Editing Curling (section)

=== Curling broom ===
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2014}}
[[File:Curling broom.png|thumb|left|Curling broom]]
The ''curling broom'', or ''brush'', is used to sweep the ice surface in the path of the stone (see ''[[#Sweeping|sweeping]]'') and is also often used as a balancing aid during delivery of the stone.

Prior to the 1950s, most curling brooms were made of corn strands and were similar to household brooms of the day. In 1958, Fern Marchessault of [[Montreal]] inverted the corn straw in the centre of the broom. This style of corn broom was referred to as ''the Blackjack''.<ref name="curling.ca">{{cite web |url=http://www.curling.ca/start-curling/the-history-of-curling/ |title=The History of Curling |publisher=[[Canadian Curling Association]] |date=18 January 2013 |access-date=10 February 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210004409/http://www.curling.ca/start-curling/the-history-of-curling/ |archive-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>

Artificial brooms made from human-made fabrics rather than corn, such as the ''Rink Rat'', also became common later during this time period. Prior to the late sixties, ''Scottish'' curling brushes were used primarily by some of the [[Scottish people|Scots]], as well as by recreational and elderly curlers, as a substitute for corn brooms, since the technique was easier to learn. In the late sixties, competitive curlers from [[Calgary]], Alberta, such as John Mayer, Bruce Stewart, and, later, the world junior championship teams skipped by [[Paul Gowsell]], proved that the curling brush could be just as (or more) effective without all the blisters common to corn broom use.<ref name="curling.ca"/> During that time period, there was much debate in competitive curling circles as to which sweeping device was more effective: brush or broom. Eventually, the brush won out with the majority of curlers making the switch to the less costly and more efficient brush. Today, brushes have replaced traditional corn brooms at every level of curling; it is rare now to see a curler using a corn broom on a regular basis.

Curling brushes may have fabric, hog hair, or horsehair heads. Modern curling brush handles are usually hollow tubes made of [[fiberglass|fibreglass]] or [[carbon fiber|carbon fibre]] instead of a solid length of wooden [[dowel]]. These hollow tube handles are lighter and stronger than wooden handles, allowing faster sweeping and more downward force to be applied to the broom head with reduced shaft flex.
[[File:Legal brushhead in curling.jpg|thumb|Following the ''broomgate controversy'', these mustard-yellow broom-heads are the only legal broom-heads certified by the [[World Curling Federation]] for competitive play.]] In 2014, new "directional fabric" brooms were introduced, which could influence the path of a curling stone better than the existing brooms. Concerns arose that these brooms would alter the fundamentals of the sport by reducing the level of skill required and giving players an unfair advantage; at least thirty-four elite teams signed a statement pledging not to use them. This was dubbed the ''[[Broomgate|broomgate controversy]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Top curling teams say they won't use high-tech brooms |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/top-curling-teams-say-they-won-t-use-high-tech-brooms-1.3274903 |access-date=21 October 2015 |work=[[CBC News]] |date=16 October 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022035711/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/top-curling-teams-say-they-won-t-use-high-tech-brooms-1.3274903 |archive-date=22 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="icePad">{{cite web |last=Ouellette |first=Jennifer |title=Here's the Physics Behind the 'Broomgate' Controversy Rocking the Sport of Curling |url=https://gizmodo.com/heres-the-physics-behind-the-broomgate-controversy-rock-1781822352 |access-date=13 June 2016 |website=Gizmodo |date=12 June 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612151325/http://gizmodo.com/heres-the-physics-behind-the-broomgate-controversy-rock-1781822352 |archive-date=12 June 2016}}</ref> The new brooms were temporarily banned by the [[World Curling Federation]] and [[Curling Canada]] for the 2015–2016 season.<ref name="MyUser_Ctvnews.ca_January_7_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/curling-canada-bans-broom-heads-with-directional-fabric-1.2677653 |title=Curling Canada bans broom heads with 'directional fabric' |newspaper=CTV News |date=27 November 2015 |access-date=7 January 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101232900/http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/curling-canada-bans-broom-heads-with-directional-fabric-1.2677653 |archive-date=1 January 2016}}</ref>  Since 2016, only one standardized brush head is approved by the World Curling Federation for competitive play.<ref name="Brush Head Moratorium">{{cite web |url=https://www.curling.ca/team-canada/hp-athletes/policies-guidelines/brush-head-moratorium |title=Brush Head Moratorium |publisher=[[Canadian Curling Association]] |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711115845/https://www.curling.ca/team-canada/hp-athletes/policies-guidelines/brush-head-moratorium/ |url-status=live }}</ref>