Delivery Stick

Wheelchair Curling is a Paralympic sport. Athletes with a wide range of disabilities play this sport. The leading equipment used in Wheelchair Curling for delivering the stones is the Delivery Stick.

Parts of the Delivery Stick:

(Also shown in the Figure-01 below)

The Delivery Stick is divided into a Shaft, a Grip, and an Excalibur.

1. Shaft: The Shaft is a long cylindrical part made of either fiberglass or carbon fiber. These Shafts are adjustable and have a telescoping handle that can be used at desired length according to the height of the Curler.


2. Grip/Handle: The Grip/Handle is a part that enhances the Curler’s gripping capacity and makes it easy for him to hold and release the Curling Stone.


3. Excalibur: It is a highly effective tool to assist the Curler in Wheelchair Curling while sliding the stone. It fits easily in all stone handles.

How to use the Delivery Stick?

The Delivery Stick is specially built for people with disabilities. In other words, it can be said that the delivery stick is an extension of the arm.  So, it becomes essential for the Curler to understand how to utilize the stick while delivering the stone.

Steps to follow while using the Delivery Stick:

(Also shown in the Figure-02 below)

Step 1: Place the stone within 18 inches of the centerline.

Step 2: Starting from the top of the shaft, you need to hold the grip by forming a V - shape with your thumb and index finger so that it becomes easy for you to rotate the knob according to the stone's rotation.

Step 3: Now, place the delivery stick on the handle of the stone and remember to keep your delivering arm straight as you move the stick forward.

Step 4: 

• For an In-Turn, delivering position, keep the stone's handle at 11 o'clock, and now turn the stone's handle to 12 o'clock to release the stone.
• For an Out-turn, delivering position, keep the handle at one o'clock position until the point from where the stone is to be released and then turn the handle back to 12 o'clock to release the stone.

In other words, the release of the stone is referred to as a 'Palm Up' for clockwise turn or 'Palm Down' for anti-clockwise turn.

Step 5: Release the stone by keeping the arm and the stick straight to get a clear shot.

Delivery types:

1. Two Arm Delivery: 
   • Usually, the two-arm delivery requires equal strength and mobility in each arm to hold the delivery stick so that the stick is centered at the upper chest, just below the chin, or at the belly bottom in a level position.
   
   
   • The delivery takes place in the same way as mentioned above. 
   
   
   • To generate additional momentum, you need to lower the upper body as the stick does not allow any kind of forward motion, and bringing the stone backward is not an option.


2. One Arm Delivery:
   • One arm delivery is the most commonly used delivery method when referring to the wheelchair curling and delivery stick.
   
   
   • The curler requires entire shoulder and elbow strength to increase the momentum in this method.
   
   
   • The delivery takes place as mentioned above.