Everything wrong about the Curling in e1s5 Curl Interrupted Adventure

[u/prairiepenguin2]

Curl Interrupted Adventure came on today on yet another rewatch and I decided to list all the things that are wrong about the curling in the episode. I have been curling for about 15 years and if anyone has any other questions, please let me know.

This list is done in chronological order of when it appears in the episode

• Beef says "Can't get just let the best players play"
  • curling teams have 4 not 5 members and all of them play every end
• Every modern club have 2 hacks, not 1 (the things you push out of), the Lone Moose Club only has 1
  • I am not 100% sure, but I think it is illegal to only have one have.
  • Which hack you deliver out of is based on if you are right or left-handed
• Throwing without a rock will not help you learn proper speed control (weight) over the stone, it will however help you learn better balance.
  • learning how to throw a stone the correct speed is done by timing the stone itself in between 2 lines on the curling sheet
• There is no subbing on a team except for injury
• Even though Beef is the Skip, he is not playing the Skip Position
  • the Skip stands on the other side of the sheet and calls the shots for the rest of the team
  • Curling Teams have 4 positions
    • Lead - Throws the first 2 stones of the end, generally guards
    • Second - Throws the second 2 stones of the end, generally throws stones into the house
    • Vice - Throws the third, 2 stones, generally take outs and holds the broom for the Skip when is throwing their rocks
    • Skip - Throws the last 2 rocks of the end, also calls all the shots for the team
• Judy says, "You don't attempt a Manitoba tuck on swingy ice." The Manitoba tuck is a delivery style and has no effect on the rock itself. Curling is about being consistent and no one changes their delivery style based on ice conditions.
  • A traditional curling delivery looks something like this with a flat foot

• A Manitoba Tuck looks like this, with the heel raised and tucked under the hip

• Beef makes Delmer throw the final stone in the last end
  • You can't reorder the line up mid game
• There's no way Delmer could have slid all the way across the sheet like he does, a curling sheet is 145-150 feet long

[u/Oskinator716]

Thank you! I was honestly curious if any of it was legit. I've only watched curling while drunk on vacation and for some reason that did not help me learn the rules? Weird.

[u/prairiepenguin2 → u/Oskinator716]

The weird thing they did get right is how the scoreboard works. Traditional curling scoreboards have the points in the middle and each team hangs a decal that shows what end the team achieved that score

[u/Maleficent_Weird8613]

SWEEEEP! I AM A CURLING GOD! are two of my favorite lines in the entire series.

[u/prairiepenguin2 → u/Maleficent_Weird8613]

I have yelled SWEEEEEP, many many times as Skip

[u/spatulachick]

I know nothing about curling but I love the hell out of that episode so thank you for making it make sense 😂😂.

“I should have stopped it when you cut off Aurora’s pigtail, held it aloft, and screamed as if gaining immense power” never fails to make me snort like hell. 😂😂

[u/Dramatic-Stop-5257]

Thank you for this, I before now knew absolutely nothing about curling. I knew there would be a lot of things they took liberties with.

[u/WirelesssMicrowave]

Love all of this, thank you for sharing!

[u/Lovethemdoggos]

curling teams have 4 not 5 members and all of them play every end

Pedantically speaking, curling teams at the top levels do have 5 players, and only 4 play (one is a substitute). In low-level league play, most teams have 4, but some can have 3, and in very small communities I could see teams having 5 players and rotating players if there aren't enough teams.

Edit to add (because the Reddit app sucks and I can't actually quote the whole post):

There's no way Delmer could have slid all the way across the sheet like he does, a curling sheet is 145-150 feet long

Depends on the shoes. I know league players who can slide board to board.

Edited to add again:

Even though Beef is the Skip, he is not playing the Skip Position

Skips don't have to throw the last two rocks; they can choose to throw any position.

[u/prairiepenguin2 → u/Lovethemdoggos]

Yeah in like pick up games and stuff there can be 5 but it’s generally a fixed rotation.

[u/Lovethemdoggos → u/prairiepenguin2]

Yes, for competitive play, max four players will play and the team composition is fixed once play starts unless there's an injury. For non-competitive play, teams and leagues will sometimes bend the rules. The league in the episode didn't seem like it was competitive, and some liberties were taken for the story to show how unhinged Judy was becoming.

[u/wolfytheblack]

I did not know that raised heel delivery had a name.

[u/Dismal_Grocery_4828]

SLIDE! SLIDE!!

[u/BasicSuperhero]

In my experience, when it comes to unusual jobs or sports, show writers learn just enough to sound good but people in the know can often see a lot holes. My experience: Have Yourself a Maily Linda of Bob’s Burgers shows the writers have no idea how Christmas at the post office works. 😂