Registered: Feb 2015
Location: Duluth, MN
Posts: 1

I am a curler that is new to competitive curling. I recently got picked up as the alternate for a week long event. When I am not on the ice what are some things that I can watch for and take notes on to help the team?

One thing I am wondering about is how to "match stones" during a practice session or pregame warm-up?

What other things should I pay attention to during a practice session (besides looking for runs/ridges in the ice and getting split times for my teammates)?

What are some things I should note when scouting a future opponent?

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 440

It's a good idea to track the order that teams are throwing rocks in on each sheet. If they've switched them they think there's a good reason.

Also see how a team (maybe your next opponent) likes to call their game. Do they throw a lot of hits? A lot of draws? Do they favor one turn over the other? Is there a particular turn/shot that one player struggles with? That's all stuff you can note for your team.

Rock matching is probably best done during pre-event practice as you want sufficient time to do so. What I like to do is throw two rocks on the same line with the same weight and see how they behave, and then do it again. If they land similarly then they're matched. If they don't (I.E. one always stops a few feet shorter than the other), then I treat those as mismatched rocks. You have to really know your own delivery well to do that, so you're aware if you added or pulled back. Timing a teammate doing this is a good idea, then you've got an objective point of reference to go by.

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