Evening star., 1902-01-04

tick higher than the shoulder. The puck
iay be stopped by the skate or any part
4 the body, and in this work the goal
enders become especially expert. The match
determined by the number OF goals won
or lost In the allotted time.
Basket ball has become one of the most
times. 1t differs essentially in it's history
from ice hockey. skating, curling and the
like, In that 1t Is of far more recent origin;
in fact, has been built up principally to an
swer the requirements of some kind of
active competitive sport for gymnasium
floors. Thanks more particularly to the
various Y. NJ. c. A. organizations through
out the country, this game, at first a very
modest beginning, has been extended until
now there is hardly a gymnasium of proper
size which is not devoted during consider
able portion of the winter to basket ball.
The game may be played on any level
space, but convenient size is 50xI5 feet
The goals are baskets eighteen inches in
diameter, set one at each end of the space,
ten feet from the ground or floor The ball
Is thrty-one inches in circumference and
weighs just under twenty ounces. As rule,
five men play side, and the duration of
play is usually two twentyminute halves,
with ten-minute intermfssfon. To score,
the ball must be thrown into the opponents
basket Play is started by throwing the
ball in the air in the center of the field, and
! when it goes out of bounds it is brought
back and thrown in by the player who first
touches it. player may not carry, kick
or hold the ball, or tackle, hold or push an
opponent. Nor may he indulge in any such
roughness as striking, kicking or butting
an opponent. Fouls are punishable by Civ
ing the opposing team throw for the bas
ket from fifteen feet without Interference.
A goal made in the progress of play counts
two points, and a goal from a foul one
point.
Game of Curling.
Another most interesting, but not nearly
as well understood or as generally prac-
ticed, winter sport is that of curling. The
origin of this game it is difficult to trace,
but some time in the thirties it had become
sufficiently important in Scotland for the
organization of the Grand Caledonia Club.
Some five years later the term royal was
added to this name. Something over thirty
years thereafter came the beginning of the
building of rinks, and fn these rinks curriers'
and curling found an especial home. In
the late sixties curling first found footing
in the United States, but it has never grown
to be sport of greatly extended interest.
The game is played with stones, which
are slid along the ice on a diagram indi-
eating the score possibilities, 1t is COM
petitive, and it is also proper for a man
to knock another's stone out of the way
with his own. Each side has a director,
who instead Of being called a captain, is
called a skip. There is a great deal Of
generalship displayed especially in regard
Slid as to impart curve when necessary,
and no one who has not watched the game
has any idea of the amount of deXterity
often exhibited. The length of the dia-
gram Of curling rink is forty-two yards
and the tees are set thirty-eight yards
apart. In straight line with the tees,
and four yards distant from each other,
an eighteen-fnch circle, on the left-hand
side of said line looking in the direction to
be played, is drawn, with its edge just
touching the line. Within this circle the
player places his foot when playing his
stone A circle of seven feet radius is de-
scribed from each tee, and no stone counts
which passes this and beyond the line
drawn across the further edge of this seven
foot circle. Such stones are out of the
game and may be put off the ice. Further
divisions are technical. The game is played
either for a specified time or a certain
number of shots or heads A side is COM
posed of four players, each one having two
stones. The stones are circular, must not
exceed forty-four pounds or be less than
thirty-two pounds in weight, or of greater
circumference than thirty-six inches or of
less height than one-eighth of it's greatest
circumference. Iron blocks may be used
insteaI of stones, in which case they are
not to exceed seventy pounds in weight.
Measurements to the stones are taken from
the center Of the tee to the part of the
stone which is nearest that tee. The rules
are far too Scotch and elaborate to be
proper in the limits of this article, but
there is this to be said for the sport that
nowhere, save possibly in golf, may devo-
tees of such varying, ages be found, and
that in the present day is a high recon-
mendation for any sport.
All the Rest.
Among other competitive winter sports
are roller polo, water polo, court tennis,
racquets and fives while among the more
recreative line still leading to competition
are snow-shoeing in all forms, from that
Of the round shoe to the long ski and the
skeleton racing shoe, tobogganing from
Canadian to the American double-rpper ice
yachting and a host of others, the mere
mention Of which would fill column. Sure
Iy no American lacks the opportunity for
winter sport if he has the heart for 1t.
1, In Ilzr tI.<z