Everyone loves it, now it’s time to learn the rules.
First things first, the playing surface is 150 feet long and 16 feet, 5 inches wide. The ice is set up to allow for play in both directions, meaning the ice is symmetrical with four concentric circles, (aka the house) at each end. The innermost circle, or the tee, of the house is 1 foot in diameter, the next circle is 4 feet, the next is 8 feet and the outside circle is 12 feet. This outside circle marks the edge of the house.
Players start the stone moving from the hack, or a rubber block, which is 126 feet from the tee line at the center of the house. The players have to let go of the stone before the front edge touches the hog line, or the line running horizontally through the center of the tee at the other end. This line is 33 feet from the hack and 93 feet from the tee line. Finally, at the back-most edge of the house is the back line, which is 6 feet from the tee line.
The Free Guard Zone is in between the hog line and the tee line, but does not include the circles in the middle. This is where players are allowed to bump other rocks out of the way, but not out of play altogether, until the first 4 stones in an end, or a round, have been played.
Now, the fun part: sweeping. The player sweeping can sweep between the two tee lines, but is not allowed to touch any of the other stones in play. Sweeping is allowed by any one player on the team throwing the stone, and the sweeper is not allowed to sweep the opponents’ stones. Only moving stones, deemed “running stones,” are allowed to be swept and players are allowed to sweep any stones set in motion, even if they had previously been “resting,” or stationary. The person throwing the stone can twist the little glass handle on the top in order to twist it in the direction they want it to go. The sweeper can use their broom to delay or increase the twist and influence the direction the stone goes.
The primary goal of the sport is to win more ends than your opponent, and you do that by getting your stone closer to the center of the house when the end is finished. Typically, there are either eight or 10 ends in a curling match, and in the 2018 Winter Olympics, there are 10.
Now, next time someone starts talking about the best sport in the Olympics, you’ll know all the rules and even how to play yourself!