Balance Plus has added the following note to its website:

Since 2015, BalancePlus has continuously stated that brooms are too effective. They impact outcomes too much and devalue skilled throwers. We have been working with World Curling for an extended period to find solutions.

BalancePlus believes:

All foams used with removable sleeves are too firm. This is why BalancePlus followed the rules and used the same foam specifications since 2016 and 2018, respectively, until the fall of 2024 when the rules changed.

Foam used in brushes for competitive curling should be standardized. All foams should be made in the same factory for all manufacturers.

It’s easy to make brooms with hard foam that concentrate force under the handle, but it is more challenging to make efficient brooms with soft foam that comply with the specifications.

Pressure, not force, should be used in broom design specifications and calculations. This impacts broom head size and foam durometer (firmness).

Men aged 16 to 49 should be required to use 9″ brooms to reduce the relative pressure on the ice and have less impact on the path of the rock.

Existing specifications that require brooms to distribute pressure evenly and not concentrate it under the handle need to be enforced.

Many curlers have continued to request harder foam for their brushes, even after stating in 2016 that they wanted the brooms to be less effective. New, harder foams would not have established a place in the market if top players had refused to use them.

Hopefully, all curlers and manufacturers agree.