// TRAINING TIPS FROM JON GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
Reading ice – Believe what you see By Jon Mielke, USCA Level III instructor and Level III coach
way the green is sloped and how the putt will roll as it travels toward the cup. If only curling ice was as easy to read. Curling ice is a lot like golf greens, except the slope is invisible. Some
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ice is flat, but oſten times it is not. It is up to the skip to figure out not only how much the ice is curling for various kinds of shots (draws, regular hits, hack weight shots, etc.), but also to determine if different parts of the sheet act differently because of imperfections such as ridges, runs, falls, etc. Tese determinations are made by watching every rock that is thrown by both teams on various parts of the sheet. Only by paying attention to how rocks make their way down the sheet can a skip figure out the topography of the ice. Tere are many reasons why sheets of curling ice develop unique pro-
files. Even perfectly flat sheets of ice will change over time. Contributing factors include things such as pebbling and scraping patterns, air and ice temperatures, air flows within the building, and humidity levels. Tese factors are accentuated in clubs that do not have full-time icemakers and depend on a variety of volunteers who take turns preparing the ice. (If this applies to your club, try to educate everyone involved concerning proper pebbling and scraping techniques in order to minimize practices that contribute to worsening playing conditions). And in arena clubs, Zamboni patterns can create ice profiles that resemble all the directional changes of a bobsled run. Te following diagram illustrates some common ice profiles:
ICE PROFILES FLAT FALL RUN DISHED BOWED RIDGED
nyone who golfs, or who has ever watched golf, knows that players squat behind their ball on the green and look toward the cup before they putt. Tey are trying to figure out which
“Flat” ice is easy to read. Rocks
curl equally left to right and right to left all the way across the sheet. Unfortunately, flat ice can also be a rare commodity. “Dished” ice will curl hard
toward the center of the sheet but less as you move farther toward the outside edges of the 12 foot. Con- versely, a bowed sheet will curl hard going away from the center line, but there will be less curl moving from the outside toward the center. On a sheet with a “ridge” or a “run,” rocks will curl normally on the flat
portions of the sheet, but the ridge or run will prevent them from getting over the hump or though the trough - they just stay on that line. A “fall” means that the sheet is sloped in one direction. A fall can go
all across a sheet or it may just cover a part of the playing area. If the slope is slight, rocks will simply curl more one way than the other. If the slope is severe, skips may be forced to play negative ice. In a negative ice situation, all rocks will move sideways in the same direction, regard- less of which turn is applied. Skips must, therefore, put the broom on the upside of the desired target. On a sheet that is sloped to the left, all shots will move to the left, regardless of which turn is applied. A clockwise turn with the broom on the right side of the target area will, however, curl less than a shot with a counterclockwise turn. Sweeping, regardless of the turn, will make the rock “fall” more. So, why is it important to read ice and to know a sheet’s unique char-
acteristics? First of all, getting to know the ice helps a skip decide where to put the broom. For example, if a sheet is slightly sloped to one side and curls more one way than the other, the skip needs to adjust the broom for shots down one side vs. the other. It may also influence if the skip calls for an in-turn or an out-turn. If the sheet is bowed, shots being played toward the center line need less ice than shots that are moving toward the outside of the sheet. Just the opposite is true if the sheet is dished. Becoming aware of a sheet’s characteristics can also impact a team’s
strategy. If the opposing skip does not pick up on a sheet’s profile, or if opposing players have difficulty throwing certain types of shots, try to force play to a portion of the sheet that will make life miserable for them. Misses by them should lead to more points for you. During last year’s Scots Tour, I remember a particular piece of arena ice
where we noticed a major fall. We were playing a takeout and took about a foot of negative ice – the rock fell into a well-struck hit. The opposing skip was not paying attention to our shot and put down the broom for a takeout of his own, but he took ice as if he was playing on a sheet of normal ice. Even though he hit the broom, his takeout attempt missed by at least two feet. Being a good skip is a full-time job. Not only are skips responsible
BOWED & DISHED 6 ))
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for strategy, shot-making, and watching for the other team’s tendencies and deficiencies, they also have to watch every rock that is thrown by both teams in an attempt to learn the ice and all its idiosyncrasies. Other players on the team need to know that they make a skip’s job much easier if they hit the broom and have a clean release on every shot. Every poorly thrown stone is a lost opportunity to learn how rocks react as they travel
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