I know it’s a rare event, so if you ever want to see a man sweeping with a broom then head down to your local curling rink. Here, you will find men and women of all ages enjoying the sport of curling. In a nutshell, curling is a four-player team game that is played on a level sheet of ice that measures about 146 ft. long by 14 ft. wide. The object of this Olympic sport is to slide your curling stones (rocks) the closest to the target painted on the ice. The other team tries to do the same thing while knocking your stones out of the way.
The origins of curling aren’t too clear, but Scotland and several continental European countries have all laid claim to it. Curling is thought to have originated in the 1500s with rules being introduced in the early 1800s. The game was originally played on frozen rivers, ponds, canals and lakes and was eventually brought inside in the mid 1800s as curling clubs were opened in many northern states and throughout Canada. It’s not a hard game to learn and it’s relatively inexpensive to play as all you need are a good pair of shoes, a broom and stones. However, most people join clubs to play as you also need the ice rink to play on.
