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THE

CURLER'S

GUIDE

PRICE TEN CENTS.

TORONTO.

1880.

ftihliahed by J. S, Russell^ 30 Front Street East, and
' to be had of all HoohsellerH .

-J \,,' '••■

-Jl-F^EE^CE^J

The large and constantly increasing number of gen-
tlemen in Ontario, who are being attracted to take
part in the Ancient and Noble Game of Curling, and
the frequent inquiries made after directions how to
play the Game, furnish the reason why the Writer
of this Guide has made an effort towards supplying
the desideratum ; and he hopes that it will be found
useful, especially to those beginning to play, and in
this way contribute to the promotion of this manly
and invigorating recreation.

ToRONio, Nov. 1, 1880.

THE CURLERS' GUIDE.

If you'd be a curler keen,

Stand right, look even,

Sole well ; shoot straight, and sweep clean.

The Old Curler " Word.''

9SfHE first duties of an intending Curler, are to
^^ connect himself with a Curling Club, and to
equip himself with a pair of Curling Stones.

STONES.

Among the many varieties of rock which have been
used for Curling Stones, a very decided preference
must be given to the Ailsa Craig Granite ; it is not
surpassed by any variety in durability or in beauty,
and it far excels every other in " uniformity of mn-
ning " in widely differing degrees of temperature.

The Dark Gray or Black Granites, variously named
after the localities where found, while good to play

THE CURLERS GUIDE.

with when the atmosphere is cokl, and the ice is hard
and keen, are not fit to be used when tlie ice is soft
and **drug;" for the reason, that, being excellent
conductors, they quickly become of the same tempera-
ture as the atmosphere, and adhere so closely to the
ice, that they can be played only with the exercise of
great force ; and when played, and " at rest," are, from
their adhesion to the ice, and immobility, very apt to
break, or be broken, when struck by another stone ;
and, for these reasons, they are rapidly giving place to
the more desirable Ailsr, Craiffs.

Of these, there are three distinct varieties : viz.
the Common or Spotted ; the Blue or Gray Honed ;
and the Red Honed ; which differ from each other not
only in colour, but in specific gi-avity and hardness,
and to some extent in *• running character." The
'^ Spotted " is of the least specific gravity, and con-
sequently a given weight has a greater bulk than
either of the others ; and the Red Honed is the densest
and hardest.

Opinions vary in regard to the beauty of the several
kinds, and there is not much difference in their
playing qualities, when new ; the Honed are however
growing in favour, notwithstanding their higher price,
and for the following reasons, viz. — their heavier

THE CURLER\S GUIDE. 7

weight for a given size ; their greater hardness and
toughness, which rendeis them less liable to be broken,
or to have the projecting *' striking band " so quickly
worn down, by the continual impact with other stones?
or to have the sharp edge of the " dull " side worn off,
80 quickly, in the course of playing. It is also gene-
rally admitted, that the "Reds" are more easily played
** up," than either of the others, when the i ^ is soft ;
but, with any of the three kinds, a good ^urler can
can make fine play.

WEIGHT.

The rules of the game limit the size to 30 inches in
circumference, and the weight to 501t)s ; and provide
for the general shape, that the height shall not be less
than one-eighth of the circumference ; and, as a result
of these regulations, the stones in use range from 36 to
48 lbs ; the favourite weights, for men of ordinarv
strength, being from 39 to ^l lbs. A good guide to go
by in selecting the proper weight of Curling Stones, is
to bear in mind that it be such as the player may, with
reasonable ease, continue to play, full up to the Tee, for
four hours, even when the ice may be a little soft, or
" drug."

THE CURLER .S GUIDE.

BUILD.

While the rules of the game, already referred to,
provide for the general shape, there ia large room left
fc»' diversity in what may be called the *' build " of the
stone : some appearing '* flat " and " broad," and others
" high " and " dumpy " ; both extremes are to be avoid-
ed, as they interfere with the proper delivery of the
stone, making it difficult and uncertain. A 401b stone
with a circumference of about 35 J inches, and a height
of about 5| inches, will be considered by most curlers
a good build : other weights in proportion.

A build rather inclining, when new, to excess in
breadth, is to be preferred to one " rather high," as
the constant striking and jarring against other stones
tends to reduce the excess of breadth, and soon makes
the " high " stone dumpy.

PATTERNS.

All curling stones are now made reversible, havin»
two sides or soles, called respectively the keen and the
dull, the latter being that generally used in playing •
the former being used only when, from softness of the
ice, or from falling snow, it becomes too laborious a
task, to play with the " dull " side, up to the Tee.

THE CURLERS GUIDE.

The " dull " side is made concave at the centre
rising to a narrow edge on which the stone glides, and
which is called the " running " edge ; and the sharp-
ness of this edge, and the width of its diameter deter-
mine the running character of the stone. The sharper
the edge is, the stone will grip the ice the more firmly,
and hold its directed course the more certainly ; while
the width of the diameter, not only adds to the resist-
ance of the stone, and demands more force to play it,
but also determines the extent of the " side- ways "
direction the stone will take during its course, and
especially as it comes to ** at rest," in obedience to
what are called the '* in-turn " and the " out-turn,"
coin munica ted to it by a turn of the wrist as it leaves
the 1 and in playing ; the principle being, that the
wider the diameter of the '' running edge " of the
stone is, it will take, in curling phrase, *'a wider
borrow," or a greater sideways inclination from a
straight course, in the direction of the *' turn " it
receives, at its delivery from the hand. It is very
important, that in every pair of stones, the diameter
and the sharpness of this running edge be, in both
stones, exactly alike.

The "keen" side has also of late years been made
slightly concave, and the running edge is not sharp, as

THE CURLER S GUIDE.

on the 'Mull" side, but rounded; which enables the
stone to glide over ice so soft that the sharp edge of
the dull side would cut into it, and it is only on such
ice that the keen side is intended to be used. These
patterns, although only introduced into Canada a few
years ago, have been received with universal approba-
tion.

HANDLES.

Handles are of two patterns, viz., the straight and
the oval ; the wood-part of the latter swelling out, at
the centre, to fill the palm of the hand, while the
former is of one thickness throughout. The one is as
good as the other, custom mainly making either pre-
ferred. It may be laid down as a rule, that players
who grip the handle with tbe full hand generally
choose the oval ; while those who grip with only two
or three fingers usually prefer the straight. Of bolts,
those with the square head are to be prefei-red to
those with round head and side catch, because the
latter are apt to become loose. Stones should never
be played, without a washer between plate of liandle
an<l stoiio.

Having secured a pair of stones to his taste, and
furnished himself with rubber overshoes and a broom,

-t

THE curler's guide.

our young curler may now take his place on the rink.
He will find the Tee surrounded by several circles
marked in the ice, and, about five feet behind the outer
circle, he will find the " Hack " or foot-hold used in
playing. Standing by this Hack, and looking in the
direction of the further Tee, he will place his left foot
forward, about eighteen inches from the Hack and a
little to the left of the centre of the Rink ; he will
then place his right foot in the Hack, pressing the sole
of his boot against the perpendicular back of it, the
' all of his great toe resting on the sloping part, and
about its centre ; he will then, bending forward, grasp
the curling stone by the handle, look carefully to the
broom held to direct his aim, and steadily lift the
stone upwards and backwards, poise it behind, and
then, swinging it forward and downward in an easy
curve, he will deliver it from his hand just when the
curve described ly the stone makes a tangent with the
ice. When lifting and poising the stone, the player
rests mainly upon his right foot, but changes to the
left when bringing the stone downwards and forwards
to the point of delivery, when the entire weight rests
upon the left foot, which at this stage will be mov(Ml
by an involuntary muscular motion, if necessaiy to
restore the equilibrium of the body disturbed by the
act of piaying.

THE curler's guide.

The momentum and the general direction are given
to the stone, between the point of poising it behind and
the point of delivery on the ice, by a motion which
may be described as " swinging it forward,"— the arc
described by the arm being modified hy the downward
and forward bending of the body. The momentum
(jan be greatly increased by raising the stone higher
behind, and thus securing additional force from its
own weight falling farther, and by the greater muscu-
lar cont action exerted over a larger space.

Before playing, every curler ought to make sure
that the ^^sole" of his stone is perfectly clean,-— free
from pieces of brooms, from snow, ice and dust. The
ice must be scraped off, the other matters can generally
be taken off by the broom.

ERRORS TO 3E GUARDED AGAINST.

1st. Holding the stone in the hand, and swinging
it backwards and forwards before playing, instead of
as already described.

2nd. Dumping the forward edge of the stone on
the ice, at the point of delivery. This is caused by
letting go the stone too soon, or before the sole of the
stone has reached the plane of the ice.

■#

THE CUBLEK's guide.

3rd. Dumping the back edge of the stone on the
ice, at the point of delivery ; which is caused by holding
on to the stone too long, or until after the sole has
passed the plane of the ice.

4th. Dropping the stone on the ice at time of
delivery from the hand. This is caused by maintain-
ing the body in a too erect position, or by not bending
low enough so that the stone may touch the ice at time
of delivery.

In either of these four cases the stone is made to
*' wobble", and its destination becomes very uncertain.

THE TURNS.

After the player has learned to deliver the stone
properly, he may begin to acquire the accomplishment
of the "in" and "out" turns. The in turn gives a
revolving motion to the stone towards the right, the
out turn a similar motion towards the left, and deflect
the course of the stone from a straight line in the
direction of the revolving motion, especially when it is
coming to "at rest". The turn is communicated to
the stone by a turn or twist of the wrist, made at the
moment of delivering it on the ice ; and such a twist as
will cause the stone to make four or five revolutions,

THE curler's guide.

while passing down the rink, will accomplish any
ordinary result : a wider lateral direction will neces-
sarily be conveyed by a more powerful twist, producing
more frequent revolutions of the stone during its
course, and a wider sweep at the end; but this
demands more momentum in a forward direction, and
if this be given in too great measure, it will entirely
overcome the influence of the twist, and carry the stone
in a straight line, and too far ; and in both ways disap-
point the player. t^

In beginning to play with the turns, many players
swing the stone towards the side indicated by the turn,
instead of straight towards the mark, and with the
proper twist of the wrist; this habit will disappear, as
soon as the player has a<;quired the knack of using his
arm for the one purpose, and his wrist for the other,
and he will not be a Curier until he has acquired this
art.

The turns have been named in and out, from the
manner in which the handle is turned, when screwing
it on the bolt passing through the stone.

In taking aim, players should fix their eye steadily
on the point indicated, and lift and play their stone
without taking their eye off the object aimed at,
guiding the stone, in the proper direction, from the

THE CURLEK's guide.

pomt of poising to the point of delivery. Many good
players bring their hand, grasping the handle of the
stone, into a direct line between their eye and the point
aimed at, and then lift the stone, and play it in the
manner before described.

Youngplayers should guard against the not uncommon
practise, of turning their face downwards towards their
feet, when in the act of playing ; it is a bad habit, will
make their aim very uncertain, and if, as it is often
caused by the too gi-eat weight of the stones, lighter
ones should be got.

The practice of playing by shoving or pushing the
stone, cannot be approved of It was the only mode
of playing before handles were invented, but is out of
date now.

Every player should study with care the peculiari-
ties of his stones :-the difference of their running on
ice of differing degrees of keenness ; the borrow they
take ; the difference between the force they require
. when played, 1st, without any turn, 2nd, with only a
moderate degree of turn, 3rd, with a strong degree of
turn, etc.

If the stones do not run alike, it is most probable
that the running edge of the duller one is sharper than
that of the keener, and a few minutes application of a

THE curler's guide.

close-grained scythe stone, or Water of Ayr whetstone,
long enough to cover at once both sides of the shai-p
edge, will make it as keen as the other.

The " Points Game," which is fully described, and
illustrated by diagrams in the Annuals of the Ontario
Branch, embraces every " shot" which a curler will be
asked to make in playing ; with this difference, in the
Points Game the playing is mainly on centre ice, while
in a regular Match Game it is more frequently to one
side or other of the centre. But there is 00 better
training for a young curler than the Game of Points,
which includes all the elements of curling ; and suc-
cess in it will speedily lead to confidence and success
in the more exciting Match Game, and convert the
junior into a '* grand " curler, able, like Tam Samson,
of immortal fame,

y-'j'^'^S}-

To draw a port, or wick a bore,
To lay a guard just o'er the score.
Or up the rink like Jehu roar.
In time o' need.

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