Curling is a sport that is played on a sheet of ice with the objective of scoring points by getting the stone closest to the center of a target, called the “house”. Here are some of the basic rules of curling:
- Each team consists of four players, who take turns throwing the stone (also called a “rock”) down the ice towards the house.
- The team that throws the stone is called the “delivering team”, while the team that is defending the house is called the “non-delivering team”.
- The delivering team throws eight stones per end (a round of play), with each player throwing two stones.
- The non-delivering team can sweep in front of the stone to help control its speed and direction.
- The team with the stone closest to the center of the house (also called the button) scores one point for each stone that is closer to the center than any of the opposing team’s stones.
- A game of curling typically consists of 8-10 ends, and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
- A stone that comes to rest outside of the house is removed from play, and if a stone is knocked out of play or goes out of bounds, it is removed and the opposing team gets to place a stone of their own anywhere within the house
- Players must always keep one foot on the mat while delivering the stone, and they can’t touch the stone with anything other than their hand or the broom/brush.
- Players should always respect the spirit of the game and the other team.
Curling may have more rules and regulations, but these are the main ones that will help you understand the game.