Sweepers’ Roles and Responsibilities

Sections:

Ethics, Equipment and Conduct

Introduction to Sliding

Balance – Part 1

Balance – Part 2

Delivery – Three Step Technique

Delivery – Five Step Technique

Grip, Rotation and Release of a Rock

Position of the Rock for a Three or Five Step Delivery

Delivery with a Stick

Sweeping

Sweepers’ Roles and Responsibilities

Rules

Roles and Communication Between Players

Sliding – Traps to Avoid

Turn and Release of the Stone – Traps to Avoid

Different Shots and Signals

Timing

Strategies

Strategies – Continued

A good sweeper is not content with only applying pressure on the ice according to his skip’s instructions. His role is much more complex and strategic. Here are the sweeper’s principal functions.

1. A sweeper shall be clear on the delivery called for by the skip and make sure both he and his partner are aware of it or of the plan B, if necessary.
2. A sweeper shall judge as best he can the weight and the line of the rock as soon as it is released by the delivering player.
3. A sweeper shall inform the skip of his perception and take into account his partner’s comments.
4. A sweeper shall follow the rock and pay attention to the moment where it will lose speed or start to curl.
5. A sweeper shall react quickly to the skip’s request for sweeping and adjust to it. A sweeper shall always follow the rock and be ready to sweep on demand.
6. If needed, a sweeper shall work with the skip to evaluate a possible alternative plan and avoid any negative impact of the delivered rock for his team.
7. When the rock comes to rest, sweepers shall return to their position close to the hog lines on the other side of the sheet.

Other than sweeping vigorously, the most difficult aspect of a sweeper’s role is to judge the rock’s weight. To attain this, the use of a stop-watch can help. However, this needs for the delivery to be flawless, without restraining the rock or weighing it down. You can also count in a rhythmic fashion to calculate the weight of the rock in accordance with the speed of the ice. You can also judge according to your pace as you follow the rock. To achieve a certain level of skill in judging the speed of a rock, you must first stay focused on the game and develop your own reference points.

Finally, when the other team is playing, we sometimes ask a sweeper of the team to stand on the hog line to make sure the delivering player does not cross it.