Curling has a set of rules and regulations to govern the sport, keeping matches and tournaments fair for all participants. Many curlers believe that following the rules and respecting your opponents remains more important than winning, so they place a special emphasis on fair play. The straightforward rules of curling provide players with these guidelines and help keep the spirit of curling alive.
Teams
Each team contains four players, with each player delivering two stones per end. The team that plays the first stone of the match chooses the color of its stones and must stick with that color throughout the game. Teams must declare a delivery rotation before the game and stick with it throughout. Teams can play with only three players or may find a substitute player if one member of the team can no longer participate. When using only three players, two of the players deliver three stones in each end.
Delivery
All right-handed deliveries must come from the left side of the hack and all left-handed deliveries must come from the right side. You must release your stone before you reach the closest hog line to keep your stone in play. You must deliver your stone right away when your turn comes up and keep track of how many stones you deliver per end. If you deliver too many stones in an end, the final player on your team will deliver fewer stones than originally allotted.
Sweeping
All players on the delivering team can sweep the team's stones while in motion between the tee lines. You cannot, however, sweep stones once they stop moving. The skip or vice-skip can sweep the stones of an opponent, but only behind the tee line. Only one player from each team can sweep a stone once it reaches the tee line of the playing end.
Scoring
Your team scores one point for each stone that rests closer to the center of the house than your opponent's stones. Keep in mind that only one team can score points in an end and only stones that rest within the house count. Most rinks have a measuring device, which you can use to determine which team has the closest stone, if you cannot tell by eyesight. If two stones rest the exact same distance from the center of the house, neither will count for points.
Member Comments