Rules & Regulations

About the Sport

Curling has a long and rich history. While its origins are lost in the mists of time, Scottish curlers already were playing the game by the beginning of the 16th century on frozen ponds and lochs.

Their earliest equipment included stones formed by nature, each one unique. These stones often curved, or “curled,” as they slid down the ice, and the players used besoms or brooms to clear snow and debris from the path of the stones.

Today, curling is a game of strategy, finesse, and strength, contested by teams generally comprised of four players. The principle of curling is simple – get your stone closer to the center of the target circles, called the “house,” than your opponent. Players of all skill levels can participate and compete even at older ages than most sports allow.

Respect, honor, and tradition are core elements of the game. Curlers are close-knit and you can rely on a warm welcome in curling clubs throughout the world. The camaraderie among players is inherent in the sport and tradition calls for both teams to sit together after a game, discussing what was and what might have been.

Come join us.

The Spirit of the Game

Curling is a game of skill and of traditions. A shot well executed is a delight to see and so, too, it is a fine thing to observe the time-honored traditions of curling being applied in the true spirit of the game. Curlers play to win but never to humble their opponents. A true curler would prefer to lose rather than win unfairly.

A good curler never attempts to distract an opponent or otherwise prevent him from playing his best. No curler ever deliberately breaks a rule of the game or any of its traditions. But, if he should do so inadvertently and be aware of it, he is the first to divulge the breach.

​While the main object of the game of curling is to determine the relative skill of the players, the spirit of the game demands good sportsmanship, kindly feeling, and honorable conduct. This spirit should influence both the interpretation and application of the rules of the game and also the conduct of all participants on and off the Ice.

Curling has a long tradition of being played with sportsmanship, courtesy, respect and honor. The moment you step on to the ice, it is your responsibility to live up to these traditions; so in addition to rules of the game these are some rules of etiquette which every conscientious curler should observe.

1. Don’t be late. When you are late, you are holding up the seven other curlers playing in the game. If you will be late for an unavoidable reason, let your skip know as soon as possible so he or she can take appropriate action.
2. Get a sub. There may be occasion when you’re not able to curl as scheduled. It is your responsibility to get a substitute. Call your skip and give the name of the curler substituting for you or the names of people you have called.
3. Call your opponent. When you are the skip and your team is unable to play in a scheduled event, contact the umpire or skip of the opposing team as soon as possible.
4. Practice on a different sheet. If you arrive early and want to throw a few stones to practice or warm up, by all means do so, but do not use the sheet you’ll be playing on.
5. Respect the ice. Be sure to clean your shoes before stepping on the ice. Do not rest your hands or knees on the ice. Clean your brush/broom before and during the game. It is everyone’s responsibility to keep the sheet of ice clean.
6. Start with a handshake. As soon as you arrive on the ice where you are going to play, greet each member of the opposing team with a handshake, introduce yourself, and wish them “good curling.”
7. Do not distract your opponent. This includes being out of position, crossing the ice surface while he/she is in the hack, getting in the way of the sweepers, or causing a distraction of any kind.
8. Know your position. Sweepers on the delivering team should be on the sidelines inside the hogline. Skips on the non-delivering team should be behind the house in a stationary position with his/her broom off the ice, preferably behind the opposing skip. Sweepers on the non-delivering team should be in single file at the sidelines and between the two courtesy lines. The opposition thrower should be behind the backboard and to the side of the ice, standing quietly.
9. Do not distract other games. Never stand or walk on a sheet other than the one on which you are playing.
10. Be ready to deliver your stone. Take your position in the hack as soon as your opponent has delivered his stone.
11. Be ready to sweep. Don’t be in the position of having to run from one hog line to the other before you can start sweeping.
12. Keep alert and pay attention. Watch your opponents’ shots as well as your teammates. You may learn something!
13. Place your skip’s rock in front of the hack. This helps speed up the game.
14. Watch for errant stones. Do not let stones run into or over the hacks, hit the back board at high speed, or cross onto adjacent sheets. Equipment may be damaged or players injured by rebounding stones.
15. Applaud good shots. Be quick to compliment a good shot by either side. Never pass an adverse remark about a poor shot or smile at an opponent’s misfortune.
16. Wait for the score. Vice skips are the only players allowed in the house while the score for the end is being decided. Do not move any stones in the house until a score is settled.
17. Know when it’s over. Unlike other sports, there is no negative connotation associated with conceding a game when a team feels it is impossible or near impossible to win. This may occur at any point during the game but normally near the final end. It is not required to concede and teams may play until the last stone but consider resigning early if a game is clearly lopsided, especially if either team has more games to play.
18. End with a handshake. At the end of the game, whether you win or lose, give each of your opponents a handshake, thank them for the game, and arrange to meet them for broomstacking. The winning curlers traditionally offer their counterparts some refreshment and, in turn, their opponents normally reciprocate.

The following rules shall apply to all curling events at the Four Seasons Curling Club except as otherwise provided here.

​MEMBERSHIP

To participate in any of Club leagues, an individual must have an Adult, Youth, or School membership.
Membership year runs from October 1 to September 30. The dues are not prorated, so in joining you may get less than one full year. However, if you join the Club in the last three months of the membership year (July 1-September 30), your membership will apply through the end of the following membership year.
Annual Membership Fee is subject to change year to year.
The Four Seasons Curling Club will provide dues deductions for people who have paid their U.S.C.A. and M.C.A. dues through membership at another curling club. Show a current receipt and the Club will deduct the dues from your Four Seasons Curling Club membership.

Club Membership

• Ability to participate in Leagues and Club only events
• Ability to play as an alternate/substitute in Leagues
• Discounts on additional league fees
• Discounts on practice ice time

Youth & School Membership

To become a Youth or School Member, you must be younger than 21 years of age on July 1 of the membership year.

• Discounted membership
• Ability to participate in adult leagues with prior approval

Founders Club Membership (no longer taking new membership)

Founders Club membership is a one time enrollment and does not take the place of Club and U18 annual membership requirement. Founders Club benefits are provided for the life of the member unless modified by the Four Seasons Curling Club Staff.

Gold Founder

• Permanent recognition on the Founders’ club plaque
• Free locker for life
• Use of the Curlers Club Room for any private gatherings at no charge
• Free practice ice time when it is scheduled

Silver Founder

• Permanent recognition on the Founders’ club plaque
• Registration priority in all leagues
• Free locker for life
• Use of the Curlers Club Room for any private gatherings at no charge
• Free practice ice time when it is scheduled

Bronze Founder

• Permanent recognition on the Founders’ club plaque
• Registration priority in all leagues
• Free locker for life
• Use of the Curlers Club Room for any private gatherings at no charge
• Free practice ice time when it is scheduled

Non-Club members are welcome to use the building for paid practice time, participate in learn to curl clinics, instructional leagues, or special events hosted by the curling club or facility. Non-Club members are not entitled to curl as an alternate/substitute or in any leagues or club functions where membership is required.

GAMES

• Length of Games: All games are to be eight ends or six ends as designated at the beginning of the league season or other length if agreed to prior to the start of the game by both skips.
• Coin Toss: Vice skips (or acting skips) shall toss a coin before the start of each game. The winner of the coin toss has the choice of hammer or color of stones in the first end.
• Ties: All ties at the completion of the game will be decided by a “Skips Draw to the Button”. Each Skip will throw one stone, with sweeping (no sweeping allowed by the opposing team). Sweeping is only permitted by the team delivering the stone. The opposing third will measure the distance from the button and will confirm the result with the throwing team’s third before removing the stone. All measurements should be measured to the nearest ¼ inch. A stone covering the button is recorded as zero inches. A stone that does not come to rest in the rings in recorded as 73 inches. The thrown stone should be removed from play after it has been recorded/confirmed. If the throwing team moves or removes their stone prior to it being measured/confirmed it will be recorded as 73 inches. If the opposing team moves or removes the throwing teams stone before it is measured/confirmed it will be recorded as zero inches. The win is awarded to the team with the shortest recorded distance from the button. In the event the measurements result in a tie (if both teams cover the button or both measurements are equal distance from the button), teams will repeat the Skips Draw to the Button until a winner is determined. By tradition, the Skips Draw to the Button should be played toward the spectator viewing area.
  Measuring Stones: The vice skips (acting skips or thirds) shall measure stones, determine the score of each end, and mark the score for their own team.
  Rocks can only be measured to determine:
• Scoring at the conclusion of an end. (see R11. – SCORING (USCA Rules of Curling: Club and Bonspiel Use)
  Or if a stone is in the house to determine if it is in the Free Guard Zone(FGZ). Measurements are taken from the tee to the nearest part of the stone. The “biter stick” shall be used for this purpose.
• Buzzer: Keep your pace of play moving. To aid in this process we use a buzzer to notify you that your games are drawing to a close (also see Game Time Limit rule). A Buzzer will sound at 95 minutes for all league games (example 7:35 for 6:00PM game start). Teams will be allowed to finish the current end and one more end. AT LEAST ONE ROCK MUST HAVE BEEN DELIVERED(released from the first throwers hand) IN THE CURRENT END FOR THE END TO BE CONSIDERED STARTED. In other words, if teams have just completed an end(the final rock has come to rest) but the first rock of the next end has not been thrown, only one more end will be played. This rule includes situations where teams may need to measure and the buzzer sounds during the measurement (only one end will be played).
• Game Time Limit: All 8 end games must conclude no more than 2 hours (6 ends 1:30) from the scheduled start time. The only exceptions to this are if the game ends in a tie and a tie breaker is required OR if the game started late due to the previous game being delayed or ice not being ready for play. The buzzer is in place to keep the pace of play moving. If players are ready to shoot when it is their turn to play and Skips make decisions quickly, there should be no reason that an 8 end game cannot be completed in two hours. Any team that is reported to intentionally delay a game to gain a time advantage will have game results subject to change by Four Seasons Curling Club staff.
• Game Forfeiture: The skip of the forfeiting team should make every effort to notify the opposing skip in a timely manner before the date/time of the game. If they cannot communicate and get confirmation from the opposing skip, the forfeiting skip should contact Four Seasons Curling Club curling staff to inform them of your desire to forfeit the game.After a game has started refer to R11. – SCORING (USCA Rules of Curling: Club and Bonspiel Use)
• Game Cancellation: If weather, ice conditions or other circumstances present the issue of whether scheduled game(s) or a league should be canceled the Four Seasons Curling Club staff will provide notification of cancellation and instructions for rescheduling.
• Game Results: It is the responsibility of each team to record its own game results (win, loss or tie). No one is to mark wins, losses or ties for any team other than their own. For a game that does not have timely recorded results, the Four Seasons Curling Club staff, after making every reasonable effort to determine the correct result of the game, shall record the game result. If the Four Seasons Curling Club staff cannot reasonably determine the outcome of the game in a timely manner, the game shall be recorded as a loss for both teams. All recorded game results are final and cannot be changed at a later time unless approved by the Four Seasons Curling Club staff.

RULES OF PLAY

Official USCA Rules of Curling: Club and Bonspiel Use (not the USCA Championship Rules) shall govern all play except as otherwise provided here.If there is no specific rule governing a particular situation, other interpretations of the curling rules or other curling rules may be consulted for guidance. Skips and other player cannot agree to waive the governing rules; if this occurs then both teams shall forfeit the game.​

• R3. – TEAMS (USCA Rules of Curling: Club and Bonspiel Use)
  • A team declares its delivery rotation, and the skip and vice‐skip positions, prior to the start of a game and maintains that rotation and those positions throughout that game.
    • Supplement: If a player arrives late for the game and the Team is playing with three players, that player may enter the game at any time and in any position. If the late player enters during an end they may sweep or play vice-skip, but they cannot throw any stones until the next end. Whichever position the late-arriving player assumes, they must maintain that position for the remainder of the game. A late player may not enter the game if the Team has started the game with four players. 

• A team may not use more than two qualified alternates in a game.
  • Supplement: At least two players of the team must be members of the registered team. Unless otherwise agreed to by the skips: If using two alternates/substitutes they must play lead and second and may not play skip or vice skip. If only one substitute is used, that player must play the lead position. Playing a non-qualified alternate/substitute player shall result in forfeiture of the game.
• Qualified Alternate/Substitute
  • Current Club members who are not playing on another team during the game session may be an alternate/substitute. Non-Club members may not be an alternate/substitute.
  • A player registered as a “fifth player” on a team may be an alternate/substitute in any game regardless if that player’s team is playing at the same time.

R4. – POSITION OF PLAYERS (USCA Rules of Curling: Club and Bonspiel Use)

• Delivering Team:
  • The player in charge of the house must be positioned inside the hog line, and on the ice surface of the playing end of the team’s sheet, while the team is in the process of delivery.

R11. – SCORING (USCA Rules of Curling: Club and Bonspiel Use)

• Supplement: A game may not be forfeited after it is won.

LEAGUES

• All Leagues players may be made up of any combination of players, male or female unless otherwise stated.
• Open Leagues (Recreation or Advanced): All Club Rules shall apply.
• Mixed League: All Club Rules apply with the following exceptions:
  • Team: A team may register up to six (6) players.
  • Play: The team participating in a game must be composed of two men and two women and rules require alternating gender of the throwers (MFMF or FMFM).
  • Alternate/Substitutes: Substitutes must maintain requirement of alternating gender of the throwers.
• Senior League: All Club Rules shall apply except as follows.
  • Team: Each team needs to consist of at least three members who are 50 years of age or greater; the fourth team member can be any age.
• Doubles League: All Club Rules shall apply except as follows.
  • Each team consists of 2 curlers.
  • All games are 8 ends unless the opposing skips agree to 6 ends prior to the start of the game.
  • One of the curlers may be an alternate/substitute.
  • Rocks and Rock Placement
    • 5 Rocks are thrown by each team in each end.
    • 2 rocks of each color are designated as placement rocks.
    • At the start of each end 1 rock is placed touching the back of the button at the intersection of the T-line and the centerline of the target house. This is the stone from the team with hammer.
    • The team without hammer places their stone at point mid-way between the far hog line and the target house along the centerline. The exact placement of the stone either closer to the house or farther from the house than the mid-point may be decided by the opposing team skips at the start of the draw.
  • Rules of Play
    • One curler on the throwing team must be positioned between the far hog line and the far back line when his/her team mate is throwing.
      There are no sweepers. The throwing curler may get up and sweep his/her thrown stone. The team mate may come down the ice across the far hog line to sweep the stone after the thrower releases it.
    • Throwing order: One curler throws the first and 5th stone. The second curler on the team throws the 2nd, 3rd and 4th stones. The team member who throws the 1st and 5th and the one who throws the middle 3 stones may change from end-to-end.
    • Hammer: The team with hammer will be determined by coin toss for the 1st end. After that, the team that does not score for the end may choose to take hammer or give it up to the other team for the next end.
    • Free Guard Zone: The free Guard Zone rule is modified for Doubles. Neither team may take out any stones whether it is in the guard zone or the house until the 4th stone thrown. If a stone is taken out of play by a thrown stone prior to the 4th stone, it will be replaced to its original location.
• Instructional League, Club rules apply for instructional purposes, but enforcement is discretionary.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

The club shall have a club championship, specific play down format will be determined each year.

Download USA Curling Rules (PDF)

Download WCF Rules (PDF)

The FSCC Release of Liability must be read, signed, and delivered to Four Seasons Curling Club before any playing time can begin.

Sign Release of Liability