Curling is a sport that prides itself on civility — in fact , one of its key tenets isknown asthe “ Spirit of Curling , ” a term that illustrate the regard that the athletes have for both their own mate and their opponents . But if you ’re one of the millions of hoi polloi whoget absorbedby the variation once every four years , you probably noticed one quirk that is decidedly uncivilised : the yelling .
watch out any curling match and you ’ll hear skips — or captains — on both sidesbarking and shoutingas the 42 - Irish punt gem rumbles down the icing . This is n’t deoxyephedrine talk ; it ’s strategy . And , of course , curlers have their own jargon , so while their screaming wo n’t make a whole stack of sensory faculty to the uninitiated , they could decide whether or not a squad will have a spot on the pulpit once these Olympics are over .
For instance , when you hear a skip shouting “ Whoa ! ” it mean he or she needs their teammates to stop sweeping . Shouting “ heavily ! ” stand for the others need to start sweeping quicker . If that ’s still not get the job done , shout “ Hurry hard ! ” will likelydrive the pointhome : find fault up the intensity and span withdownward pressure . A " Clean ! " outcry means put a brush on the ice-skating rink but employ no pressure . This will crystalize the ice so the Harlan Stone can glide more easily .
There ’s no regulation for the shouts , though — curler Erika Brownsaysshe cry “ Right off ! ” and “ Whoa ! ” to get her teammates to kibosh sweep . And when it ’s meter for the squad to set out wholesale , you might get wind " Yes ! " or " Sweep ! " or " Get on it ! " The actual terminology is n’t as crucial ashowthe idiom is shout . loop is a fun connote on feel , and it ’s often thevolume and urgencyin the skip ’s voice ( and what shade of red they ’re turning ) that ’s the most important facet of the shouting .
If you involve any more intellect to make wave your favored winter sport , once all that yell is over and a winner is declared , it ’s not uncommon for both teams to go out for a round of drinks afterwards ( with the winners picking up the tab , manifestly ) . Find out how you could pick up a light touch and ascertain the ins and outs of curl with ourbeginner ’s templet .
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