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| 02-25-17 01:36PM |
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NWT Icemaker
Knee-Slider
Registered: Mar 2014
Location:
Posts: 5 |
Running rocks vs. Nipping
Differing opinions. I am told that if you nip, there is no need to run the rocks over the sheet. Then someone else says nip AND run the rocks. I think if you nip and run the rocks you are wearing and smashing the pebble off too much.
What's the consensus on this?
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| 02-25-17 05:54PM |
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rooke
Harvey Hacksmasher
Registered: Dec 2003
Location:
Posts: 24 |
If you're preparing ice for young curlers or maybe even new curlers, nipping and dragging can be utilized. The ice will be right up to speed and there isn't much worry of it breaking down because the sweeping will be less intense then it would be if experienced curlers were playing.
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| 02-25-17 05:58PM |
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On The Nose
Drawmaster
Registered: Apr 2014
Location: In the House
Posts: 608 |
Re: Running rocks vs. Nipping
quote:
Originally posted by NWT Icemaker
Differing opinions. I am told that if you nip, there is no need to run the rocks over the sheet. Then someone else says nip AND run the rocks. I think if you nip and run the rocks you are wearing and smashing the pebble off too much.
What's the consensus on this?
I don't think I've ever seen both done. It's usually one or the other.
Of course, doing both is also more time consuming - and most clubs don't have a lot of time to spare between draws.
Up until a few years ago, it seemed that running the rocks was considered good enough, and that's what many clubs did. Over the past 10 years or so, though, more and more clubs have acquired nippers, and this seems to be the preferred method now.
I've even heard of some clubs who use their Ice Master/King to nip. Seems like overkill to me, though...
For those clubs who have a nipper, don't throw out your rock holder (used to run the rocks) - it can come in quite handy if ever there is a problem which renders the nipper unusable for a period.
__________________
"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own... but the great man is he who, in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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| 02-25-17 06:39PM |
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guido
Super Rockchucker
Registered: Feb 2011
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 1418 |
Why nip or run rocks????????
Ever since rinks have bee doing that the pebble breaks down before the end of the game. I would rather have a couple heavier ends to start with than unpredictable ice at the end.
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| 02-25-17 08:01PM |
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jtphoto2020
Harvey Hacksmasher
Registered: Mar 2014
Location: Eau Claire Wisconsin
Posts: 20 |
We generally nip at our club. I do, however, do both for practice sometimes to get it up to speed quickly.
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Jeff Thompson
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| 02-25-17 10:36PM |
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curlky
Drawmaster
Registered: Oct 2013
Location:
Posts: 559 |
quote:
Originally posted by guido
Why nip or run rocks????????
Ever since rinks have bee doing that the pebble breaks down before the end of the game. I would rather have a couple heavier ends to start with than unpredictable ice at the end.
I prefer to start the match with good ice, and adjust as the ice slows during a match. A good team and skip will know the faster lines, and call accordingly. Heavy ice in the first end or 2 not only makes those ends worse, but they make it hard to know the ice when the 3rd and 4th ends get back. So in my opinion you end up with half of a game being poor curling with heavy ice int eh 1st and second. I also feel like this random heavy ice in teh first makes the game more random more than a match of skills
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| 02-26-17 03:36PM |
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ngm
Swing Artist
Registered: Feb 2011
Location:
Posts: 272 |
The nipper is one of the two greatest innovations to improve the enjoyment of club level curling in the past 20-25 years.
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| 02-27-17 01:11PM |
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propane_cooker
Harvey Hacksmasher
Registered: Jan 2015
Location: Manitoba
Posts: 50 |
quote:
Originally posted by curlky
I prefer to start the match with good ice, and adjust as the ice slows during a match. A good team and skip will know the faster lines, and call accordingly. Heavy ice in the first end or 2 not only makes those ends worse, but they make it hard to know the ice when the 3rd and 4th ends get back. So in my opinion you end up with half of a game being poor curling with heavy ice int eh 1st and second. I also feel like this random heavy ice in teh first makes the game more random more than a match of skills
I agree absolutely with culrky. Nothing worse from my point of view as a curler than starting the game with heavy ice. It means your guessing at draw weight for 3 ends. Would much rather have it slow down a bit and curl a little more at the end of the game, much easier to anticipate. Over the past couple years our club has made some changes to try and improve things (faster ice, more curl). We have installed a Jet Ice system (reverse osmosis water), textured the rocks, and just part way through this year we got a nipper. Before this it was always just rocked before a draw. I find that the nipped ice starts off closer to the speed and curl that is going to be "normal" for the game. Sometimes our icemaker nips then rocks (just there and back), which I think is a little overkill. However, nipping and rocking at our rink sure makes it nice at the beginning and in a 8 end game the breakdown of the pebble is manageable. This is probably somewhat dependent on individual rink conditions. Wouldn't recommend nipping and rocking for a 10 end game. As was mentioned nipping and rocking great for practice ice and youth curlers especially if they are playing a shorter game.
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| 02-27-17 01:20PM |
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drawthepin
Harvey Hacksmasher
Registered: Feb 2015
Location:
Posts: 73 |
We nip (use our Boss scraper) and run the rocks. For our junior practices, I will run the rocks up to three times, for our 6 end games, will run the rocks twice and for 8 end games, will run the rocks once.
As long as our plant is running 21 degrees, we have no issues with slow us at the end of an 8 end game and it is so much funner (in my opinion) to have keen ice from the start.
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| 02-27-17 04:25PM |
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ChiefIceMinion
Harvey Hacksmasher
Registered: Nov 2012
Location: In the crawlspace
Posts: 83 |
quote:
Originally posted by curlky
I prefer to start the match with good ice, and adjust as the ice slows during a match. A good team and skip will know the faster lines, and call accordingly. Heavy ice in the first end or 2 not only makes those ends worse, but they make it hard to know the ice when the 3rd and 4th ends get back. So in my opinion you end up with half of a game being poor curling with heavy ice int eh 1st and second. I also feel like this random heavy ice in teh first makes the game more random more than a match of skills
If the nipper has been set up correctly and the ice is otherwise in reasonable condition, the first end (and possibly the second end) will be slightly slower than the rest of the game. For example, our ice will generally speed up by 0.1 to 0.2 secs (back to hog line) depending on whether I just scraped, there was just a game on the ice or if the ice has been sitting for a few hours. More importantly, though, practically everyone expects this to occur and accounts for it. The game isn't "random" as a result.
On the opposite side of things, getting the ice right up to full game speed on the first rock(s) can run the risk of having the pebble go flat towards the end.
Chief Ice Minion
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| 02-27-17 06:44PM |
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curlky
Drawmaster
Registered: Oct 2013
Location:
Posts: 559 |
quote:
Originally posted by ChiefIceMinion
If the nipper has been set up correctly and the ice is otherwise in reasonable condition, the first end (and possibly the second end) will be slightly slower than the rest of the game. For example, our ice will generally speed up by 0.1 to 0.2 secs (back to hog line) depending on whether I just scraped, there was just a game on the ice or if the ice has been sitting for a few hours. More importantly, though, practically everyone expects this to occur and accounts for it. The game isn't "random" as a result.
On the opposite side of things, getting the ice right up to full game speed on the first rock(s) can run the risk of having the pebble go flat towards the end.
Chief Ice Minion
I actually am not smart enough to know if you spoke in support of me, or in argument to me. My definition of random in teh first end with ice being heavy would be pebble without nip and/or drag in response to guido. I understand that prepared ice will be slightly slower, but without prep, it will randomly range from slightly slower to extremely slower
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