USA Curling

Curling is really difficult since your shots involve a bunch of variables a) the call which involves where the guy at the other end holds the broom or aiming point. If the call is wrong you don't make the shot since it over/undercurls and you just miss. b) your release (either inturn or outturn on the handle) so whether or not you release it at the target or tight (inside) or wide/fat (outside) also a key determining factor. c) the sweeping (curling ice is "pebbled" with hot water when it is cleaned (this is kind of like a guy spreading a light rain on the ice and it creates the surface on which rocks can be swept and also why there is a slight roaring sound from the rock running surface)...when you sweep a rock it microscopically heats the pebble which limits the curl on the rock (making it slide straighter) but also makes the rock slide further. d) your sweepers judging the weight you threw. You notice these guys all time or clock the shots meaning they use stop watches to understand how hard the shooter pushes out (usually back line or t-line to hog line) so they know +/- if the guy is hot or slow or if they need to sweep a lot or not. Problem is, if the shooter chokes the rock or pulls back/adds a bit of push then it screws your clock time. This can be a big problem. e) the ice changes a lot depending on the humidity or conditions within the venue (i.e., there is more or less "curl" in it. The amount of curl (say 3 feet from the aiming point where the 3rd is holding the broom) might be more or less as the game progresses and skips need to call this f) the "fudge" factor: this is difficult to capture but Shuster ate one on this issue when his sweepers did not account that his was the only game on the ice. The ice can become frosty when there is only one team left on the ice (i.e., in extra ends) and this makes it begin to "fudge" as the frost creeps onto the ice and makes rocks glide less easily. Practically, when you stop sweeping a rock it slows down quicker. On one occasion this happened to Shuster when his 3rd making the line call put the sweepers off the rock and it basically died just a bit short of the target. There is a bit more to it, such as the impact of 5 or 6 thousand yelling Canadians (though at our national events there is never yelling at delivery...the Olympic crowds are not educated curling fans per se) and pressure of the moment. To my mind, Shuster choked two shots but his sweepers and third owe him the other two. At the elite level you should always be able to hit full 8 foot (the white rings) but it takes the coordinated effort of 4 guys and not just one. Hope this helps; if you're near a club give it a shot.