102-548: Tabitha Skelly Peterson (born March 6, 1989) is an American curler from Minneapolis, Minnesota . She was a bronze medalist at the 2010 World Junior Championships and is a three-time women's national champion. She currently is skip of her own team, having traded positions with Nina Roth during the 2020 off-season. As a junior, Peterson was a four-time state champion curler and won U.S. national junior championships in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, Peterson played third on her junior rink, skipped by Alexandra Carlson . After winning
204-454: A 5–4 round robin record. This put them in a tiebreaker, which they won. In the 3 vs. 4 game, they were not as successful, losing to Jamie Sinclair and Rich Ruohonen . Following the 2021–22 season, Nina Roth retired from competitive curling and the team added Cory Thiesse (née Christensen) as their new third. After a semifinal finish at the US Open of Curling, the team missed the playoffs at both
306-458: A 5–4 round robin record. This put them in a tiebreaker, which they won. In the 3 vs. 4 game, they were not as successful, losing to Jamie Sinclair and Rich Ruohonen . The Peterson rink won their first two events of the 2021–22 season , the US Open of Curling and the 2021 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic . The following week, they played in the 2021 Masters where they made it as far as
408-647: A bronze medal at the 2013 United States Women's Curling Championship . The team found more success in the 2013–14 season. They won one World Curling Tour (WCT) event over the season, the 2013 Kamloops Crown of Curling . Their success on the World Curling Tour gave them enough points to qualify for the 2014 Ford World Women's Curling Championship , following new rules made by the United States Curling Association , which based World Championship qualifying on Order of Merit points rather than winning
510-444: 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 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
612-407: A drug test. Team Norway, who had finished fourth, was then awarded the bronze medal. In doubles curling each two-person team plays with six stones, one of which is positioned in play before the start of the end . One stone is placed on the center line in the 4-foot circle of the house such that the back edge of the stone is aligned with the back edge of the circle. The other positioned stone
714-423: 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
816-568: 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 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,
918-411: 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
1020-422: A quarterfinal appearance at the 2023 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic . For the 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championships , the team changed their lineup with Tara Peterson and Becca Hamilton switching positions to second and lead on the team respectively. The move worked as they finished 6–1 through the round robin. After a semifinal loss to Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa , Team Peterson bounced back to claim
1122-577: A record of 3–4. Just a month before competing at the Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials, Peterson and her women's team defeated Jamie Sinclair's team in a best-of-three final at the 2017 United States Olympic Curling Trials to earn the right to represent the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics . At the Olympics, Team Roth finished with a 4–5 record, missing the playoffs. Due to competing at
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#17329056206311224-436: A specific format of 4-person team curling where the team consists of two men and two women and the throwing order alternates genders, see mixed team . With its smaller teams and quicker games, doubles curling has provided an opportunity for more countries to participate in international competition. At the 2019 World Mixed Doubles Championship 48 of the 61 World Curling Federation member countries were represented, including
1326-641: A spot at the 2020 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship and the 2021 United States mixed doubles curling Olympic trials . But about a month before the World Championship was supposed to begin the World Curling Federation announced its cancellation due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The following year the United States Curling Association announced that the 2021 US Mixed Doubles Championship would be postponed until after
1428-456: A spot at the final Grand Slam of the season, the Champions Cup , which was also cancelled due to the pandemic. Their qualification will instead carry over to the 2021 Champions Cup . At the 2020 US Mixed Doubles Championship , Peterson and Polo again faced Christensen and Shuster, but this time in the final, and they won 7–4. This was their first mixed doubles national title and earned them
1530-401: 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
1632-434: Is 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,
1734-416: 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
1836-423: 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
1938-439: 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
2040-435: 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
2142-400: Is fellow curler Tara Peterson . Curling Curling 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
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#17329056206312244-579: Is home to the international governing body for curling, 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
2346-571: Is most firmly established in Canada , having been taken there by Scottish emigrants . The Royal Montreal Curling Club , 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
2448-407: 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
2550-437: Is placed on the center line as a guard in front of the house. The exact placement of this positioned guard is chosen from six possible locations and must be agreed upon by the teams before the game. The six possible locations are immediately in front of and behind three points along the center line, the midpoint between the hog line and the front of the house and 3 feet in front of and behind that midpoint. The teams decide on
2652-560: Is played all over Europe and has spread to Brazil, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Korea. The first world championship for curling 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
2754-407: 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
2856-461: The 2012 United States Women's Curling Championship . This sent the Pottinger team to the 2012 Ford World Women's Curling Championship to represent the U.S. The team finished the round robin at the 2012 Worlds in a tie with Canada's Heather Nedohin for fourth place and a 7–4 record. However, Canada beat the team in the tie-breaker, forcing the U.S. to settle for 5th. The following season, the team won
2958-426: The 2021 World Mixed Doubles due to the pandemic, and so as 2020 national champions Peterson and Polo were invited to represent the United States at the 2021 Worlds. During the 2020 off-season, the team announced that Peterson would remain as skip when Roth returned from maternity leave. Roth re-joined the team as vice-skip at third, with Hamilton moving to second, Tara Peterson to lead, and Geving to alternate. Due to
3060-480: The 2021 World Women's Championship , in which they earned a spot as 2020 National Champions after the 2021 National Championship was moved to later in the spring due to the pandemic. They finished the 13 game round-robin in fifth place with a 7–6 record, earning them a spot in the playoffs and securing a 2022 Olympic berth for the United States. In the playoffs, Team Peterson defeated Denmark's Madeline Dupont but lost to Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni to end up in
3162-512: The 2022 Masters , the team made it to the semifinals before losing to the Einarson rink. The following week, they won the Curl Mesabi Classic. In the new year, the team went undefeated to claim the 2023 United States Women's Curling Championship , defeating Delaney Strouse 8–5 in the final. This qualified them for the 2023 World Women's Curling Championship where they finished just outside
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3264-521: The 2022 National and the 2022 Tour Challenge Slam events. They represented the United States at the 2022 Pan Continental Curling Championships where they finished first in the round robin with a 7–1 record. They then lost to South Korea and Canada in the semifinal and bronze medal game respectively, finishing fourth. In their next event, Team Peterson reached the semifinals of the Red Deer Curling Classic where they lost to Rachel Homan . At
3366-511: 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 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
3468-460: The Molson Cash Spiel that year, a WCT event. At the 2017 National Championship , they earned a silver medal when they lost to their former teammate Jamie Sinclair in the final. Peterson's team represented the United States at the 2017 Americas Challenge , where they beat Brazil to qualify the U.S. for the 2017 World Championship . Due to the United States Curling Association's point system at
3570-570: 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
3672-417: The first Olympic medals in curling , which at 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
3774-416: The house , a circular target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones, with each player throwing two. The purpose 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
3876-496: 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
3978-418: 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
4080-469: 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
4182-490: The 2014 Twin Cities Open. At the 2016 National Championship , Peterson played third for skip Jamie Sinclair . The team finished the round robin with a 5–1 record but lost in the page playoff 3v4 game to Cory Christensen 's team. The US Champion team, skipped by Erika Brown , added Peterson as alternate for the 2016 World Championships, where the team finished 6th. Also in 2016 Peterson joined with Joe Polo to compete at
Tabitha Peterson - Misplaced Pages Continue
4284-658: The COVID-19 pandemic, the Peterson team did not compete in events for most of the 2020–21 season until entering a bio-secure bubble held in Calgary, Alberta in the spring of 2021 for three events in a row. The first two events were the Champions Cup and Players' Championship grand slams, with Peterson missing the playoffs at both. The third event in the Calgary bubble for Team Peterson was
4386-471: 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
4488-573: The Olympics, Team Roth opted not to compete in the 2018 US National Championships . In 2019 Peterson returned to both the United States Women's Championship and Mixed Doubles Championship . In a repeat of the 2017 National Championship final, Peterson's women's team of Nina Roth, Becca Hamilton, and sister Tara Peterson lost to Jamie Sinclair in the final. At the Mixed Doubles Championship, Peterson and Polo went undefeated through
4590-540: The Olympics, the Curl Mesabi Classic , which they won, beating Christensen again in the final. At the Olympics, Peterson led the United States to a 4–5 record, missing the playoffs. The team finished off the season by playing in two Slams, the 2022 Players' Championship and the 2022 Champions Cup , missing the playoffs in both events. In mixed doubles that season, she and Joe Polo played in the 2021 United States mixed doubles curling Olympic trials , where they posted
4692-479: The Olympics, the Curl Mesabi Classic , which they won, beating Christensen again in the final. At the Olympics, Peterson led the United States to a 4–5 record, missing the playoffs. The team finished off the season by playing in two Slams, the 2022 Players' Championship and the 2022 Champions Cup , missing the playoffs in both events. In mixed doubles that season, she and Joe Polo played in the 2021 United States mixed doubles curling Olympic trials , where they posted
4794-414: The U.S. Championship. At World's Team Pottinger finished sixth, with a record of 6–5. As for the U.S. Championship that season, the team ended up losing in the final to Nina Spatola (now Nina Roth). For the 2014–15 season, Peterson joined Nina Roth as lead. Team Roth finished fifth at the 2015 National Championship just outside of the playoffs. Peterson claimed another World Curling Tour event win at
4896-559: The U.S. junior title, the team would represent the United States at the 2009 World Junior Curling Championships . The team finished the round robin with a 4–5 record, finishing 5th. In 2010, the Carlson rink won another U.S. junior title, sending the team to the 2010 World Junior Curling Championships . At the 2010 World Juniors, the team finished the round robin in a tie for third place with a 6–3 record. The team won their first playoff match against Switzerland's Manuela Siegrist before losing in
4998-594: The United States Mixed Doubles World Trials. They finished with an impressive 9–1 record, earning them a spot at the 2016 World Mixed Doubles Championship in Karlstad, Sweden . Peterson and Polo finished the round robin group play undefeated, losing to Team Russia in the semifinals. In the bronze medal match, they defeated Team Scotland 9–7. For the 2016–17 season, Peterson was back playing with Roth's women's team, this time as third. Team Roth won
5100-676: 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
5202-467: 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
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#17329056206315304-444: 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
5406-408: 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
5508-468: The bronze medal game. There, Peterson faced off against Sweden's Anna Hasselborg and won with a score of 9–5, including scoring five points in the seventh end. Team Peterson's bronze medal finish was the first World Women's medal for the United States in 15 years, and the first-ever bronze medal. Right after the World Championship, Peterson traveled to Aberdeen , Scotland to compete in the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship with Joe Polo. There,
5610-402: The bronze medal, stealing in an extra end to defeat Canada's Kerri Einarson . In Grand Slam play, they only qualified in one of the four events they played in, the 2023 Masters , losing in the quarterfinals to Silvana Tirinzoni . At the 2024 United States Women's Curling Championship , the Peterson rink lost their first game to Sarah Anderson before running the table the rest of the event. In
5712-421: 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
5814-402: 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
5916-453: 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
6018-469: The events for inclusion into the 2010 Winter Olympics , but an attempt to include the mixed doubles in the following winter Olympiad succeeded, making its Olympic debut at the 2018 Winter Olympics . John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won the first mixed doubles gold medal for Canada, defeating Switzerland in the final. The Olympic Athletes from Russia won the bronze medal match only to have their medal stripped from them after Alexander Krushelnitsky failed
6120-585: 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
6222-440: 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
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#17329056206316324-479: The final, they doubled up on Team Anderson 10–5 to defend their title as national champions and qualify for the 2024 World Women's Curling Championship . At Worlds, the team struggled to find consistency, ultimately finishing 6–6 and failing to reach the playoffs for a second year in a row. Peterson studied at the Minnesota College of Pharmacy. She is married and is currently employed as a pharmacist. Her sister
6426-462: The first international curling competition for Kosovo, Ukraine, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. The idea was developed by Curling Canada 's Warren Hansen in 2001 to be one of four discipline variations for the inaugural Continental Cup of Curling . The first World Mixed Doubles Championship took place in 2008. Since its inception, Switzerland has won six of its first ten titles. Russia and Hungary have won their first world curling titles in
6528-413: 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
6630-505: 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
6732-442: 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,
6834-399: The guard location based on ice conditions, such as the amount of curl expected, and the same location must be used the entire game. The team that did not score in the previous end decides which team's stone is placed in the house and which team's stone is placed as a guard. The team whose positioned stone is the guard throws the first stone that end. If there was no score the previous end then
6936-451: The heavy stone weights from the looms' warp beams , fitted with a detachable handle for 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
7038-479: 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 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
7140-618: The mixed doubles championship, and New Zealand, France, Austria, and the Czech Republic have won their first world curling medals. In 2002, Olympic scholar Bob Barney advocated for mixed doubles curling to be added to the Winter Olympics. He argued that it was a sport without any "gender factor", and high television ratings; and noted that equestrian events at the Summer Olympics was the only Olympic sport allowing males and females to compete against each other. The IOC did not approve
7242-423: The other player must throw the three in between. Unlike traditional curling the throwing order may change between ends. The player that is not delivering the stone may act as a sweeper or as skip at the far end. The player throwing the stone often gets up after releasing the stone to sweep. No stone, including those in the house, can be removed from play prior to the delivery of the fourth stone of an end. If there
7344-410: The other stone, but traveling too far, or hitting the stone. Doubles curling Doubles curling (most commonly seen as mixed doubles ) is a variation of the sport of curling with only two players on each team. Mixed doubles is the most common format of doubles curling, where the term 'mixed' specifies that each team is composed of one man and one woman. The term mixed is also used to describe
7446-432: The pair finished the round robin with a 5–4 record. This put them in a qualification game against Czech Republic for the seventh direct spot at the 2022 Winter Olympics , which they lost 8–6. The Peterson rink won their first two events of the 2021–22 season , the US Open of Curling and the 2021 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic . The following week, they played in the 2021 Masters where they made it as far as
7548-462: 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
7650-416: The playoffs with a 6–6 record. The team ended their season at the 2023 Players' Championship and the 2023 Champions Cup Grand Slam events where they reached the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. Team Peterson won their second event of the 2023–24 season , losing just one game en route to claiming the US Open of Curling. They also had a semifinal finish at the 2023 Stu Sells Oakville Tankard and
7752-417: The positioned stones to be moved to the side of the sheet (which side is at the discretion of the team using the power play) with the back edge of the stone in the house positioned on the tee line where the 8-foot and 12-foot circles meet and the guard correspondingly moved to the side of the guard zone. Of the five stones each team delivers during an end, one player throws the first and last stone while
7854-477: The quarterfinals. The team then played in the 2021 United States Olympic Curling Trials , where they attempted to return to the Olympics. The team posted a 9–1 record through the round robin, putting them into the best-of-three final against Cory Christensen . The Peterson rink beat Christensen in two-straight games, booking their tickets to the 2022 Winter Olympics . After the Trials, the team played in one event before
7956-428: The quarterfinals. The team then played in the 2021 United States Olympic Curling Trials , where they attempted to return to the Olympics. The team posted a 9–1 record through the round robin, putting them into the best-of-three final against Cory Christensen . The Peterson rink beat Christensen in two-straight games, booking their tickets to the 2022 Winter Olympics . After the Trials, the team played in one event before
8058-420: The round robin section of the tournament but ultimately lost in the semifinal to eventual champions Cory Christensen and John Shuster . Peterson skipped Team Roth during the 2019–20 season as Nina Roth was on maternity leave. They had a semifinal finish at the 2019 Tour Challenge Grand Slam event. At the 2020 United States Women's Championship , Peterson earned her second national title and first as skip. In
8160-514: The round robin, Team Peterson's only loss came against Jamie Sinclair, but they then beat Team Sinclair in the 1 vs. 2 page playoff game and again in the final. As United States Champions Team Peterson would have represented the United States at the 2020 World Women's Curling Championship , but they lost that opportunity when the Championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . They also earned
8262-422: 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
8364-542: The semi-final to Sweden's Anna Hasselborg . That demoted the team to the bronze medal game, where they defeated Switzerland again to finish third overall. After her junior career ended in 2010, Peterson joined the Allison Pottinger rink at lead position. In their first year together, the team lost in the final of the 2011 United States Women's Curling Championship to Patti Lank . The following season, they avenged this loss by beating Cassandra Johnson 's rink to win
8466-717: 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 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,
8568-433: 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
8670-438: 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 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
8772-502: The sport's official addition in 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
8874-499: 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
8976-443: 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
9078-457: 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
9180-430: 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
9282-413: 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
9384-522: 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
9486-447: The team that threw the first stone gets to decide which team's stone goes where; this means that unlike traditional team curling the team with the hammer does not usually get to keep it if the end is blanked . The team that has the decision on the placement of the positioned stones also has the option to use their power play. Each team may use the power play only once per game and it cannot be during an extra end . The power play allows
9588-551: The thrower had little control over the 'curl' or velocity and relied more on luck than on precision, skill, and strategy. The sport 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
9690-456: 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
9792-539: 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
9894-552: The time, they also got to compete at the 2017 World's despite not being the National Champions. At World's Peterson and Team USA finished fifth with a record of 6–5. At the 2017 US Mixed Doubles Championship , Peterson and teammate Joe Polo earned the silver medal losing to the brother and sister duo of Matt and Becca Hamilton in the final. Later in 2017, Peterson and Polo competed at the first United States Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials , where they finished tied for fifth with
9996-562: 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 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 ,
10098-732: 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 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
10200-406: 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")
10302-414: 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.,
10404-633: 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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