what does curl mean in curling

In curling, “curl” is the curve that the stone makes as it travels down the ice, caused by the stone’s rotation and the way it interacts with the pebbled ice surface.

Quick meaning

• When players say “that rock has a lot of curl ,” they mean it is bending a lot off the straight line as it slides.

• “Curl” is created by putting a gentle spin (turn) on the stone at release; this rotation makes the stone follow a curved path instead of going straight.

• Sweepers can affect how much it curls: more sweeping usually makes it travel farther and straighter, with less curl.

How players use the word

You’ll hear “curl” used in a few related ways:

• As a noun: “There’s about four feet of curl on this sheet,” meaning the stone will move sideways roughly that much over its travel.

• As a verb: “Let it curl ” or “it’s starting to curl ,” meaning the rock is beginning to bend toward the broom target.

• As a synonym for “turn” in some explanations: the “turn, handle, or curl” is the rotation of the stone that creates the curved trajectory.

Why curl matters in the game

• Curl lets teams “bend” rocks around guards to hide behind other stones, which is key to curling strategy.

• Different ice conditions have different amounts of curl, so teams spend early ends “reading” how much the stones move.

• Knowing the expected curl is how the skip decides where to put the broom and what turn (in-turn or out-turn) to call.

In short, “curl” in curling is all about how and how much the stone curves as it slides, not about its speed or score.