by Cameron Scott

Created on: February 24, 2009

Curling can be described as a cross between lawn bowling and shuffleboard, played on ice by teams of four. The object of the game is to slide a rock down the ice to land inside a marked target area. At a minimum curling requires a long strip of ice with a marked scoring area, 16 specially shaped rocks (8 per team), and 8 brooms (one broom per player). A hack acts in the same way as starter's blocks in sprinting, giving traction to the curler making the shot. Most players will have special curling shoes with slippery soles, and many play with knee pads to prevent bruising against the ice. Measuring sticks may be needed. All specifications are based on World Curling Federation standards, although individual curling clubs will vary.

The ice

The playing surface for curling is called a sheet. It measures between 44.5 and 45.72 meters long and between 4.42 and 5 meters wide, with a backboard at each end. The smaller dimensions are for use in smaller facilities. The sheet of ice can be played from either side, which saves having to return the rocks each time to the far side. It has seven lines marked on it:

* The center line runs straight down the middle of the ice from hack line to hack line.
* Two tee lines cross it, one at either end of the sheet.
* Two hog lines inside the two tee lines. The first indicates where the player making the shot has to let go of the rock. The second is the limit a rock has to pass to be in play.
* Two hack lines outside the two tee lines. This is where the hack is placed, where the curler begins his delivery.

All crossing lines are measured from the backboard in casual games, and from the center of the sheet in official games. The tee lines are drawn 4.9 meters from the backboard, or 17.375 meters from the center line. The hog line is drawn 11 meters from the backboard, or so that its inside edge is 6.401 meters from the tee line. The hack line is drawn 3.658 meters from the tee line. The ice may also be marked with a back line marking the back of the house, at 1.829 meters from the tee line. Where there is more than one curling sheet on the same ice, a line may also be marked along each side.

The house, which is the scoring area, consists of four concentric rings centered at the intersection of the tee line and the center line. The widest ring has a radius of 1.829 meters. The center circle, known as the 'button,' is roughly the same size as a curling stone. Each sheet is marked with two houses, one at each end. The house at the far end from

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