Welcome to Itasca Curling!

About the club

• Your membership gets you access to the club 24/7. Before you can curl, you need to pay your dues and sign a legal waiver. If you bring non-members to the club to curl, they must sign a waiver as well.
• Curling is about community. It’s tradition to hang out after a game and have a drink with your opponents. Plus it’s the best way to meet other members!
• You need to volunteer at least 4 hours each year—don’t worry, there’s plenty of opportunity.
• Email is our best way of contacting our members. You can follow us on Facebook, but all the updates and juicy details happen through email. As a member, you’re automatically opted in to receive emails from us. You can always unsubscribe at any time.

Learn more about the Club and its history.

The basics

Curling is a unique and engaging sport that combines strategy, precision, and teamwork. It’s often called “chess on ice.” The goal: slide your team’s stones to the “house” and earn points by having your stones closer to the center of the house than your opponent’s.

Team structure

Curling is typically played with teams of four players, each with specific roles: 

• Skip – The leader of the team. They strategize and guide others on where to throw. They throw last.
• Vice-Skip – They help the skip strategize, and stand in for the skip when it’s the skip’s turn to throw. They throw third.
• Second – They throw second and sweep when their teammates deliver their rocks.
• Lead – They throw first and sweep when their teammates deliver their rocks.

Each player has different responsibilities during the game, so don’t worry if you’re not sure where you fit in just yet. You’ll find your groove with time.

Scoring

The team with the stone closest to the button—the center of the house—wins points after each end or round of curling. They get a point for each stone that’s closer to the button than the opponent’s closest stone. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins.

Dress comfortably

It can get chilly! Wear layers and options. You can always remove a layer if you get warm—especially if you’re sweeping a lot!

Wear comfy, clean shoes

If you don’t have curling shoes, make sure your shoes are clean. We recommend using shoes with a good grip. While our ice is pebbled, it’s still slippery. No one wants to get hurt or manage an injury. Be mindful of others and walk on the ice with care.

Curling is a skill

It’s easy to pick up, but takes time to master. As a member, you can curl when you want. Feel free to go to the club and practice outside of league times. Focus on having fun! This sport is as serious as you make it 🙂  

Curling rules and etiquette 

Sportsmanship

Curling is a sport that values sportsmanship above all else. Treat your fellow curlers and opponents with respect and courtesy. A handshake before and after each game is a common practice.

Pre-game

• Be ready at your start time. If you are unable to make a game, let your skip know ahead of time and find a sub, if possible.
• Wear clean shoes. If you don’t have curling shoes, just make sure you have clean shoes to change into. You don’t want to track dirt and debris on to the ice.
• Remove any pet hair from your clothes. Either change into clean clothes or use a tape roller to remove any pet hair so it doesn’t end up on the ice.
• Greet each member of the other team. Introduce yourself, shake hands, and offer a “good game,” or “good curling.” 
• The coin toss. Vice skips or thirds will do a coin toss to determine who gets to go first. Winners typically pick to go second (to get hammer), and losers pick which color they want. 

During the game

These tips help games move faster and ensure you’re being respectful of others.

Rules

• Keep cell phones and drinks off the ice. There are shelves where you can put your drinks and phones. You can certainly check your phone or enjoy your drink, just keep them on the boardwalks.
• No vaping. Be respectful of those around you. Not everyone loves to vape and it can distract other players.

Delivery of stones

• Be ready for your turn. As soon as your opponent releases their rock, step into the hack and get your own rock ready. Be ready for your skip’s instructions by the time your opponent’s rock comes to rest. 
• Don’t disturb a curler in the hack. When you’re waiting to play, stand quietly well behind the curler on the end boards and out of reach of their broom. 
• If you’re an opposing sweeper, stand still at the side of the sheet past the hog line. Be sure you and your broom are out of the way of opposing sweepers.
• Opposing skips should stand still and out of the way.
• Be a good sport. Compliment a good shot by either side. Never comment negatively on a teammate’s or opponent’s poor shot or bad luck. If you make a poor shot yourself, keep your temper.

Sweeping

• Be ready! It’s the skip’s job to determine if sweeping is needed to maintain the desired line. It’s the sweepers’ job to determine if sweeping is needed because the rock is lighter than what was called for, but the skip might call you off. Communicate with your skip to get the best shot.
• Don’t sweep behind the tee line. Only one member of each team can sweep at this point. If you decide not to sweep your own rock, make way for the other team.
• Clean your broom regularly. Clean it over a trash can so debris doesn’t get on the ice.
• Pick up any debris on the ice. Hairs, rocks, threads—any debris can impact how a stone travels on the ice.

After each end

• Vice skips determine the score. If you aren’t a vice skip, stay out of the house until they agree on a score. Vice skips will measure if needed and post the score.
• Help clear stones. Help put the stones away for the end to keep the game moving.

Accidentally touching a rock

• If you touch or “burn” a moving rock with your broom while sweeping, don’t stop the rock. Allow it to come to rest and tell both skips. The opposing skip has 3 choices:
• allow the play to stand
• remove the burned rock from play and replace all the affected rocks to their original positions
• place the burned rock and all rocks it would have affected where they would have come to rest if the violation hadn’t happened.
• If you move a stationary rock and it doesn’t affect a running rock, then the non-offending team replaces the rock to its original position. If there is any question about whether the touched rock or another rock is closer to the button, the touched rock is replaced in favor of the non-offending team. 
• If the move would have affected the course of another rock in motion, then the non-offending team has three choices:
• allow the play to stand
• remove the rock in motion and replace all the affected rocks to their original positions
• place the rock in motion and all rocks it would have affected where they would have come to rest if the violation hadn’t happened.

Post-game

• Shake hands. Give a “good game” or “good curling” all around!
• Winners sweep. 
  • Use the push broom to sweep the outside lines.
  • Follow with the large push broom to clean the ice and pick up dust and debris.
  • Use the small broom and dustpan to clean out the hacks and clean of the large push broom. Clean off the large push broom over the ice and sweep up any debris that may fall on the ice.
• Losers clean stones. Put them away, in order, and use an antibacterial wipe to clean the handles.
• Be mindful if there’s a game after you. Don’t dwaddle on the ice! 
• Visit with the opposing team. This might be the best part! Have a drink with your opponents and get to know other curlers at the club!

Key terms

You don’t need to commit all these to memory. This is a glossary to help you learn the game! You’ll likely hear other veteran curlers use these terms in a game.

General terms to know

• House: the target on the opposite end of the ice where you’re trying to land your stones. It’s 12 feet in diameter.
• Button: the center of the house. The closer to the button you are, the better your chances of scoring points.
• End: Similar to an inning in baseball. One end is complete when all 16 rocks (eight per team) have been thrown to one end of the sheet of ice. Our games typically last 6 ends.
• Hack: A rubber foothold from which curlers deliver the rock, much like a starting block in track.
• The hog line: The hog line creates a boundary on the ice. Stones must be released before crossing the hog line during delivery and they need to cross it on the other end to remain in play. It’s a fundamental rule, so always keep an eye on it!
• Tee line: The line that runs through the house, perpendicular to the sheet of ice.
• Backline: The line across the ice at the back of the house. Stones over this line are removed from play.
• Shot rock: At any time during an end, the stone closest to the button.
• Bonspiel: A curling competition or tournament.

Terms about delivering a rock

• Curl: A twist of the stone’s handle upon release makes the stone curl, or curve, as it travels down the ice. The rock curls in the direction of the turn (in turn or out turn). This is where the term “curling” comes from!
• In turn: The rotation applied to the handle of a stone that causes it to rotate in a clockwise direction and curl for a right-handed curler.
• Out turn: The rotation applied to the handle of a stone that causes it to turn and curl in a counter-clockwise direction for a right-handed curler.
• Weight: The amount of force given to the stone during the delivery. Can be heavy or light.
• Light: A rock delivered with less force than necessary. If you’re a sweeper, get ready to sweep!
• Heavy: A rock delivered with a greater force than necessary.
• Draw: A shot where the stone is delivered with the intention of stopping in the house.
• Guard: A stone placed in front of the house to protect other stones.
• Raise: A draw that raises, or moves, another rock into the house.
• Takeout: A shot that removes another rock from play.
• Wide: A rock delivered outside the target line.
• Narrow: A rock delivered inside the intended line of delivery.
• Hammer: The last rock of each end. It’s an advantage to have the hammer.

Things you might hear shouted in a game

• Sweep: A command shouted by the skip or shooter to tell the sweepers to sweep. Sweeping helps the stone travel farther.
• Hurry: A command shouted by the skip or shooter to tell the sweepers to sweep more!
• Off: One of many commands skips use to tell sweepers to stop sweeping.