Who invented curling? Key moments of the game

Curling is a game that is played on ice. As a rule, it involves two teams. The goal is to knock out the opponent's stones from the "home" (target), filling it with his own. But not many people know the answer to the question of who invented curling. Let's understand, because this sport is becoming more popular in Russia and CIS countries. And if 15-20 years ago few people heard about it, now many people watch the competitions of teams on television with enthusiasm.

From the history of curling

Five hundred years ago, the Scots loved to free themselves from stones on the ice during free time from military campaigns. In a game like curling, the story of the occurrence is quite simple. In the far 15th century, Scotland issued a decree prohibiting golf. And all because the given kind of sports very often caused disputes and brawls among citizens of the country. By the way, not only golf, but a number of other games were subjected to such persecution. Curling did not enter this black list, which gave an additional impetus to the development of the game. Now everyone knows about where curling was invented.

Note that in those days there were quite severe morals. The game was uncompromising - for cheating they were deprived of life. Already in the 16th century, a society of players in curling was created in Scotland.

Title History

About that person who came up with "curling" as the title to the game, is still unknown. There are two versions of the occurrence of this word. According to the first, the name of this sport was received on a complex structure of curls, which leaves the stone on ice. However, most scientists tend to believe that the word comes from the Scottish verb "curr", which means "roar". A similar sound occurs when stones strike against each other.

In some regions of Scotland curling is still sometimes called "playing roaring stones." In those days there was no bet on the skills of players, often everything was decided by the luck that accompanied this or that team. It was an amateur sport, which was absolutely everything. Now you have an idea of who invented curling, how the name of this sport arose.

About the history of game development

The second country in which the curling was popularized was Holland. Despite this, a single set of rules and standards for the game was developed by the British. In 1738 the first club was opened. And already in 1775 the British began to make inventory from the Welsh stone, attaching metal handles to it. As for the single standard of stones, it appeared in 1838. This is the history of curling.

Further, it was popularized in other countries of the world. Some Englishmen and Scots were moving to find a better life in faraway Canada. Now in this country more than a million people are engaged in curling. There are even special TV channels that broadcast exclusively matches for this sport. However, not only in Canada people appreciated this game. In many European countries, the popularization of curling began in the 19th century. Currently, there are 46 federations of players in the world. Actually, when a detailed answer to the question of who invented curling was obtained, it is necessary to understand the intricacies of the game.

rules

In fact, for curling, you do not need a lot of equipment. Specifically, you will need 2 teams of four people, sixteen stones, synthetic brushes or pig bristles, which are called brooms in common people. Also, special shoes with Teflon coating on the sole are needed. The game can last eight or ten periods, which are called endov. Players take turns to start the stones. Each team seeks to hit the target ("home"). In this case, it is necessary to remove the stones of competitors from it. Both teams consist of four people. Each of them performs a certain function.

Role of players

Skip is the most important person in the team. From his actions depends on the game as a whole. He is considered the brain of his group, its tactics and strategy in one person. He must be in the "house" and lead the actions of the whole team. Skip indicates where the stone is best placed. The goal of the game is to drive as many of your stones into the "house" as possible, removing the opponent's stones from there.

All other team members are called sweepers. For the game "curling" these people are just necessary. They take turns to fire two projectiles toward the target, while free sweepers rub the ice, trying to place the stones in the "house" as accurately as possible. The question of why to rub an already slippery surface is pertinent. In fact, it is not so slippery. On it before the game special drops are applied (with the help of a watering can). Players brush them to erase them, changing the speed of movement of the stone, as well as its trajectory. The team that wins the most points in 10 ends wins. With equality in the account an extra-end is appointed, which identifies the winner.

Is it interesting to play curling?

Many believe that curling is uninteresting, that this is a passive game that does not require the application of any physical effort. In fact, this is not so. Sometimes teams spend on the site for 4-5 hours. At the same time, every member of the group rubs ice without stopping, screams, points at something. This requires tremendous effort. Players of professional teams claim that they do not in any way want to humiliate the opponent. Their main goal is victory. There is also another gentleman's rule in curling. The winning team treats the binge to the losers after each particular game. Although at the Olympic Games and other serious competitions this rule is rather an exception, since alcohol is contraindicated during sports competitions.

About curling in Russia

So, curling became more and more popular every year in different countries of the world. Many professionals travel around the world and transfer their experience to other players. In 1991, the International Curling Federation was renamed the World Curling Federation. This happened on the threshold of introducing curling on the list of Olympic disciplines.

In Russia, the first players in curling appeared long ago. It happened in the late 19th century. At that time, only foreigners were fond of this sport, which in our country was a lot, but during the Soviet Union the game never gained popularity in Russia. In our country, the Curling Federation was established only in 1991, while the first demonstration performances for this sport were held at the Olympic Games back in 1924. And only in 2006 it was considered to be demonstration performances of Russian players an official event.

Russian Curling Team

The Russian curling team, the photo of which you see above, demonstrates our beautiful ladies who, during such a short history of the game's existence in Russia, managed to achieve great success. Our girls have repeatedly become prizewinners of European and world championships. They managed to win bronze medals at the World Championships in Canada, which took place in 2013. Also, the Russian team has repeatedly won the continental championship. And it's worth it, because in Europe there is a huge number of really cool teams. At the Universiade our girls also regularly rise not a podium.

The history of curling in Russia, of course, is short, but it is marked by several bright victories and performances. In recent years, men have regularly participated in world and continental championships. Bright victories while the representatives of the stronger sex is not available, but you can hope that everything is still ahead.