Improving Your Game - Burned Rocks

Editor: unknown
Date: 2013-01-14

Posted: Jan 14, 2013
Contributed: Colin Sinclair

Every curler has touched (burned) or will touch (burn) a rock at some point (a burned rock is when a rock is touched while in motion by the throwing team). How a curler chooses to react to the situation is the important part. There is nothing more frustrating than watching your opposition burn a rock and say nothing. If you or any part of your equipment happens to touch a rock, upsetting as it may be, you have broken a rule and it is your ethical duty to say something.

Burning a rock can mean touching it with your brush, touching it with your foot, or even accidentally spitting your gum onto it or dropping your watch in its path. Curling has ethical behaviour entrenched in its core, if you know you or any part of your equipment has touched the rock you need to speak up. You should also speak up if you see your sweeping partner touch the rock - ask them about it first and then follow the rules.

If you are unfamiliar with the rules about a touched moving rock the concept is fairly simple. If you, your equipment, or belongings come in contact with the rock anywhere between the tee-line at the delivering end or the hogline at the playing end the rock should be removed from play immediately.

If you, your equipment or your belongings come in contact with the rock after the playing end hogline you should speak up about it right away, but allow the shot to play out. The non-offending team is then allowed to decide which of the following they’d like to do:

1) Remove the touched rock and put everything back the way it was
2) Leave everything as is after the touched rock comes to rest
3) Place all rocks, within reason, where they think they would have come to rest had the moving rock not been touched

If you touch a stationary rock (guard or in the house) – same thing – just let the persons in the house know what happened. They should be able to work it out between themselves.

It’s no fun to be the person who burns a rock. Nobody is ever proud of this mishap. However, if you violate a rule and don’t speak out about your mistake you are acting in an unethical and rule-breaking manner. Yes, maybe nobody noticed but you need to think about what you would want your opposition to do. In all likelihood you want your opposition to follow the rules. This means you need to do the same. Also think about your own ethics and values.