You’re all in on mixed doubles curling, but you already have questions, like, why are there already stones on the ice?
So you’re watching Olympic curling, mixed doubles to be precise, and you’re just catching up on all the rules and the scoring and such. You think you’ve got it but every time a new end (that is, inning or frame of play) begins, you notice there are already two stones (or rocks) on the sheet (the ice).
You may be concerned that you’ve constantly missed each team’s the first play of every end. Worry not, that is not the case. That’s just a cool little trick mixed doubles curling likes to play on viewers.
If you should know anything about mixed doubles curling, it’s that curling folks are trying really hard to sell mixed doubles as the hip, accessible, lightly lawless and totally less buttoned-up variation of the sport. (It’s been compared to say, 3-on-3 basketball or beach volleyball.) Various points in favor of this argument include: mixed teams; fewer ends and fewer stones (hence, faster pace); both teammates sweeping on any delivery. In fact, both teammates have to do everything: sweep, line call, shoot with no skip, etc. All very avant-garde.
However, an additional twist the World Curling Federation added to spice up your classic curling game are those aforementioned stones you saw. At the start of each end, two stones — one per team — is placed on a predetermined spot on the ice that the teams must work around. Each pair also has a “power play” at their disposable (one per game) that allows them to move the pre-placed stones.
Next: Olympic mixed doubles curling schedule
The first session of the mixed doubles curling round robin tournament has wrapped, it aired the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 7. The tournament continues early Thursday morning with session 2 and Thursday evening with session 3.