The fascinating history of curling and the mystical isle from which the stone hails
From its 16th century origins to Queen Victoria’s involvement through to the Olympic Winter Games, learn the surprisingly captivating story behind curling.
Curling
With the earliest evidence of the sport dating back to the 16th century, curling is thought to be one of the oldest team sports in the world.
Paintings, poems and other forms of writing all point to Scottish origins where the game began as a fun pastime, with leisure seekers throwing stones over frozen lochs throughout the country.
Modern day curling could loosely be compared to shuffleboard (deck) or bowling, with the athlete’s objective to slide the stone across the ice towards a target.
For more than five centuries, the sport has evolved, becoming increasingly popular across the globe and a highly anticipated watch at each Olympic Wiinter Games.
The early beginnings of curling
Evidence before the year 1541 is scarce, but it was the notary John McQuhin in Paisley, Scotland that kicked off the written history of curling as he recorded a challenge that involved throwing stones across the ice between a monk and representative of the Abbot. Written in Latin, the documentation made clear the sport began as a fun, recreational pastime.
Around the same time, paintings by 16th-century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicted groups of people sliding stones across frozen ponds. But curling seriously began gaining popularity in the 18th-century, when the sport was highly celebrated in the Lowlands of Scotland and the subject of many published poems of the time.
By the 1830s, curling had gained so much popularity that the demand for a governing body to regulate the game instilled the creation of the Grand Caledonian Curling Club, presently known as the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC).
Founded in 1838, Scottish Curling describes its purpose as “regulating the ancient Scottish game of Curling by general laws”.
(L-R) Jocelyn Peterman, Kaitlyn Lawes and Dawn McEwen of Team Canada compete against Team Japan during the Women's Round Robin Curling Session on Day 7 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Aquatics Centre on February 11, 2022 in Beijing, China.
Queen Victoria even became a notable name in the sport, when introduced to the activity by the Earl of Mansfield when president of the RCCC in 1842, after he put on a demonstration on his polished ballroom floor.
“The Queen was so fascinated by the game that in 1843 she gave permission for the Club’s name to be changed to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club,” cites the World Curling Federation of the reason behind the change in name of the club.
“We have reason to know that her Majesty herself 'tried her hand' at throwing the Stones, although they proved to be too heavy for her delicate arm,” reported The Curling History Blog.
The game continued to explode around the world, becoming an Olympic sport at the very first Olympic Winter Games in 1924 in Chamonix, France.
Today, curling has been featured in 11 Winter Olympics with Canada achieving the most titles with six team wins – three in the men's tournament, two in the women's event, and one in the mixed doubles at its inaugural edition at PyeongChang 2018.
The 2022 edition in Beijing was the most recent Games in which curling made an appearance with Great Britain winning gold just as they did at the very first edition in 1924. This time, however, it was the women's team who came away with the top prize.
Originally solely contested by men, the Games in People's Republic of China saw Sweden come away with the men's title, and Italy, the mixed doubles crown, the podium toppers revealing the sport's development not only in format but popularity across the globe.
Nina Roth of Team United States competes against Team China during the Women's Round Robin Curling Session on Day 7 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Aquatics Centre on February 11, 2022 in Beijing, China.
The Olympic curling stone
Contrary to the different shapes and sizes of stones that were used in the early days of the sport, today, the Olympic stone is standardised with each weighing 20kg with a width of 278mm and a height of 136mm.
“Every single Olympic curling stone comes from this little island off the coast of Scotland,” former Team USA curling skip Erika Brown explained in an article in Scientific America.
Ailsa Craig is the name of the isle, which sits 16km from mainland Scotland, and granite the substance, with the density such that “no other stone curls like an Ailsa Criag Stone”, enthused Brown.
The island itself is just 3.2km in circumference, sits between Ireland and Scotland, and is said to have been formed by volcanic eruptions stretching back tens of millions of years.
“For us curlers," said Brown, "the island is a mystical place.”