The ART OF CURLING

1
The ART OF CURLING

• BY ASHTON JAMALE GRACE Jr.

2
What is CURLING?

• Curling is a team sport similar to bowls or
  Bocce, played on a rectangular sheet prepared ice
  by two teams, using heavy polished granite
  stones which they slide down the ice towards a
  target called the HOUSE! The way you score
  points are by the number of stones that a team
  has closer to the center of the target than the
  closest of the other teams stones! The level of
  precision and complex nature of the strategic
  thinking required to win has led curling to be
  referred to as Chess On Ice

3
Basics Of The Game

• Curling is played on a rectangular sheet of
  prepared ice into which two round, painted,
  archery-like targets (called the house) have been
  embedded. The game involves two teams of four
  players. These teams are called rinks and named
  for the teams captain, who is known as the
  skip. Each team has eight polished granite
  stones, called stones or rocks, with which they
  try to score.
• During each round of play, called an end, each
  player slides two stones along the surface of the
  ice. Play alternates between teams, each throwing
  one stone on their turn. The person throwing the
  stone influences where the stone stops by the
  amount of force used, called the weight, the spin
  (turn), and the direction of the throw.
  Additionally, the final position of the stone is
  changed by sweeping or brushing the path in front
  of the stone to reduce curl and increase
  distance. Once all the stones have been thrown
  during an end, the score is determined and the
  play reverses direction back to the other house.
• The players are known as the lead, second, third
  and skip, and traditionally throw stones in that
  order . The skip acts as the teams captain,
  determining the position played by each player,
  strategy during the game, holding the broom in
  the house as a target for the shooters, and
  representing the rink. However, there is nothing
  in the rules to say where in the order the skip
  plays and in recent years the skip has thrown
  second or third stones on some teams.

4
Continued

• The basic goal of each end is to have your
  curling stones nearer to the center of the target
  once all the stones from both teams have been
  thrown for that end. Therefore, the maximum
  number of points a team can earn per end is
  eight, though this is extremely rare because only
  the closest stones belonging to one of the two
  teams are counted. Strategies used during play,
  such as blocking (guard) and hitting rocks to
  reposition them (bump) or remove them from play
  (take-out) lead to lower scores. The term draw is
  used to describe a shot that comes to rest in the
  house without making contact with another stone.
  To peel means to remove both the target stone and
  the shooter's stone from play. For more
  information, see Types of shots below.
• To help ensure the stone lands where intended,
  the skip stands in the house and indicates to the
  player throwing where to aim given the desired
  effect of the shot. The other two players sweep
  in front of the rock. Once thrown, players may
  not touch a stone while it is moving, so sweeping
  is the only way to influence the stone once
  thrown. Games, called matches, usually last eight
  ends, though in competitive curling there are
  usually ten ends and some recreational games last
  six ends.

5
Equipment

• When curling, players need to wear specially
  designed shoes. The sole of one shoe has a thin
  strip of Teflon or another type of smooth
  surface, called a slider. Inexpensive sliders can
  be purchased and attached to any shoes by means
  of an elastic strap. This enables curlers to
  slide out of the hack when delivering a rock.
  Left-handed curlers wear this shoe on their right
  foot, while right-handed curlers wear it on their
  left. The other shoe has a thin layer of rubber
  to maximize traction on the ice. Another piece of
  footwear is the gripper, which can slide on and
  off the shoe with the slippery surface. This is
  also usually made of rubber. This piece of
  equipment is needed when a player is sweeping,
  and needs traction with both feet.
• The curling broom is used to sweep the ice
  surface in front of the rock.
• The curling broom is used to sweep the ice
  surface in front of the rock. Aggressive sweeping
  momentarily melts the ice, which lessens
  friction, thereby lessening the deceleration of
  the rock, while straightening the trajectory of
  the rock. The broom can also be used to clean
  debris off the ice, although this is often done
  in vain. The skip will also hold a broom at the
  opposite end of the rink from the delivering
  player to show the deliverer where to aim the
  rock.
• In earlier days, brooms were made of corn strands
  and were similar to household brooms. Brushes
  were used primarily by elderly curlers as a
  substitute for corn brooms. Today, brushes have
  replaced traditional corn brooms at every level
  of curling, but are universally referred to as
  brooms. Brooms are also used by some curlers as a
  balancing aid during delivery of the stone.
• The curling stone or rock is made out of granite.
• The curling stone, or rock, weighs a maximum of
  44 lbs. (19.96 kg) and is fitted with a handle on
  top allowing it to be rotated as it is released.
  If the handle is rotated across the body
  (clockwise for a right-handed thrower,
  counter-clockwise for a leftie), the shot is said
  to be an in-turn, and if rotated away from the
  body (counter-clockwise for a right-handed
  thrower, clockwise for a left-handed thrower), it
  is an out-turn. The handles are color-coded to
  differentiate one team's rocks from the other's
  (usually, one team's rocks are red and the
  other's are yellow). The handle may also contain
  circuitry for detecting hog line violations.

6
Continued

• The curling stones used at the 2006 Winter
  Olympicss in Torino were provided by the Garn For
  granite quarry at the Yr Eifll mountain on the
  Llyn Peninsula in North-West Wales
• A special handle for stones, called "Eye On The
  Hog", has recently been developed, which
  integrates electronics to ensure the stone is
  released before it crosses the hog line. The
  handle is coated in metallic paint the circuitry
  detects the relative charge of the thrower's hand
  contact to determine if they are still in
  contact, and a linear field is established at the
  hog line to indicate its location to the internal
  sensor. Lights at the base of the handle indicate
  whether contact was sustained past the line or
  not. Not only does this remove the chance for
  human error (eliminating the game's most frequent
  cause of controversy), but it means there is no
  need for hog line officials as well. The downside
  for the technology is that the equipment
  currently costs around 650 a piece which
  multiplies quickly with the amount of rocks and
  sheets of ice in a tournament. Therefore its use
  is found mostly in high-level national and
  international competitions such as the Winter
  Olympics.
• Although the rock is designed to be delivered by
  players grasping the handle as they slide down
  the ice, a special "delivery stick" may be used
  by players incapable of delivering the rock in
  this fashion. Such a stick is designed to attach
  to the handle so that it can be released without
  requiring the player to place a hand on the
  handle in a crouched position. This allows the
  game to be played by players with disabilities,
  as well as those unable to crouch comfortably.
  According to the Canadian Curling Association
  Rules of Curling, "The use of a curling aid
  commonly referred to as a 'delivery stick' which
  enables the player to deliver a stone without
  placing a hand on the ."
• handle is considered acceptable

7
Playing Surface

• The curling area is a sheet of ice 146 feet(
  45.5m) in length by 14 feet 2 inches( 4.318m) to
  15 feet 7 inches( 4.75m) in width, carefully
  prepared to be absolutely level so as to allow
  the rocks to glide with as little friction as
  possible. A key part of preparation is the
  spraying of fine water droplets onto the ice ,
  called pebble. Due to friction between the stone
  and pebble, the stone turns to the inside or
  outside, causing the stones path t curl. The
  curl changes during a game as the pebble wears
  out. The ice also has to be maintained at a
  temperature of -6 C. maintain perfect ice
  condition at a curling club is a science. Most
  curling clubs have ice keepers whose job is to
  take care of the ice. At the major curling
  championships ice maintenance is extremely
  important. Two well know professional ice makers
  shortly Jenkins and Hans Wuthrich resides in
  Canada. Larger events such as the brier or other
  championship are typically held in a challenge to
  the ice maker as they must constantly monitor and
  adjust the ice and air temperatures as well as
  air humidity levels to ensure a good playing
  surface.

8
Continued

• It is common for each sheet of ice to have
  multiple sensors embedded to monitor surface
  temperature as well as probes set up in the
  seating are to monitor humidity and in the
  compressor room to monitor brine supply and
  return temperatures. Occasionally, small ice
  crystal, ( Ice Picks) will bond on the bottom of
  the stone( called the running surface) which
  increase friction and change the stones path. As
  the pebble wears down, more ice picks develop,
  especially if the water is not treated to remove
  excess minerals. On the sheet a 12 foot( 3.7m)
  wide set of concentric rings called the house, is
  painted near two lines are that divide the house
  it to quarts and know as the button. The two
  lines are the centre line, which is drawn
  lengthwise down the centre of the sheet, and the
  tee line, drawn 16 feet( 4.9m) from the backboard
  and parallel to it. Two other lines, the hog
  lines, are drawn parallel to each backboard and
  37 feet( 11.3m) from it. The rings that surround
  the button are defined by their diameter as the
  four- foot, eight- foot, and twelve foot rings.
  

9
Continued

• They are usually distinguished by color. The
  inner rings are merely a visual aid for judging
  which stone is closer to the center. They do not
  affect scoring how ever a stone that is not at
  least touching the outside of the 12 foot ring(
  i.e. more than 6 feet from the center) is not in
  the house and there fordoes not score.

10
Continued

• to the sweepers to sweep as necessary to hold the
  rock straight. The sweepers themselves are
  responsible for judging the weight of the rock
  and ensuring the length of travel is correct.
• Usually, the two sweepers will be on opposite
  sides of the rock's path. Grip of the broom is
  vital - one hand grips the top (non-brush end) of
  the handle while the other grips the handle close
  to the head of the broom so that as much pressure
  as needed may be applied while sweeping, though
  the precise amount of pressure may vary from
  relatively light brushing to maximum-pressure
  scrubbing. It is important to never to touch the
  rock while sweeping (a rock touched by a sweeper
  is burned, and the opposing skip may opt to have
  the rock removed from play).
• Sweeping can be done anywhere on the ice up to
  the "tee-line", as long as it is only for your
  own team's rock. Once your team's rock crosses
  the tee-line, only one player may sweep it.
  Additionally, when an opposing rock crosses the
  tee-line, one player from your team is allowed to
  sweep it. This is the only case that a rock may
  be swept by an opposing team member. In
  international rules, this player must be the
  skip, or if the skip is throwing, then the third.

11
How To Play The Game

• A competitive game usually consists of ten ends.
  Recreational games are more commonly only eight
  or even six ends. An end consists of each player
  from both teams throwing two rocks with the
  players on each side alternating shots, for a
  total of sixteen rocks. If the teams are tied at
  the completion of ten ends an extra end is played
  to break the tie. If the match is still tied
  after the extra end, play continues for as many
  ends as may be required to break the tie. The
  winner is the team with the highest score after
  all ends have been completed (see Scoring below).
• It is not uncommon at any level for a losing team
  to terminate the match before all ends are
  completed if it believes it no longer has a
  realistic chance of winning. Most competitive
  tournaments require eight ends to be completed
  before allowing a losing team to concede in this
  manner. Competitive games will usually end once
  the losing team is "run out of rocks" - that is,
  once it has fewer stones in play and/or available
  for play than the number of points needed to tie
  the game in the final end.
• In international competition each side is given
  73 minutes to complete all of their throws. Each
  team is also allowed two 60 second timeouts per
  ten end game. If extra ends are required each
  team is allowed 10 minutes of playing time to
  complete their throws and one added 60 second
  timeout for each extra end.
• When throwing the rock, you must release it
  before reaching the near hogline (players usually
  slide while releasing their shots) and it must
  cross the far hogline otherwise the rock is
  removed from play (hogged).

12
Continued

• While the first three players throw their rocks,
  the skip remains at the far end of the ice to
  guide the players. While the skip is throwing,
  the third takes this role. Thus, each time a rock
  is thrown, there is one player throwing the rock,
  and another player at the far end.
• The two remaining players, equipped with brooms,
  follow the rock and assist in guiding its
  trajectory by sweeping the ice before the rock.
  Sweeping causes the rock to decrease its curl but
  travel a greater distance. The sweeping players
  combine directions from the skip and/or the
  thrower with their own judgement for the weight
  of the rock, as well as extremely precise timing,
  to guide the rock into the appropriate position.
  Often when giving instructions, the thrower or
  skip will yell "HARD." They are referring to the
  amount of pressure the sweepers should use to
  sweep the ice. Teams confer between throws to
  determine where they will attempt to place the
  next rock.
• The process of throwing a rock is known as the
  delivery. While not mandatory, most curlers
  deliver the rock from sliding out from the hack.
  When sliding out, one must start with one shoe
  (the one with the non-slippery sole) against one
  of left hack, and vice versa for a left-handed
  curler.
• the hacks (a position referred to as being in the
  hacks). For a right-handed curler, this means
  starting from the

13
Continued

• When delivering the rock, it is important to
  remember that the momentum behind how much weight
  is applied to the rock depends on how much leg
  drive the delivery has. It is usually not wise to
  push the rock with the arm, unless absolutely
  necessary. When in the hack, one must crouch down
  with the body lined up and shoulders square with
  the skip's broom at the other end. While in the
  hack, one may hold a broom out for balance.
  Different curlers hold their broom out in many
  different fashions. The broom is held in the hand
  opposite from the rock, and should be positioned
  so that the non-sweeping side of the broom is
  against the ice. This prevents drag which would
  be caused by the soft head of the broom dragging
  against the ice.
• Before any delivery, it is important to ensure
  that the running surface of the rock is clean,
  and that the area around you is clean as well.
  This is achieved by wiping the running surface of
  the rock with either your hand or with the broom,
  and then cleaning the area around you with the
  broom. The reason for this is that any dirt in
  the area or on the bottom of a rock could alter
  the trajectory of it and ruin the shot. When this
  happens, this is called a "pick".
• After cleaning the rock, the next step is to know
  what rotation, or turn, to put on the rock. The
  skip will usually tell the thrower this
  information. The thrower will then place the
  handle of the rock generally at either a "two
  o'clock" or a "ten o'clock" position. When
  delivering the rock, the thrower will turn the
  rock from one of these two positions toward the
  "twelve o'clock" position before releasing it. A
  rock turned from ten o'clock to twelve will spin
  clockwise and curl to the right, and a rock
  turned from two o'clock to twelve will have the
  opposite effect. A generally desired rate of turn
  is about two and a half rotations before coming
  to a rest.
• Once the thrower knows the turn to give the rock,
  the thrower will place the rock in front of his
  or her toe in the hack. At this point the thrower
  will then start his or her delivery. This begins
  by slightly rising from the hack, and moving the
  rock back to one's toe. This is the beginning of
  a pendulum movement that will determine the force
  given to the rock. Some older curlers will
  actually raise the rock in this backward
  movement, as this is what they are accustomed to.
  The forward thrust of the delivery comes next.
  The thrower moves his or her slider-foot in front
  of the other foot while keeping the rock ahead of
  him. The thrower then lunges out from the hack.
  The more thrust from this lunge, the more power
  or "weight" the rock will have. When lunging out,
  the gripper-foot will drag behind the thrower.
  When lunging out, it is important to push as
  precisely as possible in the direction of the
  skip's broom at the other end, so that the "line"
  of the rock is accurate. The rock should be
  released before the thrower's momentum wanes at
  which point the thrower imparts the appropriate
  curl, keeping in mind the stone should be
  released before the first hog-line.

14
Continued

• The amount of weight given to the rock will also
  be told to the thrower by the skip at the other
  end. This usually occurs by the skip tapping the
  ice with his broom where he or she wants the rock
  to be delivered. In the case of a take-out or a
  tap, the skip will tap the rock that he or she
  wants removed or tapped.
• It should also be noted that with a more skilled
  skip, where he wants the rock to land will not
  always be the exact place he holds the broom if
  the skip expects the rock to curl. When the rock
  is delivered accurately at the broom, it will
  curl towards where the skip wants it to land.
• When a rock is delivered, it is important that
  there be two players following the rock so that
  they are ready to sweep its path if needed.
  Sweeping is done for two reasons to make the
  rock travel farther, and to make the rock travel
  straighter (curl less). When sweeping, pressure
  and speed of the brush head are key to slightly
  melting the pebbled ice in the path of the rock.
• One of the interesting strategy aspects of
  curling is knowing when to sweep. When swept, a
  rock will always travel both farther and
  straighter. In some situations, one of the two is
  often not desirable (for example, a rock may have
  too much weight, but needs sweeping to prevent
  curling into a guard), and the team must decide
  which is better getting by the guard but
  traveling too far, or hitting the guard.

15
Continued

• Much of the yelling that goes on during a curling
  game is the skip calling the line of the shot.
  The skip evaluates the path of the rock and calls
  to the sweepers to sweep as necessary to hold the
  rock straight. The sweepers themselves are
  responsible for judging the weight of the rock
  and ensuring the length of travel is correct.
• Usually, the two sweepers will be on opposite
  sides of the rock's path. Grip of the broom is
  vital - one hand grips the top (non-brush end) of
  the handle while the other grips the handle close
  to the head of the broom so that as much pressure
  as needed may be applied while sweeping, though
  the precise amount of pressure may vary from
  relatively light brushing to maximum-pressure
  scrubbing. It is important to never to touch the
  rock while sweeping (a rock touched by a sweeper
  is burned, and the opposing skip may opt to have
  the rock removed from play).
• Sweeping can be done anywhere on the ice up to
  the "tee-line", as long as it is only for your
  own team's rock. Once your team's rock crosses
  the tee-line, only one player may sweep it.
  Additionally, when an opposing rock crosses the
  tee-line, one player from your team is allowed to
  sweep it. This is the only case that a rock may
  be swept by an opposing team member. In
  international rules, this player must be the
  skip, or if the skip is throwing, then the third.

16
Types Of Shots

• Types of shots
• Essentially, there are two kinds of shots in
  curling, the draw and the takeout. There are many
  variations of these shots, however. Draws are
  shots in which the stone is thrown only to reach
  the house (or in front of the house - when the
  rock is called a guard), while takeouts are shots
  designed to remove stones from play. Choosing
  which shot to play will determine whether the
  thrower will use an in-turn or out turn, for a
  right-handed person, the clockwise and
  counter-clockwise rotation of the stone,
  respectively. Possible draw shots include guard,
  raise, come around, and freeze. Takeout shots
  include peel, hit and roll, chip and hack. For a
  more complete listing look at the complete list
  Glossary of curling terms.
• Until four rocks have been played (two from each
  side), rocks in the free guard zone (those rocks
  left in the area between the hog and tee lines,
  excluding the house) may not be removed by an
  opponent's stone. These are known as guard rocks.
  If the guard rocks are removed, they are replaced
  and the opponent's rock is removed from play.
  This rule is known as the four-rock rule or the
  free-zone rule (for a period in Canada, a
  "three-rock rule" was in place, but that rule has
  been replaced by the four-rock rule).
• This rule, a relatively recent addition to
  curling, was added in response to a strategy of
  "peeling" opponents' guard stones (knocking them
  out of play at an angle that caused the shooter's
  stone to also roll out of play, leaving no stones
  on the ice). A team in the lead would often
  employ this strategy during the game. By knocking
  all stones out, the opponents could at best score
  one point (if they had the hammer).
  Alternatively, the team with the hammer could
  peel rock after rock, which would blank the end,
  keeping the last rock advantage for another end.
  While a sound strategy, this made for an
  unexciting game.

17
Continued

• The last rock in an end is called the hammer.
  Before the game, teams typically decide who gets
  the hammer in the first end by coin toss or
  similar method. (In tournaments, this is
  typically assigned, giving every team the
  first-end hammer in half their games.) In all
  subsequent ends, the hammer belongs to the team
  that did not score in the preceding end. In the
  event that neither team scores, the hammer
  remains with the same team. Naturally, it is
  easier to score points with the hammer than
  without in tournament play, the team with the
  hammer generally tries to score two or more
  points. If only one point is possible, the skip
  will often try to avoid scoring at all in order
  to retain the hammer until the next end, when two
  or more points may be possible. This is called a
  blank end. Scoring without the hammer is commonly
  referred to as stealing, or a steal, and is much
  more difficult.
• After both teams have delivered eight rocks, the
  team with the rock closest to the button is
  awarded one point for each of its own rocks that
  is closer than the opponent's closest rock. Rocks
  that are not in the house (further from the
  center than the outer edge of the 12-foot ring)
  do not score even if no opponent's rock is
  closer. A rock is considered in the house if any
  portion of its edge is over any portion of the
  12-foot ring. Since the bottom of the rock is
  rounded, a rock just barely in the house will not
  have any actual contact with the ring, which will
  pass under the rounded edge of the stone, but it
  still counts.

18
Continued

• This is an example of a typical curling
  score-board used at clubs, which use a different
  method of scoring than the ones used on
  television.
• The score is marked on a scoreboard, of which
  there are two types. One is the baseball type
  scoreboard, which is usually used for televised
  games. On this scoreboard the ends are marked by
  columns 1 through 10 (or 11 for the possibility
  of an extra end to break ties) plus an additional
  column for the total. Below this are two rows
  one for each team. The number of points each team
  gets in an end is marked this way.
• The other form of scoreboard is the one used in
  most curling clubs (see photo). It is set up in
  the same way, except the numbered row indicates
  points, not ends, and it can be found between the
  rows for the team. The numbers placed are
  indicative of the end. If the red team scores 3
  points in the first end (called a three-ender),
  then a one (indicating the first end) is placed
  beside the number three in the red row. If they
  score two more in the second end, then a two will
  be placed beside the five in the red row
  indicating that the red team has five points in
  total (32). This scoreboard works because only
  one team can get points in an end. However, some
  confusion can exist if no team gets points in an
  end. This is called a blank end and the end
  number usually goes in the furthest column on the
  right in the row of the team who has the hammer
  (last rock advantage), or on a special spot for
  blank ends.
• The below example illustrates the difference
  between the "Baseball" style scoreboard used for
  televised curling matches and the style used at
  most curling clubs. The example illustrates the
  men's final at the 2006 Winter Olympics

19
Continued

• When a team feels it is impossible or near
  impossible to win a game, they will usually shake
  hands with the opposing team to concede defeat.
  This may occur at any point during the game, but
  usually happens near the final end. When a game
  is completed by playing all ends, both teams also
  shake hands. This is often accompanied by saying
  "Good game!" Hands are also shaken before the
  game, accompanied by saying "Good curling!" to
  the opposing team. In the Winter Olympics, a team
  may concede after finishing any end during a
  round-robin game, but can only concede after
  finishing eight ends during the knockout stages.
• Most decisions about rules are left to the skips.
  However, all scoring disputes are handled by the
  third, or vice-skip. No players other than the
  third from each team should be in the house while
  score is being debated. In tournament play the
  most frequent circumstance in which a decision
  has to be made by someone other than the third is
  the failure of the thirds to agree on which rock
  is closest to the button. An independent official
  then measures the distances using a specially
  designed device that pivots at the center of the
  button. When no independent officials are
  available, the thirds measure the distances.

20
ORIGINS and HISTORY

• The is thought to be invented in late medieval
  Scotland, with the first written reference to a
  contest using stones on ice coming from the
  records of Paisley abbey, Renfrew, in February,
  1541.There are tow paintings both dated 1565 by
  Pieter Brueghel the elder depict peasants
  curling( which Scotland and the low Countries had
  strong trading and culture links during the
  period which is also evident in the history of
  golf). The word curling first appears in print in
  1620 in Perth, Scotland in the preface and the
  verses of a poem by Henry Adamson. The game was (
  and still , in Scotland) also know as the The
  roaring game because the sound the stones make
  while traveling over the pebble( droplets of
  water applied to the playing surface. The early
  history of curling, the rocks were simply flat
  bottomed river stones which were sometimes
  notched or shaped the thrower had a little
  control over the rock, and relied more on luck
  than skill to win, unlike todays reliance on
  skill and strategy!

21
Continued From Origin and History

• Today the game is most firmly established in
  Canada, having been taken there by Scottish
  emigrants. The Royal Montreal Curing Club, the
  oldest active athletic club of any kind in north
  America, was established in 1807. the first club
  in the united states began in1831, and the game
  was introduced to Switzerland and Sweden before
  the end of the nineteenth century, also by Scots.
  Today curling is played all over the Europe and
  has spread to Japan , Australia, New Zealand,
  and even the Peoples Republic of China and
  Korea. The first world curling championship in
  the sport was limited to men and woman know as
  the Scotch Cup held in Falkirk and Edinburgh,
  Scotland in1959. the first ever to win the world
  title was won by the Canadian team from Regina,
  Saskatchewan, skipped by Ernie Richardson. ( The
  skip is the team Captain.) Curling has now become
  and an Olympic sport since 1998 winter Olympics!
  In February 2006, the International Olympic
  Committee decide that the curling competition
  from 1924 winter Olympics would be consider
  official Olympic events and no longer be
  consider demonstration events. The first Olympic
  medals in curling, which at times was played
  outside, were awarded for the 1924 winter games
  with gold medal won by great Britain and Ireland,
  two sliver medals by Sweden and the bronze by
  France!

22
TIME LINE OF CURLING

• 1927Eight teams from across Canada gather at
  Toronto's Granite Club for the first Brier, which
  was officially known as the Dominion Curling
  Championship. Murray Macneill's rink representing
  Halifax win the Brier Tankard, donated for the
  event by the MacDonald Tobacco Company.
• 1928Field increases to 10 and includes teams
  representing Manitoba (Gordon Hudson's winning
  rink), Saskatchewan and Alberta, which is
  represented by a Saskatchewan rink.
• 1929Gordon Hudson from the Strathcona Curling
  Club in Winnipeg becomes the first to win two
  straight Briers and the first to go undefeated.
• 1936British Columbia and Prince Edward Island
  send their first entries to the Brier.
• 1940Winnipeg becomes the first city other than
  Toronto to host the Brier. A total of 26 other
  cities from St. John¹s to Victoria have since
  hosted the Brier.
• 1943-45The Brier is suspended due to Second World
  War.
• 1949Ken Watson of Manitoba becomes the first
  three-time Brier with a perfect 9-0 record in
  Hamilton.1963Ernie Richardson wins his record
  fourth Brier -- the fourth in five years for this
  Regina curling dynasty.1976Jack Mac Duff records
  Newfoundland's only Brier win in Regina.

23
Continued

• 1977Jim Ursel obliges the home fans in Montreal
  with Quebec's only Brier win.
• 1980Labatt Brewing takes over from MacDonald as
  the Brier's primary sponsor and replaces the
  Brier Tankard with the Labatt Tankard.
• 1993Round-robin ends with a four-way tie for
  first place between Ontario¹s Russ Howard, B.C.'s
  Rick Folk, Northern Ontario¹s Rick Lang and
  Manitoba¹s Vic Peters. Howard finally wins th
  Brier after four tie-breakers, a semi-final and a
  final.
• 2001Nokia takes over from Labatt as the primary
  sponsor, with the refurbished, solid-silver Brier
  Tankard brought out of retirement to be presented
  to the winner for the first time since 1979.
• 2002Alberta's Randy Ferbey becomes just the
  fourth man to win four Brier titles the only man
  to do it with two different teams
• .2003Alberta's Randy Ferbey becomes the only man
  to win five Brier titles his team becomes the
  first to win three consecutive Brier titles. The
  team goes 13-0, setting a new record.2004The
  Ferbey rink shatters the record for consecutive
  victories, winning 23 in a row dating back to
  Draw 17 of the 2002 Brier, before finally losing
  a game, 8-7 to Nova Scotia's Mark Dacey.

24
This Is What We Call The End! Holla Back!