The purpose of this study was to examine sweep length and sweep rate in competitive male and female curlers. Sixteen curlers (8 males, 8 females) completed a 25-second bout of maximal effort sweeping which was video recorded and analyzed using Dartfish. Sweep length and sweep rate were determined for each 5-second interval (0-5s, 5-10s, 10-15s, 15-20s, 20-25s). Comparisons were made among time intervals and between genders. Sweep length was found to be similar between genders (p = 0.922), with significant differences seen between the 0-5s and 5-10s time intervals (p < 0.05). Sweep rate was significantly faster for males across all time intervals (p < 0.001), with males and females showing differences in the rate at which sweep rate decreased over time. This information may help curlers improve their sweeping strategy during competitive play.
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