Game Countdown Timer
The gametimer was originally written for the Chesapeake Curling Club. It's intended purpose is to allow curling teams on the ice to monitor their progress and keep games moving. The font size, sound, and run times, are configurable at run time, with the ability to choose between counting down to zero and up to a specific time limit such as 1 hour 50 minutes with a 10 minute warning. The gametimer software is basically javascript with some surrounding html, and a few sound bites. Installation and defaults are easily accomplished with the text editor (notepad?, notepad++?) of your choice.
Potomac Curling club uses the timer in various configuratins.
One example is:
The timer will be set to 1 hr 52 min (112 min). When the clock hits
zero and turns RED, you finish the end you are on and ARE DONE. The screen
will turn YELLOW with 16 minutes remaining. This indicates that you should be
into the 7th end when the clock turns yellow to be on track to get the
full 8 ends in.
Run the timer Version 4.1b, with sounds and small seconds may be tested by clicking the link to the left. It will open in a new window. download all
(zip)The link to the left will download a zip file containing the program, default sounds, and documentation. configuration (docx) The link to the left will download or open a word document about installation, club specific configuration, and possible work arounds for problems.
F.A.Q. or Frequently Asked Questions
The code is offered "as is" at no charge. Feel free to modify it with the text editor of your choice. Default values are all specified in the first few lines of code.
The following clubs have successfully utilized the gametimer, one version or another.
- Chesapeake Curling Club, Easton, Maryland
- Pittsburgh Curling Club, Pitsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Potomac Curling Club, Laurel, Maryland
- York Curling Club, Newmarket, Ontario
The Pittsburgh Curling Club used to have the most interesting and aggressive implementation. They were running their Tropicurl bonspiel with multiple computers (one per sheet) on the ice. Starting and stopping was controlled remotely from the warm room via rdp (Remote Desktop Protocol). For the 2014 Tropicurl Bonspiel they moved away from PCs to Raspberry Pi computers.
Pittsburgh has recently moved to a single computer running a variant of Linux, with two displays, one in the warm room, and one in the ice shed. The application is different, and they have made their source code available on GitHub
Please send us an email note if you wish your club's use listed here, or just to let us know its in use. We'll gladly respect any desires for anonymity.
The CurlTime "thinking time" timer for competitive events is located at: curltime.com. Although it is a free download for WCF members, it has now gone "pro", requiring an annual download to keep up with rule changes, and a charge for "premium" features.
If perchance you are looking for timers that can start and stop for each thrown stone, like a chess clock, you might consider CurlClock. It was used for the total time of competitive events, and is located at curlclock.com.
Questions? Comments? Please contact the author, Howard Griffin (link at the bottom of the page).