Wheelchair Curling
What's it all about?
If you prefer watching things slide on the ice rather than sliding on the ice yourself, then you need to check out wheelchair curling! It’s kind of like bowling on ice, but with no gutterballs!
How it's playedCarousel with 7 slides.
Things to watch for
Delivery Stick
- Wheelchair curlers use a delivery stick to control and push the rock down the ice.
- Delivery sticks can vary in length, but are all designed with a bracket to grip onto the rock’s handle.
- The stick behaves like an extension of the curler’s arm, allowing them to make precision shots.
No Sweeping!
- Unlike curling, there are no sweepers in wheelchair curling.
- Without sweepers, it’s a lot tougher to deliver stones to the button.
- That means there’s extra pressure for wheelchair curlers to be accurate with their shots.
Wheelchair Curling Rules
- Wheelchair curlers slide their stones from a stationary position.
- To keep stable, they lock their wheels and make sure their feet are off the ground.
- A teammate is allowed to sit behind the shooter to help brace their wheelchair.
Many believe that curling is named after the way the stones "curl" on the ice.
Curling is a polite sport. It's considered sportsmanlike to concede after the sixth end if there's no chance of catching up or winning.
Curling is nicknamed "the roaring game" because of how the stones roar when going down the ice.
Curling ice isn't smooth — ice makers spray water droplets on it to form pebbles when they freeze. This helps the stones curl after they're thrown.
Curling stones are made from a rare type of granite. There are only two places in the world where they can get it: the Scottish Island of Ailsa Craig and Wales.
