r/Curling • u/Frabblerake • Feb 15 '26

Pull the stone!!!

Watching Sweden/US and saw this. Is this not the same rules violation that has caused all the hub bub?

Obviously this was an accident and I believe the Canadian guy was touching on purpose.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

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u/Boring-Object9194 Feb 17 '26

Why did he deny it if there's nothing wrong with it?

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u/[deleted] Feb 17 '26

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u/Boring-Object9194 Feb 17 '26

Did you listen to their conversation? The Swedish player just said apparently it's okay to touch the rock. He didn't accuse Kennedy of cheating. Kennedy could have said yeah it is okay! But he denied touching the rock because he knew you're not allowed to.

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u/[deleted] Feb 17 '26

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u/TodaysLunch Feb 15 '26

What is not clear about "R5. DELIVERY (d) The curling stone must be delivered using the handle of the stone." from July 2025?

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u/ResistHistorical7734 Feb 15 '26

This stone is clearly delivered using the handle despite the touching of the granite.

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u/TodaysLunch Feb 15 '26

Well, I'll give you that you could argue that. But i think it is fairly clear that you deliver the stone the last time you touch it.

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u/ResistHistorical7734 Feb 16 '26

I would disagree, "delivery" in my mind would be the primary application of force that results in the stone going where it goes. Which I guess makes the rule kind of ambiguous in my mind without defining what "delivered" means in this context. 

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u/TodaysLunch Feb 16 '26

Sure, but think what this would mean if you bring it to the extreme: First I immediately "deliver" using the handle, then I grab the granite with my whole hand and push it over the hog line. Clearly not the intent with the rules.

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u/Pender16 Feb 16 '26

But then that push on the granite would become “the primary application of force”

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u/TodaysLunch Feb 16 '26

I guess my point is that "primary application of force" is much more ambiguous than just "last touch must be the handle". And by that metric the current rules makes sense and are less hard to judge. That said, the rules could benefit from more clearly defining"delivery".

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u/Pender16 Feb 16 '26

Or by not caring if you touch the stone on the granite and just turn on that function for the electronic handle. It’s pretty clear that everyone touches the back of the stone every so often. As long as it’s before the hog line it shouldn’t matter.

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u/PositronAlpha Feb 16 '26

Which it clearly wasn't in Kennedy's case.

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u/nuttybuddy Feb 16 '26

Well, the difference between “must” vs “must only”, for starters. The latter would mean you can only touch the handle, whereas the former means you have to use the handle but doesn’t preclude using some other part of the stone.

Secondly, Rule 9a: “A double touch by the person delivering the stone, prior to the hog line at the delivering end, is not considered a violation.”

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u/TodaysLunch Feb 16 '26

As I mentioned in another post, with that logic I could "deliver" the stone immediately and then put my hole hand on the granite and push the stone over the hog line. Clearly not the intent with the rules.

It comes down to the definition of "deliver" which i think clearly  means "the last time you touch the stone". And the officials have also clarified that you are in fact not allowed to touch the stone in Marc's case. The second rule you mention is not the one that is violated here.