Curling: ice, stone and broom
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: Well done, Michael!
MIKEL UNANUE; New White Curling Team: Good morning to you!
NAGORE REMENTERIA; Elhuyar Foundation: Curling, I would say, is a sport that we see in the winter Olympics: people with brooms, on ice. What is curling?
MIKEL UNANUE; New White Curling Team: Curling is a sport that plays on ice with brooms and some granite stones. A match is played between two teams to find out which of the two is the best. That's more or less curling.
In the case of N. A. is: You have training today.
M. According to U.: Today we have training and let’s get ready!
In the case of N. A. is: Is any ice rink good for curling?
M. According to U.: You can play wherever there is ice, but right now this ice palace is no longer valid. For what reason? Because people have been skating, and the ice is broken. The ice must be prepared. When this session is over, all the people will have to leave the track. You will leave the local ice maker and make several passes.
In the case of N. A. is: Will you wash it?
M. According to U.: He'll clean it up again to keep the ice flat. And then we begin to extract our material.
In the case of N. A. is: What qualities does ice need for curling?
M. According to U.: Above all, it must be very flat, without slopes, without inclinations... it must be absolutely perfect for the stone to always make the same movements. Ice temperature is also important. In this area where we will play curling, the temperature must be about -4.5 degrees.
The ice is ready, the machine has passed. And now we'll prepare the ice properly for curling. Here is our Blue Box. What's in this box? We call them pebbel-heads. They serve to deposit drops of water on the ice. The water drops will freeze and the ice will be ready to play curling. Put the pebble head where it belongs, and the holes are staring at me and water will pass through them. With the chrono I will measure how many seconds it takes me to go from one side of the track to the other, so I can know how many drops per square centimeter there are, approximately. The water droplets are warm and will look like an iceberg as soon as they touch the ice. When I pass the stone I will cut the tip of the iceberg and the ice will be ready for the stone to have a comfortable and fast movement.
In the case of N. A. is: The goal is to get the perfect ice?
M. According to U.: We're not gonna get the perfect ice, but at least enough to train today.
In the case of N. A. is: A very special material is needed for curling. Take a look at it: the stone, some brooms and shoes. Let's start with the stone. It's heavy, isn't it?
M. According to U.: The heavy one. About 20 kilos. The bottom is more important than the top.
In the case of N. A. is: It's made of granite.
M. According to U.: In this case there are two types of granite. The granite is from Scotland and the stone is made there. All the stones are made there. One of the most important parts is the area of the stone, much more rough. In take outs, when one stone hits the other, this is the part that gets hit. And this is the most important secret in curling: in English it is called the running band, it is the part of the stone that touches the ice. This one only has contact with the ice.
In the case of N. A. is: People know curling for brooms. What is the function of the broom?
M. According to U.: The functions of the broom are two. On the one hand, increase the speed of the stone. As the broom passes with force, friction, the drops will melt and the speed will increase. These stones never go straight, they form parables. With the broom we will correct the curve that forms this parabola. Without the broom the parable will be like this, and with the broom it will be smaller. By increasing the speed we can direct the stone where we want it, at least a few centimeters.
In the case of N. A. is: Is that why it's a team effort?
M. According to U.: That's it, it's a team effort. One will throw, two others will sweep, or not, that is decided by the captain on the other side. The captain will measure if the shot comes too fast or too slow, or if the parable is good, and he will tell them yes or no accordingly.
Shoes are also very important. You've got the flu on so you don't slip, and you don't do anything stupid in front of the camera. When this is removed, the Teflon remains in sight. The teflon helps to slide. We slide on one foot and brake with the other. That’s the material we have in curling!
In the case of N. A. is: Thank you very much, Michael!
M. According to U.: Thanks to you guys!
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