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History
Most histoians
would agree that curling was developed in Scotland in the 16th century. Scottish
farmers curled on frozen marshes using "channel stones," which were smoothed
over time by the water's action. The game was similar to the modern game, but
over the years there have been many changes in the rules and equipment.
Scottish immigrants brought the game with them to Canada around 1759, and then
to the United States around 1832. Curling in the rest of Europe developed in
the 20th century. Two
major developments helped to populize the modern game, refrigerated indoor ice
and the the
standardization of the stone. The
modern stone is round and about 42 to 44 pounds.
Today Curling
is played, for the most part, on an indoor, refrigerated ice surface, which
helps ensure a consistent playing surface. Two four-player teams competing against
each other on a narrow sheet of ice. Each team slides a highly-polished, granite
stones toward a target area which is called "a house " at the opsite
end of the ice sheet. Only one team scores per end, getting one point for each
stone they have closer to the center of the house than their opponent.
Almost one million Canadians participate in the sport, and Canada's national championships attract millions of TV viewers each year. Many in Canada seriously regard curling as their true national sport.
Curling has been demonstrated four times at the Olympics , Chamonix 1924 , Lake Placid 1932, Calgary 1988 and Albertville 1992. Curling was approved as an Olympic medal sport in July 1992