Rink & Equipment
The curling rink is a patch of ice, 138 by 14 feet, with identical targets marked by concentric circles at each end. (It should be noted that the word "rink" means both the playing area and a curling team.)
At the center of the target, which is called the "house," is a "tee," which is simply an aiming point, a small circle of arbitrary size. Around the tee are circles with diameters of 4, 8, and 12 feet.
The tees are 38 yards apart. At each end is a "hack," a foothold projecting from the ice, which keeps the player from sliding down the rink behind the stone after its release by the player.
The ice is pebbled, rather than smooth. Pebbling is accomplished by sprinkling warm water on the prepared ice surface. The purpose is to give the stones something to grip so that their spin will make them curve; if the ice were perfectly smooth, it would be impossible to curl the stone.
The stone has maximum measurements of 36 inches in circumference, and 4 1/2 inches in height. In Canada and the United States the weight has been standardized at 44 pounds. The stone has two soles, or sliding surfaces, one of which is rough, for very fast ice, and the other smooth, for slow ice. The gooseneck handle is detachable so that a player can use whichever sole is best for the ice conditions that prevail.
Method of Play
Curling is a team sport, with a team, or rink, made up of four players headed by a "skip." The skip, usually the fourth person to play, directs team members as to the kind of shot wanted, the path it should take, the amount of spin and force that should go into it, and so on.
Each player delivers two stones, alternately with an opponent. The delivery is similar to that used in bowling; the "sweeping score" represents the foul line. A player is assisted by teammates, who use their brooms to sweep ice dust, snow, and moisture from in front of the delivered stone, as it moves, to help guide it.
The basic purpose is to get a stone as close to the tee as possible. However, many types of strategic shots are also used, to knock an opponent's stone out of position, to guard a teammate's scoring stone, or to knock a teammate's stone into better position.
When all 16 stones have been thrown, an "end" has been completed. Only one team can score on each end: the team that has a stone lying nearest to the tee. The team gets 1 point for each stone that is nearer to the tee than any of the opposition's stones. In order to count, a stone must be at least partly within the house.
Play then continues from the other end. A game is usually made up of 10 complete ends; sometimes, however, the first team to get 21 points is the winner.