Skip (curling)
The skip, in conjunction with the team, determines strategy. Based on the strategy, the skip holds the broom indicating where the player throwing must aim ("calling the shot"). When it is the skip's turn to throw, the vice-skip (usually the third, sometimes the second) holds the broom. The skip usually throws the last two rocks of the end, however some teams have the skip throwing in other positions.
The skip rarely does any sweeping, except in the house and behind the tee line. The skip is required to stay out of the playing area when it is the other team's turn, but may sweep stones in motion behind the tee line as a result of their shot.
A Skip's Responsibilities
A skip has many responsibilities beyond sweeping behind the tee line. They provide overall leadership and strategic direction to the team.[1] Not only that, a good skip must be able to comfortably shoot last in the end. This can be a difficult feat, as shooting last can provide a huge advantage to a team but can also hurt the team significantly. A skip must know his/her team. A team could consist of any four people, however to be a good team, the members must know one another well enough to be able to understand how a shot might turn out dependant on how the person throws. In a skip's position, he/she must know how the person throws to adjust the amount of ice given and call shots according to the abilities of his/her team members. Along with this, the skip must be able to read the other team in order to play not only to his/her team's abilities, but to the other team's weaknesses. For example: a team that has trouble throwing takeouts plays a team with trouble throwing takeouts as well. A skip will try to play so that his/her team throws many draws (their strength) and forces the other team to make some takeouts (their weakness). A skip should be able to read the ice. They need to be able to change their calls as the ice changes throughout the game. A rock might hit a bump, spin funny, or take a different curl halfway down the ice. A skip should be able to know what to do when this occurs and be able to change their game accordingly. Timing is also an important part of the game. A skip can time the rocks (from hog line to hog line) to get a rough estimate as to how fast the rock is moving down the ice. For example, a "normal" sheet of ice has about a 15 second time between hog lines for a draw. This also relates to calling the line of the shot. The skip needs to be able to see where the rock is going, if the player is on line, and know what to do if the rock is off line, for example, call a "plan B" shot after the rock has been released. The skip has many responsibilities but none so important as staying one of the team. A skip may not sweep as much or be with the team most of the game but the skip still must stay fit and keep his/her relationship with the team strong to better the team.
Notable skips by era
1920s
1930s and 1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
References