Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of Curling For Dummies. Curling is a sport that’s played around the world, yet I’ve always found it surprising that there aren’t more instructional books to help out beginner curlers, as well as those more seasoned players who want to improve their game.

I’m not really sure why this is the case, because curling, like golf, lends itself really well to the printed page. Aside from getting the physical part of the sport under your belt, there’s a whole mental level you can explore, too. This is the analytical side of the game — the strategy behind why you throw a particular shot the way you do. Like chess, curling is a thinking person’s game. And although the fundamentals of the sport haven’t changed, other parts have. I’m talking about equipment, training, and competitions. The rules and strategic practices have also evolved. The game has grown up.

When I learned how to curl, the only instructional book available was by a guy named Ken Watson, called Ken Watson on Curling. That book was over 20 years old when I picked it up. It’s out of print now. Although a handful of other instructional books have been written over the years, as well as a couple of tribute books (one which I wrote, on the history of the Canadian men’s curling championship), an up-to-date book that just tells you how to play seemed like a good idea. And the first edition was the result.

And because that first edition proved so popular, hitting all the best-seller lists (well, among curling books anyway), the publishers asked me if I’d like to update Curling For Dummies. It seemed like a good idea because the sport has seen so many changes since the original book came out.

About This Book

I want this book to appeal to a wide variety of people. If you don’t know a thing about curling, this book shows you the basics. If you have played a few times, you can use this book to improve your game. If you’ve been a long-time curler at the club level, this book is a valuable refresher course. And if you’re a world champion, then you might want to pick this book up to see if I’ve mentioned your name (you think I don’t know all about you world-champion types?).

This book covers curling from start to finish — from stepping onto the ice for the first time to playing in major competitions. It’s not just about instruction, though. I include some background information and anecdotes about the game that will not only help you become a better player, but a true curling aficionado. Little-known facts about the origins of the sport, entertaining stories about some of the game’s greatest players on and off the ice, tips on how to get the most out of being a fan, what to do if you want to become a coach. It’s all here.

Why You Need This Book

If you are reading this book, you are probably interested in curling. That interest can take many forms. Maybe you’ve just been nominated to organize the annual end-of-season bonspiel at your club, and you want some fresh ideas. It could be that you’ve undergone another kind of nomination — into the after-work curling group at the office — and you have no idea where to begin. The first game is next week. Maybe your daughter went curling at a friend’s birthday party, and she hasn’t stopped bugging you about it since. Or then again, you may be starting to feel like your playing days are over, and you want to move behind the glass, into coaching. No matter what brings you to this book, you will find helpful information you can take away and use.

So who am I, and what makes me the right guy to tell you what to do (when it comes to curling)? You have a right to know.

I grew up in a curling family. Both my parents were good curlers who won significant championships over the years. My father almost made it to the world championships, and my sister was the Ontario University champion.

In the town where I grew up, the hockey rink was right next to the curling rink. On Saturday mornings, I’d play hockey and then walk over to the curling club (in all my equipment, except my skates), where I’d watch my father finish his regular game.

Although I didn’t play until I was 12 or 13 years old, when I was big enough to handle a curling rock, hockey was replaced. Curling was everywhere in our household. We would watch it whenever it was on television, talk about it over dinner, even play it using tennis balls on a narrow stretch of hall carpet.

I became a fairly good junior player and began to win more and more. I hooked up with some other top Juniors and we played every chance we could — weekend after weekend, practicing three times a week, living, eating, and breathing the game. Our goal was to make it to the Canadian championships, and we were on our way, having earned a spot in the Ontario final, along with seven other teams. Although we played well, as the round robin wore on, it became apparent that we weren’t going to win it. I can remember my father coming up to me, just as we were nearing the end of the competition, and saying that we could finish no worse than third. He was really proud of me, but I was mad and devastated. I had worked all year to win, to be the Ontario champion. Anything less was just not going to cut it.

But in some ways, that third-place finish at the Ontario finals spurred me on. I finished my time as a junior curler, and left home for the university, where I again hooked up with another great group of players. We embarked on the competitive circuit. We won numerous titles in our four years of school, including a provincial championship, beating the reigning world champion in the final game. That was, without a doubt, the highlight of my career as a player.

After graduating from university, I moved back home and found myself deep into the competitive circuit, where I had some more successes, but also a number of struggles. I won a few significant cash events, teamed up with former Canadian and world champions, and basically worked hard at the game. But it soon became apparent that for me, mixing a career with playing curling at a top level was impossible. The drive to play had begun to wane, but not my love of the sport.

So rather than getting out of curling completely, I just moved off the ice, covering it for a number of different publications, two of which are the Ontario Curling Report, where I am editor, and the Globe and Mail, where I’ve been the curling columnist for almost 20 years. I still play socially at the club I started out at, 30 years ago.

I’ve now played in or reported on games all over the world, watched 5-year-old kids curl for the first time, and seen world champions crowned. I’ve talked to winners past, present, and — presumably — future, about strategies and deliveries, sweeping and training, playing in big games and small. I’ve tried to wrap all that up in this book to give you a sense of what this great game is all about. Curling For Dummies is, among other things, a compilation of the 30 years I’ve been involved in this game.

Although I have a lot of great memories, both from playing and covering the game, what stands out are the many friendships I’ve made. It’s safe to say that more than a quarter of a century after I started playing the sport, my closest friends are still curlers, many of whom started playing as kids, as I did.

How to Use This Book

This book is easy to use. You don’t have to start at the beginning and read right through until the end. You can read it in any order, because each section deals with a specific aspect of the game. If you scan the table of contents and something catches your eye, just flip to that page and get going. You can always come back to the beginning again, if you want. If you are a beginner curler, however, I am going to part with tradition and suggest that you start reading at Chapter 1. You’ll thank me later.

I do my best to explain all the funny terminology used in curling by including explanations right in the text. If you come across a word or phrase you aren’t sure of, though, you can flip to the glossary at the back of the book.

How This Book Is Organized

Curling For Dummies is broken down into six parts. Each chapter within these parts covers an important area of the game, in most cases carrying through to the finer points. Each chapter has lots of cross-references to other chapters, so you can continue reading about something you find especially interesting. That’s another way to avoid reading the book from cover to cover.

Part 1: Getting Started

This part gives you some background on the sport, its history, and how it is played. I talk about the allure of the game and why people seem to fall in love with it. The game’s history is here and you should know it if you’re going to become a curling junkie. For instance, you need to know that Scotland invented the game and still lays claim to being its spiritual home, but that the game is played all over the world.

Part 2: Curling Fundamentals

This part gives you a handle on where you play, how you play, and what you need to play properly. Do you know what kind of broom you should use or what you wear on the bottom of your shoes to help you slide down the ice? The answers are in this part. So, too, are explanations of the...