Talking about a new sports game for Russia on ice, curling, one of the journalists jokingly remarked: they say, we do not know how to win yet, but we have already written the anthem. It was about the popular song "Granite Pebble", the name of which, it just happened, almost coincided with the main game "weapon" in curling, a stone made of granite. Many years later, Russian curlers reached the world sports peaks, but the material for making stones remained the same.
Stones in the house
Ice curling, which appeared at the beginning of the 16th century in Great Britain, more precisely, in Scotland, at first glance looks like quite simple fun. But only at first. In fact, curling is a very serious and clever game, which resembles chess in the degree of complexity of moves and various combinations. There are enough nuances even in how exactly you need to hold the plastic handle and launch a heavy stone, how to rub the already clean and slippery ice in front of it, how to aim.
During a match, consisting of ten ends, its participants from two rival teams, each of which must have four people, let, in turn, eight almost 20-kilogram stones. Then they clean the ice in front of them, for better gliding, with special brushes. Ideally, the rock should hit the target area called the “home” and give the throwing team a scoring point.
Volcanic origin
The main problem in the manufacture of the first sports stones in Scotland was the choice of the right material. After all, they needed such a strong stone projectile so that it would not crumble or break at the very first throw. According to historians of curling, all breeds known in this mountainous country have passed the test for "professional suitability". But the only one who survived it in the end was the Blue Hone and Ailsa Craig Common Green granite. And not simple, but created by nature itself after a volcanic eruption; from magma cooled by water. Thanks to this, he did not have even small cracks and was recognized as ideal when making stones for the Scottish national game.
For a long time, this solid granite was mined on the volcanic island of Aylesa Craig. It would seem that everything was working out, but then the island was declared a nature reserve, and the production had to be closed. However, new high-quality material was found soon and nearby - in North Wales. It is from him that sets of 16 almost precious stones (the cost of only one, due to manual processing with diamond tools and delivery, reaches $ 600) and are sold around the world, including Russia.
From Wales to the Urals
Another serious problem was the almost catastrophic decrease in the stock of North Welsh granite, which, according to experts, will only last until 2020. In this regard, the search for new reserves began around the world, and stones were no longer produced, as before, from solid granite. They even tried to make them in the Urals. But such stones were enough only for a week of trial competitions in Moscow, after which the seemingly smooth surface suddenly turned out to be rough. In addition, they completely stopped sliding. An urgent examination showed that the beautiful Ural granite has small inclusions of mica, which led to defects. As a result, stones from the homeland of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain began to be used only in training, and even then after repeated express polishing.
Gift from Dunblane
The year of birth of curling is 1511. No, this date was not mentioned in the medieval chronicle or in the novel by Walter Scott. It was written by the players themselves from the 16th century, and directly on a stone, many years later found at the bottom of a dry pond in the Scottish city of Dunblane. He got there, having fallen, apparently, under the ice, on which in those ancient times the curling matches were played. This sports equipment looked more like an ordinary bulky cobblestone, in terms of weight, shape and material, it did not at all resemble a modern “granite pebble”.
However, other equipment for the players who lived in the time of James IV Stewart was unlikely to have been provided. For example, the Scottish weavers from Darwell used stones with a removable and polished handle by their wives, made directly in the factory from part of the looms, for play. And some of the stones weighed up to 80 kg! The round shape, the current weight and size of the stones acquired only two hundred years later. They were 11.5 inches (about 29 cm) in diameter, 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) high and 44 pounds (19.96 kg) in weight.
