Skip in curling

The head of the team

A curling team consists of four players: lead, second, third and skip. The names describe the order in which they play their stones. The skip is also the captain. They decide which shot is played and usually stand in the house at the far end of the sheet to do so.

Duties

• Tactics: the skip decides whether a draw or a takeout is played, where the stone should go and with which rotation.
• Showing the target: they mark the target with the broom. The delivering player aims at this broom.
• Calling the weight: with gestures and words they show how fast the stone should be.
• Directing the sweeping: while the stone is moving, they call to the sweepers whether to sweep or not. Well-known calls are "Hard!" for vigorous sweeping and "Off!" or "Up!" for stopping.
• Last stones: as a rule the skip plays the team's last two stones, including the hammer.

The vice-skip

When the skip is delivering, the third, also called the vice-skip, usually takes over in the house. They show the target, make the calls and are responsible for counting and measuring at the end of the end. Skip and vice-skip often have short discussions.

Playing position and captain kept separate

The rules do not require the captain to play the last stones. Some teams separate the roles: one player leads the team as skip but throws as third, while another plays the last stones. This lets teams use their strongest shooters and their best tactician independently. In results lists the skip is still marked.

The other positions

• Lead: plays the first two stones, often guards or draws, and sweeps a lot.
• Second: plays stones three and four, often takeouts, and is also a strong sweeper.
• Third: plays stones five and six and is the skip's right hand.

Well-known skips

In the German-speaking world, Andrea Schöpp is one of the best-known skips; she became world champion in 1988 and 2010. In Switzerland, Silvana Tirinzoni led her team to several world titles. Curling teams are often named after their skip, for example "Team Tirinzoni".

For beginners

In recreational teams the roles often rotate. Newcomers usually play lead and learn sweeping along the way. Later they take on more responsibility. You become a skip through experience, understanding of the game and a calm voice in hectic moments.