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WINTER OLYMPICS NEWS
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CURLING - THE GUIDE
Each curling team is composed of four players - the lead, the second, the
third or vice-skip and the leader, who is known as the skip.
The object is to push a 20-kilogram stone down a sheet of ice toward a ring
of concentric circles.
The aim of the game is to finish each 'end' with your team's stones closer
to the button than those of your opponents, as long as the stone is within six
feet of the centre. Each 'end' of play normally takes about 15 minutes and there
are normally about 10 ends.
A point is awarded for each 'winning' stone.
At the start, the two skips stand at the far end of the ice while the two
vices remain at the near end. The starting team's skip moves into the circle,
known as the house, at the far end and calls for the first stone to be thrown.
When the stone is delivered, the player will give it either a left or right
spin, causing the stone to curl in the direction of the spin. Ice conditions
vary and affect the amount of curl and the effort needed.
While the stone is travelling, members of the team are allowed to sweep the
ice in front of the stone, smoothing the surface and removing any debris in
order to make the stone travel further and straighter. Such sweeping can
increase the distance of a delivery by up to 15 feet.
When the stone stops moving, the opposing team take their turn until all
the players have delivered their two rocks.
Players either try to place the stone as close to the centre as possible,
knock an opponent's stone out of play or position their stone so that it guards
the position of another stone.
The team with the most points at the conclusion of 10 'ends' wins. Teams
can earn up to eight points in each end, but they usually score one to three
points. If there is a tie, the competitors play an extra end to determine the
winner.
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