Getting a handle on curling stones not easy at Tournament of Hearts in Calgary
Global News
The honour system is in play at the Canadian women's curling championship when it comes to hog-line violations.
The honour system is in play at the Canadian women’s curling championship when it comes to hog-line violations.
A curler delivering a stone must release it before it reaches the hog line. Sensors in each stone’s handle determine whether the rock is released in time because of a magnetic strip embedded in the ice under the hog line.
A green light in the handle indicates a legal delivery, while a red light indicates a violation and the stone gets pulled.
But handle sensors were disabled at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary’s WinSport Event Arena after five hog-line violations in the second draw.
“Some spots were prematurely lighting up,” said Curling Canada’s chief ice technician Greg Ewasko. “We deemed that it’s not really fair to the curlers.”
Ewasko’s initial theory that magnets in the arena floor to affix short-track speedskating pylons might be the culprit has been replaced by the possibility that rebar in the floor contains ferrous metal with magnetic properties that interfere with the handle sensor and the ice magnet.
“We found out that there’s no magnets that are embedded into the concrete for speedskating. What we are thinking is the handles are attracted to ferrous metals, like rebar, with some magnetic components in it,” Ewasko said. “We won’t really know until we take the ice out.
“When they make a floor for hockey or curling, the concrete has rebar in it. Because there’s so many thousands of rebar, they could have a few pieces in there made back in the day that have ferrous metals.”
Respiratory illnesses like RSV and influenza are on the rise throughout Canada, with Saskatchewan also reporting increased levels of sickness.
In Manitoba, ice fishing is a popular winter activity but it doesn't some without some risks. An avid ice fisherman shares his best safety tips.
As fires take over the Los Angeles area, some Saskatchewan residents have been forced to flee.
Toronto police said that around 9 a.m. on Friday, the man fell through the ice on Lake Ontario off the edge of Toronto Island into the waters beneath where he died.
The Liberal Party has set new rules on who can vote in the leadership race. But some experts say it might not be enough to mitigate fears of foreign interference.
City officials said fire investigators believe the explosion happened inside the building.
Firefighters in the Los Angeles-area have been battling raging fires for several days now, with the flames killing 10 people and whole neighbourhoods obliterated.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says she won't be running to become the next Liberal party leader who will succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Andrew Goodsell was settling into his tent at the Lower Flinn Park encampment in Halifax for the night when he heard a large explosion go off nearby.
Mark Holland says provincial and territorial health plans will cover primary care provided by nurse practitioners, pharmacists and midwives.
A 10-year-old girl from Moncton is making her mark in the competitive tennis world but a lack of indoor training space in the city is limiting her practice time.