All Things Curling

An eight-ender is a rare phenomenon that occurs when one team scores 8 points in a single end. That means an teams entire set of stones is closer inside the house than any of the other teams rocks. It’s very much a luck event. You basically have to nail every single one of…

Every target needs a bullseye, and in curling, that’s the button. Dead Center The button is the small circle at the very middle of the house, the innermost ring in that bullseye pattern at each end of the sheet. It’s the spot every curler is aiming for in their head, even on shots…

In most sports, ending a round with zero points is a bad thing. In curling, it’s sometimes exactly the plan. Scoring Nothing on Purpose A blank end happens when neither team scores, often because the team without the hammer plays it that way deliberately. By clearing every stone out of the house, they…

In curling, close really does count, and a biter is proof of just how close “close” can get. Barely Touching, Fully Counting A biter is a stone that’s just barely making contact with the outer edge of the rings, sometimes by a sliver of a millimeter. If any part of the stone overlaps…

Here’s something that surprises a lot of people the first time they hear it: curling ice isn’t actually smooth. The Ice Has Bumps on Purpose Before every game, ice technicians walk the sheet spraying tiny droplets of hot water that freeze almost instantly into a textured surface. That texture is called a pebble,…

If curling had a most valuable seat in the house, it would belong to whoever’s holding the hammer. Last Rock Wins (Sort Of) The hammer just refers to having the last rock in an end, and in curling, last is a huge advantage. Throwing last means you get to see everything that’s already…

Curling has a reputation for being polite, almost to a fault, and the burned stone is a big part of why. What “Burning” a Stone Means A stone counts as burned the moment it gets touched while still moving, whether that’s a broom, a foot, a sleeve, anything. It doesn’t matter how small…

Curling has a rule for almost everything, including just how much effort you’re required to put into your throw. That’s where the hog line comes in. Two Lines That Matter Each end of the sheet has a hog line. The near one is where you have to release the stone before it crosses,…

Ask a curler what they’re doing this weekend, and “heading to a bonspiel” is a pretty likely answer. It sounds like it could be the name of a Scandinavian furniture store, but it’s actually one of the best parts of the sport. The Short Version A bonspiel is a curling tournament, usually spread…

If curling had a theme song, it would just be someone yelling “HURRY HARD!” on loop. It might be the most recognizable phrase in the whole sport, and also one of the most misunderstood by anyone watching for the first time. What It Actually Means When a skip or sweeper shouts “hurry hard,”…