Having strong sweepers and the right equipment could be a factor at this year’s BKT World Men’s Curling Championship, which begins in Moose Jaw on Saturday.
Sweeping in curling has evolved over the years, from having two big guys sweeping in front of a rock to changes in broom head technology, the knowledge of how sweeping manipulates the rock, and the athleticism of curlers.
Team Canada lead Ben Hebert recalled that over 15 years ago, when he and third Marc Kennedy started out, the art of sweeping was much different compared to now.
“When Marc (Kennedy) and I were the two best sweepers in the world in ’08-’09, I don’t know if we would crack the top 15… but that’s why we have the young guys like Brett (Gallant) and fifth man Tye (Tardi) who wheel in for us old guys and scrub a little bit,” Hebert said.
The turning point for sweeping came during the 2015-2016 season in what became known in the curling world as “Broomgate.”
During that season, companies Hardline and BalancePlus introduced new broom heads with fabrics that, with the right technique, allowed sweepers to easily manipulate the movement of the rocks to the point where it became an unfair advantage.
The fallout caused the World Curling Federation to call a summit to standardize and regulate broom heads. But despite that, sweepers learned new techniques to help with rock movement.
A second “Broomgate” took place this past season, as BalancePlus and Goldline introduced new broom head foam pads that raised concerns among professional curlers.
Hebert remembered Randy Ferbey’s team that won four Briers in five years from 2001 to 2005. Ferbey had strong sweepers in Scott Pfeifer and Marcel Roque, nicknamed Huff ‘n’ Puff, but they didn’t have the knowledge and technology that came out of Broomgate.
“When they were doing it, they were two big guys and they were scrubbing, and they were amazing. But I think if they had the knowledge we have today of the way to hold the rock, the way to curl the rock, certain angles of the broom, and the technology of the broom, it has changed so much, as you can see with all these Broomgate things that have been going on,” Hebert explained.
Heading into the 2025 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship, Hebert said there are a number of teams that have strong sweepers who could make an impact.
“Niklas’ team, Bruce’s team, the big Italian boys, there’s a lot of guys who could make their rocks dance with any type of sweeping tool they have out there. And then now, with today’s technology going so aggressive, it’s a big part of the game. That’s why our back end shoots so well,” he said.
The BKT World Men’s Curling Championship gets underway at 2 p.m. on Saturday, featuring Team Canada against Japan at the Temple Gardens Centre.