how do brooms affect the stone's path in olym...

In Olympic curling, brooms affect the stone’s path by changing the ice right in front of the moving stone so it goes farther and straighter , with less “curl.”

Quick Scoop: What sweeping actually does

When players sweep in front of the stone, they briefly warm and smooth the pebbled ice surface, which reduces friction.

Lower friction means:

• The stone keeps more of its speed and travels farther down the sheet.

• The stone “curls” (bends) less, so its path straightens out compared with an unswept shot.

• Small bits of debris are brushed away so they don’t bump the stone off-line.

In other words, if the throw will come up short or over-curl, strong sweeping can “stretch” the line and distance to get it closer to the target.

Why this matters so much at the Olympics

At elite level, a difference of just a few millimeters can decide which stone scores, and that can decide an Olympic medal.

Modern high-performance brooms with carbon-fiber handles and specialized synthetic heads give sweepers more speed, pressure, and control than old corn brooms ever did.

There was even a “broom technology” controversy (“broomgate”) when more abrasive broom heads were found to change the stone’s path too much, almost like carving a track in the ice, which led to tighter equipment rules.

Simple mental picture

Imagine sliding a heavy puck over frosty glass:

• If you quickly rub the glass just ahead of the puck, it glides easier and doesn’t hook as sharply.
• If you don’t rub it, the rougher surface grabs more, slowing and curving the puck more.

That’s basically what curlers are doing with brooms: fine-tuning distance and direction after the stone has already left the thrower’s hand.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.