NEW CURLING RULE WILL PUT MORE ROCKS IN PLAY
Five-rock free-guard zone that goes into effect in 2018-19 should increase offence
The rules for curling ’s free-guard zone are expanding. The World Curling Federation and Curling Canada are both implementing the five-rock freeguard zone, starting with the 2018-19 season. The four-rock rule is in effect now. The expanded rule will add another protected rock to the four that can’t be removed from the area between the hog line and the house. The fifth stone is expected to increase offence, reduce blank ends and generally lead to more entertaining games. “Yeah!” Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones said during a break at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. “It’s just so good for curling because there are so many rocks in play. You get a lead and it’s never done. A lot of times, especially in men’s curling, if there is a lead, it’s over and it makes you have to make a ton of shots. I just love it.” The free-guard zone has been around curling since 1993, with some modifications to the number of stones. Previously, none of the rocks were protected and teams could peel guards when they got an early lead, which led to low-scoring and boring games. Canadians originally played a three-rock free-guard zone while the WCF played under the four-rock rule. Canada eventually adopted the four-rock rule. Over the years, skilled teams have become adept at dealing with the four-rock free-guard zone. Leads could move rocks around the front of house without removing them. While the tick shot requires skill and touch, it in effect minimized the intent of the rule while leaving rocks on the ice but out of play. “The ones who have played (with the five-rock rule) think it’s a much more entertaining game,” said Nolan Thiessen, Curling Canada’s athlete liaison officer. “There is a better chance to come back (from a deficit). There are less blank ends and more interesting things going on. “A lot of time with the fourrock rule, it’s very cut and dried with offence and defence. The five-rock strategy is totally different and everyone has a different idea.” Under the four-rock rule, teams could remove a second guard with their fifth shot. With five rocks, none of the guards can be removed until the fifth stone has been played. “I’m really excited for it,” said Alberta’s Casey Scheidegger. “We’ve been fortunate enough to play under the five-rock rule in the Grand Slams and it’s something we feel more comfortable with.” The rule change means Curling Canada, the Grand Slam of Curling (which officially adopted the five-rock rule in 2014) and WCF championships will be in sync. “It’s harder to go back to fourrock after you’re been playing five-rock,” Scheidegger said. “It’s easier to switch back to fourrock from five-rock.” The four-rock free-guard zone encouraged leads to play more of a finesse game in their placement of guards and the tick shots. Team Canada lead Raunora Westcott can see that aspect of the game changing under the five-rock free-guard zone. “The second now has to throw solid draw weight and historically your seconds needed to hit,” Westcott said. Westcott feels it will be a better game for fans. “Even this week, I felt teams weren’t engaging us,” Westcott said. “When we put up guards they would just peel them away. It makes it a boring game when it’s just hit and hit. So ideally it will be better.” Curling Canada has a large sample of games from which to determine the impact of the fiverock rule because it has been used in Grand Slams. “Some (were concerned) there were going to be more blowouts and there are actually less,” Thiessen said. “There are less games where the players shake early compared to the four-rock rule under the 10-end game. That transfers across whether it’s an eight- or 10-end game. “It’s significantly better for teams to make it entertaining in the second half of the game. People don’t realize when they are down a couple of points coming home that they might have only a 10 per cent chance of winning.” Games played at curling clubs may also open up with the introduction of the five-rock rule. “People don’t go to club curling just to throw them up and down the ice,” Thiessen said. “It is pushed down to the club level, but in the end the WCF and Curling Canada rule book is really tailored to competitive play.” There have been suggestions Curling Canada and the WCF consider reducing games from 10 ends to eight during the next Olympic quadrennial. Grand Slam games are eight ends. “I hear it more and more at the WCF level for broadcast purposes, but it’s not on the table at the moment to be changed,” Thiessen said.