualify for the 2017 Scotties, having lost in the semifinals of the 2017 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts . However, they had some success in other events, winning the DeKalb Superspiel again, winning the 2016 Canada Cup of Curling and the 2017 Players' Championship . Lawes next tried to qualify for
4130-539: The Players' Championship and the Champions Cup Grand Slam events were also cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . On March 18, 2020, the team announced that Lisa Weagle , after parting ways with Team Homan, would join the team in a 5-player rotation. The Jones rink won their lone event of the abbreviated 2020–21 season at the 2020 Stu Sells Oakville Tankard . The 2021 Manitoba Scotties were cancelled due to
4248-570: The Rink Rat , also became common later during this time period. Prior to the late sixties, Scottish curling brushes were used primarily by some of the Scots , as well as by recreational and elderly curlers, as a substitute for corn brooms, since the technique was easier to learn. In the late sixties, competitive curlers from Calgary , Alberta, such as John Mayer, Bruce Stewart, and, later, the world junior championship teams skipped by Paul Gowsell , proved that
4366-671: The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (founded as the Grand Caledonian Curling Club in 1838) as developing the first official rules for the sport. However, although not written as a "rule book", this is preceded by Rev James Ramsay of Gladsmuir , a member of the Duddingston Curling Club, who wrote An Account of the Game of Curling in 1811, which speculates on its origin and explains the method of play. In
4484-760: The World Curling Federation in Perth , which originated as a committee of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, the mother club of curling. In the 19th century, several private railway stations in the United Kingdom were built to serve curlers attending bonspiels , such as those at Aboyne , Carsbreck , and Drummuir . Today, the sport is most firmly established in Canada , having been taken there by Scottish emigrants . The Royal Montreal Curling Club ,
4602-531: The World Curling Tour . As Jones had won the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts , the team represented Team Canada at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts , Lawes' first women's national championship. There they would make it to the finals, where they lost to Saskatchewan's Amber Holland rink. The Jones rink continued their success into the 2011–12 season, winning the Radisson Blu Oslo Cup and
4720-496: The lead ) throws, the players not delivering (the second and third ) sweep (see Sweeping , below). When the skip throws, the vice-skip takes their role. The skip , or the captain of the team, determines the desired stone placement and the required weight , turn , and line that will allow the stone to stop there. The placement will be influenced by the tactics at this point in the game, which may involve taking out, blocking, or tapping another stone. The skip may communicate
4838-462: The preface and the verses of a poem by Henry Adamson . The sport was (and still is, in Scotland and Scottish-settled regions like southern New Zealand) also known as "the roaring game" because of the sound the stones make while traveling over the pebble (droplets of water applied to the playing surface). The verbal noun curling is formed from the Scots (and English) verb curl , which describes
Kaitlyn Lawes - Misplaced Pages Continue
4956-418: The weight , turn , line, and other tactics by calling or tapping a broom on the ice. In the case of a takeout, guard, or a tap, the skip will indicate the stones involved. Before delivery, the running surface of the stone is wiped clean and the path across the ice swept with the broom if necessary, since any dirt on the bottom of a stone or in its path can alter the trajectory and ruin the shot. Intrusion by
5074-469: The "thinking time" system, in which the delivering team's game timer stops as soon as the shooter's rock crosses the t-line during the delivery, is becoming more popular, especially in Canada. This system allows each team 38 minutes per 10 ends, or 30 minutes per 8 ends, to make strategic and tactical decisions, with 4 minutes and 30 seconds an end for extra ends. The "thinking time" system was implemented after it
5192-466: The 1 vs. 2 game, but rebounded in the semifinal, beating Saskatchewan (skipped by Stefanie Lawton ), before losing to Jones again in the final. The team found less success in their next season. They won just one tour event (the 2015 HDF Insurance Shoot-Out ), though they still made the playoffs in five of the six slams of the season, including making it to the finals of the 2015 Masters , where they lost to Homan. The team would not represent Alberta at
5310-472: The 1998 Olympics, Canada has dominated the sport with their men's teams winning gold in 2006 , 2010 , and 2014 , and silver in 1998 and 2002 . The women's team won gold in 1998 and 2014 , a silver in 2010 , and a bronze in 2002 and 2006. The mixed doubles team won gold in 2018 . The playing surface or curling sheet is defined by the World Curling Federation Rules of Curling. It is
5428-467: The 3 vs. 4 page qualifier, the team lost 8–5 and were eliminated. They finished their season with a 1–4 record at the 2024 Players' Championship . Lawes attended the University of Manitoba where she studied nutrition, and attended Athabasca University where she studied communications. She is in engaged to Stephan Vigier , a professional ice hockey player, and has one child. She is currently employed as
5546-554: The Alberta championship and went on to the 2005 Scott Tournament of Hearts , where they finished the round robin at 6–5, and lost the first of two tie breakers to Ontario's Jenn Hanna . Her team once again won the 2006 and finished with a 6–5 record, this time not qualifying for a tie breaker. In 2009 playing third for Calgary's Crystal Webster , Olson-Johns participated in the Canadian Olympic Pre-Trials , where they were
5664-471: The Canada Curling Stone Company, which has been producing stones since 1992 and supplied the stones for the 2002 Winter Olympics . A handle is attached by a bolt running vertically through a hole in the centre of the stone. The handle allows the stone to be gripped and rotated upon release; on properly prepared ice the rotation will bend ( curl ) the path of the stone in the direction in which
5782-476: The Canadian team had mixed results, ultimately finishing tied for third with a 5–4 record. However, because of their draw shot challenge results, which were the lowest of the teams they were tied with, they ranked fifth overall, missing the playoffs. After their final game, an emotional Lawes said that "It's difficult when it's out of our control. I'm really proud of this team. We worked really hard this week and we have
5900-414: The Jones team would have to take Hasselborg to an extra end, but ultimately won the game without having to throw their last rock. The victory was Lawes's first World Championship victory and would be the last for long-time second Jill Officer, as she announced she was stepping back from the game. In the 2018-19 curling season , Jocelyn Peterman joined the Jones team at second, replacing Officer. Lawes and
6018-541: The King rink, Lawes would win the September Shoot-Out , and played in three Grand Slams, making it to the semifinals of the 2009 Trail Appliances Curling Classic . The team played in the 2010 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts , where they would finish in third place. Following the 2009–10 curling season, Team King decided to step back from the game for a while, leaving Lawes without a team to play for. Shortly after, it
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#17329163204746136-499: The Rogers Grand Slam Cup and the $ 75,000 bonus. The team again lost in the finals of the 2017 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts , this time losing to Shannon Kleibrink . The next season, Team Sweeting defended their title by winning the 2017 GSOC Tour Challenge . The Sweeting rink also played in the 2017 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials , going 4–4, just missing the playoffs. Team Sweeting then turned their attention to
6254-528: The Scotties, as they lost in the finals of the 2016 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts to the Chelsea Carey rink, who would end up winning the national title. In the 2016–17 season , the Sweeting rink made the playoffs in five of the six slams, including winning the 2016 Tour Challenge and losing in the final of the 2017 Players' Championship . The team's success throughout the slam circuit earned them
6372-569: The Scotties. In their first event of the 2019-20 season , Team Jones won the 2019 AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic , defeating Tracy Fleury in the final. Next they played in the 2019 Colonial Square Ladies Classic where Fleury would take them out in the semi-finals. They had two quarterfinal finishes at the first two Slams of the season, the Masters and the Tour Challenge . At the Canada Cup ,
6490-676: The Winter Olympics since Chamonix in 1924 and has been the exclusive manufacturer of curling stones for the Olympics since the 2006 Winter Olympics . Trefor granite comes from the Yr Eifl or Trefor Granite Quarry in the village of Trefor on the north coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd , Wales and has produced granite since 1850. Trefor granite comes in shades of pink, blue, and grey. The quarry supplies curling stone granite exclusively to
6608-408: The World Curling Tour as skip. As skip, she would play in four slams, failing to qualify at the 2012 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic and the 2012 Masters , making it to the quarterfinals of the 2012 Manitoba Lotteries Women's Curling Classic and the round of 16 at the 2012 Colonial Square Ladies Classic . Lawes skipped the team at the 2012 Canada Cup of Curling , where she would lose in
6726-467: The action of repeatedly freezing water from eroding the stone. Ailsa Craig Common Green is a lesser quality granite than Blue Hone . In the past, most curling stones were made from Blue Hone , but the island is now a wildlife reserve, and the quarry is restricted by environmental conditions that exclude blasting. Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones in Mauchline, Ayrshire, since 1851 and has
6844-498: The age of four. Lawes first came into the spotlight in 2008 when she won the Manitoba Junior women's championship with teammates Jenna Loder , Liz Peters and Sarah Wazney . With Lawes skipping the team, the rink represented Manitoba at the 2008 Canadian Junior Curling Championships , where she led her team to a 10–2 round robin record, in first place. In the finals, her team beat Saskatchewan's Stephanie McVicar rink, claiming
6962-444: The backboard. These lines divide the house into quarters. The house consists of a centre circle (the button ) and three concentric rings, of diameters 4, 8, and 12 feet, formed by painting or laying a coloured vinyl sheet under the ice and are usually distinguished by colour. A stone must at least touch the outer ring in order to score (see Scoring below); otherwise, the rings are merely a visual aid for aiming and judging which stone
7080-408: The basic technical aspects of curling is knowing when to sweep. When the ice in front of the stone is swept, a stone will usually travel both further and straighter, and in some situations one of those is not desirable. For example, a stone may be traveling too fast (said to have too much weight), but require sweeping to prevent curling into another stone. The team must decide which is better: getting by
7198-462: The best of the Russians, beating them 9–8, and taking home the bronze medal in the process. 2009 was another great season for the Lawes team. They once again won the Manitoba junior championship, with a new front-end of Laryssa Grenkow and Breanne Meakin replacing Peters and Wazney. At the 2009 Canadian Junior Curling Championships , Lawes led Manitoba to an 8–4 round robin record, in third place. In
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#17329163204747316-421: The broom head with reduced shaft flex. In 2014, new "directional fabric" brooms were introduced, which could influence the path of a curling stone better than the existing brooms. Concerns arose that these brooms would alter the fundamentals of the sport by reducing the level of skill required and giving players an unfair advantage; at least thirty-four elite teams signed a statement pledging not to use them. This
7434-402: The centre line and the front edge on the hack line. A single moveable hack may also be used. The ice may be natural, but is usually frozen by a refrigeration plant pumping a brine solution through numerous pipes fixed lengthwise at the bottom of a shallow pan of water. Most curling clubs have an ice maker whose main job is to care for the ice. At the major curling championships, ice maintenance
7552-628: The championships, playing third for Jodi Lee. The team finished round robin with a 5–6 record. Her final junior appearance was at the 1997 Canadian Juniors , this time playing third stones for Kristie Moore . The team had a rough go, finishing round robin with a 3–9 record. In 1998 Olson-Johns participated in her first Alberta Women's Provincial Championships, returning again in 1999 and 2000. Olson-Johns continued to compete in Alberta Women's Provincial Championships but did not see success until 2005, when she played third for skip Cathy King . They won
7670-453: The curling brush could be just as (or more) effective without all the blisters common to corn broom use. During that time period, there was much debate in competitive curling circles as to which sweeping device was more effective: brush or broom. Eventually, the brush won out with the majority of curlers making the switch to the less costly and more efficient brush. Today, brushes have replaced traditional corn brooms at every level of curling; it
7788-530: The early 16th century includes a curling stone inscribed with the date 1511 found (along with another bearing the date 1551) when an old pond was drained at Dunblane, Scotland . The world's oldest curling stone and the world's oldest football are now kept in the same museum (the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum ) in Stirling . The first written reference to a contest using stones on ice coming from
7906-419: The early history of curling, the playing stones were simply flat-bottomed stones from rivers or fields, which lacked a handle and were of inconsistent size, shape, and smoothness. Some early stones had holes for a finger and the thumb, akin to ten-pin bowling balls . Unlike today, the thrower had little control over the 'curl' or velocity and relied more on luck than on precision, skill, and strategy. The sport
8024-585: The exclusive rights to the Ailsa Craig granite, granted by the Marquess of Ailsa , whose family has owned the island since 1560. According to the 1881 Census , Andrew Kay employed 30 people in his curling stone factory in Mauchline. The last harvest of Ailsa Craig granite by Kays took place in 2013, after a hiatus of 11 years; 2,000 tons were harvested, sufficient to fill anticipated orders through at least 2020. Kays have been involved in providing curling stones for
8142-440: The far hog line or else be removed from play ( hogged ); an exception is made if a stone fails to come to rest beyond the far hog line after rebounding from a stone in play just past the hog line. After the stone is delivered, its trajectory is influenced by the two sweepers under instruction from the skip. Sweeping is done for several reasons: to make the stone travel further, to decrease the amount of curl, and to clean debris from
8260-402: The final to Team Stefanie Lawton . Jones was back to skipping the team in time for the 2013 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts , which they again would win. At the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts , Jones led Manitoba to another silver medal, this time losing to Ontario's Rachel Homan rink in the final. The Jones team won the right to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics when they won
8378-414: The final where they would once again face Fleury. After a tight game all the way through, Team Fleury stole one in the ninth end to take a single point lead. In the tenth end, Jones had an open hit-and-stick to win the game, however, her shooter rolled two far and she only got one. This sent the game to an extra end. On her final shot, Fleury attempted a soft-weight hit on a Jones stone partially buried behind
8496-430: The first Grand Slam of the season, the 2021 Masters , the team was able to reach the final before losing to Tracy Fleury in a 9–7 match. They then missed the playoffs at the 2021 National two weeks later. A month later, Team Jones competed in the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials . There, the team posted a 5–3 round robin record, earning a spot in the semifinal. They then defeated Krista McCarville to qualify for
8614-548: The first women's team to qualify for the Olympic Trials, however they would only finish with a 2–5 record. At the end of the 2010–11 season , Olson-Johns joined Calgary skip Cheryl Bernard as her new second. After the newly revamped team failed to qualify for the playoffs at the 2012 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts , Bernard decided to drop Olson-Johns from the team, due to her living in Edmonton which made it difficult for
8732-413: The foot that kicks off from the hack during delivery and is designed to grip the ice. It may have a normal athletic shoe sole or a special layer of rubbery material applied to the sole of a thickness to match the sliding shoe. The toe of the hack foot shoe may also have a rubberised coating on the top surface or a flap that hangs over the toe to reduce wear on the top of the shoe as it drags on the ice behind
8850-505: The front edge of the stone is turning, especially as the stone slows. Handles are coloured to identify each team, two popular colours in major tournaments being red and yellow. In competition, an electronic handle known as the Eye on the Hog may be fitted to detect hog line violations. This electronically detects whether the thrower's hand is in contact with the handle as it passes the hog line and indicates
8968-442: The games only eight ends. Most tournaments on that tour are eight ends, as are the vast majority of recreational games. In international competition, each side is given 73 minutes to complete all of its throws. Each team is also allowed two minute-long timeouts per 10-end game. If extra ends are required, each team is allowed 10 minutes of playing time to complete its throws and one added 60-second timeout for each extra end. However,
9086-510: The games. They ended their season at the 2014 Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts , where they would lose to the Sweeting rink in the final. After the season, Bernard announced her retirement from competitive curling. Without a team for the new Olympic quadrennial, Olson-Johns considered taking a year off from curling before she got a call from the Sweeting rink in November asking if she would like to join their team as third. Team Sweeting had
9204-485: The gold medal final, settling for silver. In addition to their great showing in junior competitions, the Lawes team also played well on the World Curling Tour , making the semi-finals in a Grand Slam event, the Casinos of Winnipeg Women's Curling Classic . After Juniors, Lawes teamed up to play third for Cathy King who was needing a third after Lori Olson left the team to play for Crystal Webster . In her one season with
9322-602: The inaugural Curling World Cup , which they won, defeating Silvana Tirinzoni in the final. Lawes played in two mixed doubles events that season with Morris, the Canad Inns Mixed Doubles Championship, which they won, and the Qualico Mixed Doubles Classic, where they lost in the quarterfinal to Peterman and Brett Gallant . However, she was unable to compete in the 2019 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship after sustaining an injury at
9440-401: The motion of the stone. Kilsyth Curling Club claims to be the first club in the world, having been formally constituted in 1716; it is still in existence today. Kilsyth also claims the oldest purpose-built curling pond in the world at Colzium , in the form of a low dam creating a shallow pool some 100 by 250 metres (330 by 820 ft) in size. The International Olympic Committee recognises
9558-442: The national championship. This qualified her team to represent Canada at the 2008 World Junior Curling Championships . There, she led Canada to a 5–4 round robin record, tied with Denmark's Madeleine Dupont team. She would go on to beat Denmark, but lose in the 3 vs. 4 playoff game against Russia's Liudmila Privivkova . This put her team into the bronze medal game, where she would face-off against Russia again. This time her rink got
9676-544: The oldest established sports club still active in North America , was established in 1807. The first curling club in the United States was established in 1830, and the sport was introduced to Switzerland and Sweden before the end of the 19th century, also by Scots. Today, curling is played all over Europe and has spread to Brazil, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Korea. The first world championship for curling
9794-469: The other stone, but traveling too far, or hitting the stone. Lori Olson Olson-Johns is a three-time Alberta junior champion. Her first national experience was playing second stones for Rhonda Sinclair at the 1992 Canadian Junior Curling Championships . The team would finish round robin with a 7–4 record, finding themselves in a tiebreaker. They would end up losing the tiebreaker to Quebec's Janique Berthelot . In 1995 Olson-Johns would return to
9912-667: The pair only practiced once at the Granite Curling Club for 30 minutes prior to the 2018 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Olympic Trials . They would finish the round robin 5–3 but won through the playoff round to the final where they defeated Brad Gushue and Valerie Sweeting , winning the right to wear the maple leaf in Korea. The team entered the Mixed Doubles competition against Norway, but lost their opening game. Lawes and Morris would go on to win their next six games, finishing with
10030-462: The pebbled ice. The pebble, along with the concave bottom of the stone, decreases the friction between the stone and the ice, allowing the stone to travel further. As the stone moves over the pebble, any rotation of the stone causes it to curl , or travel along a curved path. The amount of curl (commonly referred to as the feet of curl ) can change during a game as the pebble wears; the ice maker must monitor this and be prepared to scrape and re-pebble
10148-418: The playoffs at the 2022 Tour Challenge where they lost in the quarterfinals to Rachel Homan. Following a quarterfinal finish at the 2022 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic , Lawes went on maternity leave. During that time, Selena Njegovan took over skipping the team, leading them to a victory at the 2022 Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic and a quarterfinal finish at the 2022 Masters . Lawes returned for
10266-520: The playoffs, however, they downed Alberta's Casey Scheidegger rink and Ontario's Rachel Homan to defend their title and once again represented Canada at the World Juniors. At the 2009 World Junior Curling Championships , Lawes would lead Team Canada to a 6–3 round robin record, in third place. In the playoffs, she beat the Russians (skipped by Margarita Fomina ) and Switzerland (skipped by Martina Baumann ) before losing to Scotland's Eve Muirhead in
10384-418: The purpose. Central Canadian curlers often used 'irons' rather than stones until the early 1900s; Canada is the only country known to have done so, while others experimented with wood or ice-filled tins. Outdoor curling was very popular in Scotland between the 16th and 19th centuries because the climate provided good ice conditions every winter. Scotland is home to the international governing body for curling,
10502-678: 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, albeit without brooms; Scotland and the Low Countries had strong trading and cultural links during this period, which is also evident in the history of golf . The word curling first appears in print in 1620 in Perth, Scotland , in
10620-405: The season at the 2023 Players' Championship and the 2023 Champions Cup , missing the playoffs at both. Back together for the 2023–24 season , Team Lawes had promising results to begin the season. In October, they had two straight semifinal finishes at the 2023 PointsBet Invitational and the 2023 Players Open , losing out to Kerri Einarson and Anna Hasselborg respectively. At the first Slam of
10738-492: The season well, winning the Good Times Bonspiel on the World Curling Tour . Entering the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials , they were ranked fourth. The team lost their first two games in the triple knockout event before winning three straight sudden death matches to qualify for the playoffs. They faced Val Sweeting in the playoff game to advance to the qualifier, which they lost, ending their chances of reaching
10856-487: The season, the 2023 Tour Challenge , the team began with two straight losses before rallying together four straight victories to reach their first Grand Slam final as a unit. There, they lost 7–4 to Team Jones. They would miss the playoffs at the other four Slams that season, however. In November, they made the semifinals at the Red Deer Curling Classic where they fell 5–3 to Team Homan. They followed this up with
10974-422: The seating area (to monitor humidity) and in the compressor room (to monitor brine supply and return temperatures). The surface of the ice is maintained at a temperature of around 23 °F (−5 °C). A key part of the preparation of the playing surface is the spraying of water droplets onto the ice, which form pebble on freezing. The pebbled ice surface resembles an orange peel, and the stone moves on top of
11092-540: The semifinal before losing 5–3 to Anna Hasselborg in the final. They were able to pick up their first tour victory at the Mother Club Fall Curling Classic , winning 6–2 in the final over Sarah Anderson . At the 2022 PointsBet Invitational , Team Lawes lost in the semifinal to Team Scheidegger. In the first Slam of the season, the 2022 National , the team advanced to the semifinals where they were stopped by Silvana Tirinzoni 7–5. They also qualified for
11210-496: The sheet and sweep the ice in front of the stone. "Sweeping a rock" decreases the friction, which makes the stone travel a straighter path (with less curl) and a longer distance. A great deal of strategy and teamwork go into choosing the ideal path and placement of a stone for each situation, and the skills of the curlers determine the degree to which the stone will achieve the desired result. Evidence that curling existed in Scotland in
11328-609: The silver medal position. On the tour, the team would win the 2014 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic , the Canad Inns Women's Classic and the Karuizawa International Curling Championship . By virtue of winning the 2015 Scotties, the Jones rink would represent Team Canada at the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts , where they would win a bronze medal. On the Tour that season, the team would only win
11446-433: The sole are also available as alternatives to Teflon. Most shoes have a full-sole sliding surface, but some shoes have a sliding surface covering only the outline of the shoe and other enhancements with the full-sole slider. Some shoes have small disc sliders covering the front and heel portions or only the front portion of the foot, which allow more flexibility in the sliding foot for curlers playing with tuck deliveries. When
11564-499: The stone (see sweeping ) and is also often used as a balancing aid during delivery of the stone. Prior to the 1950s, most curling brooms were made of corn strands and were similar to household brooms of the day. In 1958, Fern Marchessault of Montreal inverted the corn straw in the centre of the broom. This style of corn broom was referred to as the Blackjack . Artificial brooms made from human-made fabrics rather than corn, such as
11682-443: The stone in contact with the ice is the running surface , a narrow, flat annulus or ring, 6.4 to 12.7 millimetres ( 1 ⁄ 4 to 1 ⁄ 2 in) wide and about 130 millimetres (5 in) in diameter; the sides of the stone bulge convex down to the ring, with the inside of the ring hollowed concave to clear the ice. This concave bottom was first proposed by J. S. Russell of Toronto, Ontario, Canada sometime after 1870, and
11800-457: The stone will travel. Balance may be assisted by a broom held in the free hand with the back of the broom down so that it slides. One older writer suggests the player keep "a basilisk glance" at the mark. There are two common types of delivery currently, the typical flat-foot delivery and the Manitoba tuck delivery where the curler slides on the front ball of their foot. When the player releases
11918-430: The stone's path. Sweeping is able to make the stone travel further and straighter by slightly melting the ice under the brooms, thus decreasing the friction as the stone travels across that part of the ice. The stones curl more as they slow down, so sweeping early in travel tends to increase distance as well as straighten the path, and sweeping after sideways motion is established can increase the sideways distance. One of
12036-413: The stone, a rotation (called the turn) is imparted by a slight clockwise or counter-clockwise twist of the handle from around the two or ten o'clock position to the twelve o'clock on release. A typical rate of turn is about 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 rotations before coming to a rest. The stone must be released before its front edge crosses the near hog line. In major tournaments, the " Eye on the Hog " sensor
12154-522: The surface prior to each game. The curling stone (also sometimes called a rock in North America) is made of granite and is specified by the World Curling Federation, which requires a weight between 19.96 and 17.24 kilograms (44 and 38 lb), a maximum circumference of 914 millimetres (36 in), and a minimum height of 114 millimetres ( 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 in). The only part of
12272-513: The team struggled, finishing with a 2–4 record. The team made the final at the Boost National , losing to Team Hasselborg, and the quarterfinals at the Canadian Open . The team made the final of the 2020 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts and lost to Team Einarson. By virtue of their CTRS ranking, the team had a second chance to qualify for the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts through
12390-427: The team to practice together. However two months after this decision, it was announced that Olson-Johns would remain on the team, and lead Jennifer Sadleir would be replaced by Shannon Aleksic , following off-ice issues. The team failed to reach the provincial championship, losing out in the last chance event. Despite this, they stuck together for the 2013–14 season , in hopes of reaching the Olympic games. They began
12508-463: The team won the 2018 Canada Cup with an 8–5 victory over Kerri Einarson . The team also won the 2019 TSN All-Star Curling Skins Game , defeating Tracy Fleury to win $ 51,000. The team represented Team Canada at the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts , missing playoffs with a 6–5 record. The team of Jones, Lawes, Shannon Birchard, and Officer was chosen to represent Team Canada at the Grand Final of
12626-456: The thrower. Other types of equipment include: The purpose of a game is to score points by getting stones closer to the house centre, or the "button", than the other team's stones. Players from either team alternate in taking shots from the far side of the sheet. An end is complete when all eight rocks from each team have been delivered, a total of sixteen stones. If the teams are tied at the end of regulation, often extra ends are played to break
12744-479: The tie. The winner is the team with the highest score after all ends have been completed (see Scoring below). A game may be conceded if winning the game is infeasible. International competitive games are generally ten ends, so most of the national championships that send a representative to the World Championships or Olympics also play ten ends. However, there is a movement on the World Curling Tour to make
12862-458: The time was played outdoors, were retroactively awarded for the 1924 Winter Games, with the gold medal won by Great Britain, two silver medals by Sweden, and the bronze by France. A demonstration tournament was also held during the 1932 Winter Olympic Games between four teams from Canada and four from the United States, with Canada winning 12 games to 4. Since the sport's official addition in
12980-404: The wild card play-in game, where they defeated Team Fleury to become Team Wild Card. At the Scotties, they finished the round robin and championship pool with a 9–2 record as the second seed in playoffs, but lost to Kerri Einarson (Team Manitoba) in the 1 vs. 2 playoff game and to Rachel Homan (Team Ontario) in the semifinal to finish in third place. It would be their last event of the season as both
13098-517: Was a winner of the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and has had two runner-up results at the Scotties in 2011 and 2013 . Lawes is a two-time Canadian junior champion (2008, 2009) and went on to win a silver and bronze medal each at the World Junior Curling Championships . In 2019, Lawes was named the seventh greatest Canadian curler in history in a TSN poll of broadcasters, reporters and top curlers. Lawes began curling at
13216-584: Was announced that Team Jennifer Jones had dropped third Cathy Overton-Clapham , and had replaced her with Lawes, in time for the 2010–11 curling season. The team found immediate success in their first season together, winning two slams (the 2010 Sobeys Slam and the 2011 Players' Championship ), as well as the Sun Life Classic , the Karuizawa International Curling Championship and the Victoria Curling Classic Invitational events on
13334-406: Was dubbed the broomgate controversy . The new brooms were temporarily banned by the World Curling Federation and Curling Canada for the 2015–2016 season. Since 2016, only one standardized brush head is approved by the World Curling Federation for competitive play. Curling shoes are similar to ordinary athletic shoes except for special soles; the slider shoe (usually known as a "slider")
13452-488: Was held for the first time in 2018 ). In February 2002, the International Olympic Committee retroactively decided that the curling competition from the 1924 Winter Olympics (originally called Semaine des Sports d'Hiver , or International Winter Sports Week) would be considered official Olympic events and no longer be considered demonstration events. Thus, the first Olympic medals in curling , which at
13570-692: Was limited to men and was known as the Scotch Cup , held in Falkirk and Edinburgh , Scotland , in 1959. The first world title was won by the Canadian team from Regina, Saskatchewan , skipped by Ernie Richardson . (The skip is the team member who calls the shots; see below.) Curling has been a medal sport in the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Olympics . It currently includes men's, women's, and mixed doubles tournaments (the mixed doubles event
13688-508: Was often played on frozen rivers although purpose-built ponds were later created in many Scottish towns. For example, the Scottish poet David Gray describes whisky-drinking curlers on the Luggie Water at Kirkintilloch . In Darvel , East Ayrshire , the weavers relaxed by playing curling matches using the heavy stone weights from the looms' warp beams , fitted with a detachable handle for
13806-414: Was recognized that using shots which take more time for the stones to come to rest was being penalized in terms of the time the teams had available compared to teams which primarily use hits which require far less time per shot. The process of sliding a stone down the sheet is known as the delivery or throw . Players, with the exception of the skip, take turns throwing and sweeping; when one player (e.g.,
13924-633: Was subsequently adopted by Scottish stone manufacturer Andrew Kay. The granite for the stones comes from two sources: Ailsa Craig , an island off the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, and the Trefor Granite Quarry, North of the Llŷn Peninsula , Gwynedd in Wales . These locations provide four variations in colour known as Ailsa Craig Common Green , Ailsa Craig Blue Hone , Blue Trefor and Red Trefor . Blue Hone has very low water absorption, which prevents
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