The Basics of Curling

What equipment do I need?

Warm, loose clothing, clean SHOES, a broom and a slider (optional).

Also see http://uregina.ca/URCC/equipment.html

Where do I play?

The playing surface is called a sheet of ice. It is designed to allow play in both directions. At each end, are four coloured rings known as the house. The middle ring is called the button. There is also a foot-hold at each end known as the hack. The stones are delivered from the hack at one end of the sheet to the house at the opposite end.

How does a game begin?

A coin toss, carried out by the third on each team, is used to start the game. The winner of the toss decides which team shoots first (usually the opposition), the loser gets to choose the colour of their rocks.

Who makes up a team?

The team consists of four players, called the skip, the third (also known as the vice-skip), the second, and the lead. Play rotates so that all four team members get to deliver two stones. Leads of alternating teams shoot first, followed by 2^nds, 3^rds and lastly skips. The skip is essentially the team captain and stands at the opposite end of the ice. He/she directs the type and placement of the shot, as well as the sweeping. When the skip is scheduled to deliver his/her stones, the third acts temporarily as the skip. The two remaining team members, not currently throwing the stone, are the sweepers.

What makes up a game?

A game in this league consists of 8 ends. An end is completed when each player from each team has thrown two rocks, 16 rocks in total. The score for that end is then marked on the scoreboard. The highest score after 8 ends wins. Ties are allowed.

What is a rock?

Curling rocks are made of pure granite and weigh about 42 pounds a piece. The handle is the plastic part that you hold on to. The rocks are numbered so that the leads throw rocks 1 and 2, the 2^nds throw rocks 3 and 4 and so on. The bottom of the rock should be wiped off before it is thrown.

How do I throw a rock?

You start your delivery by placing your right foot in the left side of the hack for right-handed curlers). Your broom is in your left hand for support and the rock is sitting by your right hand. Your first motion is to take the rock with your right hand and pull it backwards, then you push it forward and push off with you right foot into a smooth glide down the ice. You slide on your left foot with your right leg stretched out behind you. To deliver a stone well, you should glide along with the stone for a distance but this takes time to master. If you are left-handed, reverse the above.

You must release the stone by the hog line (the wide black line about 33 feet from the hack). Once released, the stone glides on, hopefully coming into play at the opposite end, beyond the other hog line. If your rock does not cross the other hog line, it is removed from play.

How do I put a curl on the rock?

Curling shots rarely travel in a straight line down the ice. At least, we hope they don't! When a curler is releasing his/her shot, he/she is asked by the skip to put a turn on the rock. For a right-handed person, an in-turn is when you turn the rock very gently in a clockwise direction just as you release it. An out-turn is when you turn the rock gently in a counter-clockwise direction as you release it. For left-handers, these motions are reversed. New curlers often try to spin the rocks so that the handle is turning quite quickly but only a lazy curl is desired, about 1-1^1/2 rotations in total.

What am I aiming at?

Most skips will tap their broom where they would like the rock to end up and then place their broom on the ice either to the left or the right of the desired location. You should always aim your shot at the broom, putting the desired turn on the rock. Your teammates will help you figure out which turn to use until you figure things out.

What types of curling shots are there?

The draw is one of the most basic moves. You send the stone down the sheet, and with the help of the sweepers and the direction of the skip, the stone will hopefully stop where the skip would like it to end up.

The takeout is the next of the basic moves. The idea is to hit an opponent's rock and knock it out of play. Sometimes the skip will want your rock to remain in play, other times he/she will want it to go out as well. Usually, takeouts are thrown with quite a bit more weight than draws.

The guard is, as its name implies, placing a stone out in front of or at the top of the house to provide protection for rocks that are currently in the house or for a rock that is yet to be thrown. Leads and seconds are often asked to put up a guard so that rocks can be curled in behind them.

The raise is the last of the basic curling shots. This is when you use your rock to tap back another of your own stones, often putting it in the house.

What is sweeping?

Before the game, the ice is sprinkled with water using a 'pebbler', which creates a hilly effect on the ice, much like tiny pebbles. Using brooms, the sweepers slightly warm the pebble and thereby control the stone's speed and direction. Sweeping increases the distance that a rock can travel. The sweeping action also reduces the effect of the curl because of the reduced friction. Thus, a swept rock will travel in a straighter line, and an unswept rock will veer further, sometimes as much as four feet.

How are points scored?

After all 16 stones have been played in an end, the team with the stones closest to the center of the house scores points for that end. The point total is equal to the number of stones closer to the center than the nearest stone of the opposing team. In the above left-hand example, only one point is scored by red because yellow has a rock closer to the middle than the second red rock. In the right-hand example, red scores 3 points because all three red rocks are closer to the middle than the nearest yellow rock.

The numbers across the middle of the scoreboard are used to indicate the score. When an end is completed, the third from the scoring team places a metal plate (with the end number on it) either above or below this row of numbers (depending upon their rock colour) to indicate their total score. If an end is blanked (nobody scores) the plate for that end is set off to the side. The maximum score in one end is eight points. Typically, one to three points are scored. Games are 8 or 10 ends, lasting 2 to 2.5 hours.

In a nutshell, here is an explanation taken from a pamphlet published by the United States Curling Association.

Each player shoots or delivers two stones each end, alternately with their counterpart on the opposing team. A twist of the handle on release makes the stone curl, a little like a "hook" in bowling.

All four team members shoot two stones an end and sweep for their teammates' shots. While one player shoots, two sweep as needed. Sweeping polishes the ice so the stone travels farther if delivered too softly. Vigorous sweeping requires fitness. In a typical two hour game, a curler walks almost two miles.

The skip acts as team captain and strategist. Strategy is a major factor in curling, as important as shooting skill. Some people call curling "chess on ice".

The playing surface is called "a sheet of ice", and is designed to allow play in both directions.

The object of shooting is to get the stone, or rock, to come to rest at a predetermined place (a draw or guard) or to move another rock (a takeout or raise).

The score is determined after each end of 16 stones. A 12 foot circle, the house, is the scoring area. Stones in the house must be closer to the button (center) than any opposing stone to score.