SHORELINE, Wash. — Curling is back again at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The complex sport incorporates skills and rules from multiple games including shuffleboard and ice hockey.
The sport stems from Scotland where the game first started in the 16th century on frozen ponds. Eventually, it made its way to North America with clubs popping up in Canada and the U.S. in the early 19th century.
Curling is a team sport that is played on ice with 42-pound granite stones.
If you are interested in learning how to play, there is no better place to learn to curl than the Granite Curling Club in Seattle. The club is home to more national champions than any other club in the country.
We had several good coaches to teach us the basics, including Brady Clark, who has competed across the country and won 16 national championships.
We first learned how to push off the block, which required us to lunge while sliding across the ice - all while staying balanced.
Then it was time to slide with the stone. But between sliding and knowing when to turn and release the stone, it was a bit of a struggle.
The curling sheet, or playing surface, is roughly 46 meters long and 5 meters wide with houses, or rings, on either side. The goal is to get the stone into the target area known as the "house." But if you don't have the right coordination or momentum, you can fall short of scoring any points.
Next, we learned how to sweep, which is done with a broom specifically designed for curling. The sweeping action in front of the stone melts the surface of the ice and can change the speed and direction of the stone.
After one player pushes the stone, other teammates then work with brooms to warm the ice’s surface with the goal of landing a stone in a target at the far end or positioning the stones to act as guards.
After learning the basics, we faced off against each other with four players on each team.
Watch the video above to see who won the game, or click here to read the in-depth rules of how to play.