KIRKLAND LAKE CURLING CLUB
ALL ABOUT CURLING




About Curling

WHY CURLING
Curling is a great sport that is deeply rooted in sportsmanship. It is self regulated, meaning there is no umpires, no referees, teams and players are left to report any infractions to their own accord. Trash talking and hazing are not part of the game.

Curling also offers many benefits;

Its great exercise!
For those who say curling isn't very physical, we would say those people have never really curled. In an 8 end game you will walk on average 3 km up and down the ice. As an active sweeper it won't be long before you are sweating up a storm. Throwing the stone down the ice requires and builds strong leg and core muscles. Reports have shown you will burn on average 300-350 calories an hour curling, and most game are 2 hours long.

It is affordable!
Curling is great sport to start out in, as it doesn't require a huge investment off the hop. The club can provide most of the required gear for beginners. The rocks are provided, you can borrow a house broom, as well as a slider. You only need to wear clean shoes and comfortable pants. We are offering shorter seasons in some leagues to allow opportunity to access your interest in the sport at minimal cost. Junior curling is a great investment to keep the kid active for only $50 for the whole season.

Curling is great at any age!
People of all ages can curl with and against each other, don't think you are automatically going to beat someone who is much younger or older then you. Younger curlers get to start out with weight appropriate rocks and for those who require them there are delivery aids and devices.

Competition!
Curling is great for those who are competitive by nature. Assessing and reassessing the game as it moves forwards and adapting strategies as needed. The satisfaction of giving your opponent a tough shot or the enthusiasm of making an amazing throw and stealing the game. The best part is you don't have to play at high level to have great competition.

IT'S FUN!
Plain and simple curling is just fun! It is a game that is very much based on a social and sportsmanship aspect. Every game starts and finishes with a hand shake; you will often hear someone tell their opponent "nice shot". Keeping with its Scottish roots, after the game both team enjoy a beverage together. It is a fun way to get out, meet people, socialize and relax.

CURLING BASICS - Back to top

    Traditional 4 Person Curling
    • Two teams
    • 4 players per team, including Skip, Vice, 2nd and Lead
    • 8 rocks per team, each person throws 2 rocks
    • Game starts with a hand shake and coin toss to see you will have last rock "the hammer"
    • Game is started with clear ice, meaning no rock in play.
    • Alternating teams throw their rocks down the ice 150' toward a 12' bull eyes called "the house". Either trying to get their rocks in play or removing opponent s rocks out of play.
    • Two people called sweepers can sweep the ice in front of the rock to make it go further or attempt to steer its direction
    • A spin of either clockwise or counter clockwise is placed on the rock, which to the games name sake makes the rock curl in the direction of the spin.
    • After all rocks are thrown the team with it rock(s) closes to the centre of the house score point(s)
    • At the club level this process it repeated 6 - 8 times, each time is referred to as an "end"
    • After the set number of ends, the team with the most points win.

    Doubles Curling
    Although there are many similarities between traditional curling and doubles curling including; the size of the ice, the house and pattern of play, there are several significant differences that make it its own unique game. For club play we have opted to have only the midpoint guard.
    • 2 teams
    • 2 players per team
    • 5 rocks per team
    • Start with a handshake and coin toss for hammer (rock placement)
    • 2 rocks are pre-position on the ice, one from each team, one on the centre line in the back half of the 4 foot ring and the other on the centre line midpoint between the hog line and the top of the house. The team whose rock is placed as the guard will throw first
    • First player will throw rocks 1 and 5
    • Second player will throw rocks 2, 3, and 4
    • The order of who throws what position can be altered end to end
    • Because there are no designated sweepers, both players are allowed to sweep the rock
    • Power Play Option - This option is allowed once in an 8 end game per team and gives the team with hammer the option of placing the rocks to the side. The rock in the house is place in front of the T line half in the 8 foot and half in the 12 foot rings. The guard rock is place at the midpoint position halfway between the centre of the rock in the house and the centre of the hack. The power play option is not allowed in an extra end.

    Although this does not cover all rules of play or etiquette it is a good base to get you started and you can pick up the other details as you go. If you require help understanding something most experience curlers will be more than happy to explain the situation. For more information and videos on curling please visit: Curling Canada .

    GLOSSARY - Back to top

    Curling like many other sports has its own unique lingo. This list will help you understand some of the phases you will hear at the club and on TV.

    -Back line: A line that is located at the back of the house, rocks passing this line are out of play

    -Biter: A rock that is barely touching the outermost ring of the house

    -Bonspiel: The name of a curling tournament

    -Brush/broom: A piece of equipment used to brush the playing surface in front of a rock

    -Burned Rock: When a player touches a rock in motion, the effected rock is taken out of play

    -Button: The very center of the house

    -Center line: A line on the playing surface which run down the center of the sheet

    -Curl: The amount of bend a rock makes while travelling down the playing surface

    -Draw: A rock thrown with enough weight to come to rest in the house

    -Delivery: The action of throwing a rock from one end of the playing surface to the other

    -End: An increment of the game, the conclusion after all rocks have been thrown, at club level there are 6-8 ends per game

    -Guard: A rock placed to cover another rock or to block a path of travel

    -Gripper: A texture rubber sole worn on the shoe for traction on the ice

    -Handle: The turn that is placed on the rock to make it curl

    -Hammer: The last rock to be thrown in an end

    -Hack: An embedded platform in the playing surface used to push off of during the delivery

    -Hard: A word used to indicate the skip wants the rock swept vigorously

    -Hog line: A line on the playing surface that all delivered rocks must be let go off by the delivering player

    -Hog line: A line on the playing surface at the far end that all rocks must pass to be in play

    -Hogged rock: A rock that did not pass the far end hog line

    -House: The large bulls eye at each end of the playing surface, consist of 12 foot, 8 foot, 4 foot rings and button

    -Lead: The first person on a team to throw their rocks delivers rocks 1 and 2

    -Rock: A piece of granite weighing 44 lbs used as play piece of the game

    -Sheet: The rectangle shape frozen playing surface

    -Slider: A smooth piece of material worn on the shoe to allow players to slide on the ice

    -Second: The person to throw second for their team delivers rocks 3 and 4

    -Skip: The captain of the team, dictates the strategies and course of the game for their team, delivers rocks 7 and 8

    -Sweep: The action of sweeping in front of the rock to make it travel further

    -Take out: A rock thrown with enough force to remove another rock out of play

    -Tee line: A line on the playing surface that runs though the center of the house, intersected with the center line forming a T

    -Third: The person to throw third for their team delivers rock 5 and 6, AKA Vice or Mate

    -Weight: The amount of force put on the rock during delivery.

    Curling sheet of ice



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