Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-14
CURLING SEASON BEGUN.

Sport. of Scotland Like an EXagger-
ated Gamenof ShuiilebOard.
From the New York World.
Curling is likely to remain a distinctive
Scottish sport. Although the Grand Ma
tional Curling Club of America was organ
lied as long ago as 1861 and has never
ceased in its endeayor to promote the IN
terests OF the game, The popular fancy has
never been caught. and Scotias bonny sons
have a monopoly of skimring forty pound
stones over the CLASSY surface of ice ponds,
just Irishmen have a monopoly Of the
kilkenny-cat pr slime known as Gaelic
foot ball. One has not action enough; the
other a superiority.
Briefly described, curling may be likened
to an exaggerated game. of Switchboard
Kinks forty-t,To yards in length are laid
out upon the ice. At each end is a seven
foot circle, in which are smaller rings
Each team has four players. In each round
the players are permitted to send two curl
ing stones, the objective point being the
seven-foot circle at the other end. OF
course, only one of the ends is in play at a
time. One player skins stone down to
the seven-foot circle at the other end: then
one of his opponents has shy; then the
first players partner has chance, and so
on they alternate. After all the stones
have been propelled to the other end the
points are counted. The side having placed
their stones to the best advantage in the
seven-foot circle receives rs relative points,
and then the men at the other end of the
rink have their turn. And so it goes on for
hours.
The contests are apt to be mono.onous
to spectator, unless he has Scotch blood
in his veins and understands the game
thoroughly. Expert curriers' attain Won
derful skill at the pastime. The control Of
the heavy stones is really remarkable. Say
that A leads off with a skim which places
his stone in the very center of the smaller
ring in the seven-foot circle. 1t will be BIS
play not only to knock this stone of AS
from its advantageous position, but to con-
troll the momentum of his own stone that
it will not carom out of the circle. When
players secure good positions in the circle
the ooject is to then place stones so as to
protect this winner To get around these
guards players combine the skill Of a base
ball pitcher curving ball with the expert
ness of billiard player, making delicate
carom for position. When it is considered
that these stones average about forty
pounds each, and are sent a distance of
thirty-eight yards, the skill and strength
required are plain.
One of the most important adjuncts of
the game is sweeper. This is man with
a broom, who watches the progress Of his
must judge at once il it requires his as
sistance. If he sees that it does. he carries
the stone along, as it were. That is, he
keeps ahead of the stone, sweeping the ice
quickly and facilitating the travelling. 1t
looks to be the least expert branch Of the
game, but is one which requires quick per-
ception. A bungling sweeper may lose
Kinks by Understanding the velocity Of
the stone, and by his sweeping carry 1t be-
yond the desired point and out of the big
circle. On the other hand. he may think
that the stone does not require much as
sistance, and see his mistake only when it
loses Roadway and stops very much short
of it's goal. s.;1 -.