CURLING ETIQUETTE

... the unwritten rules.

• Be on time! Get to the club in time to change and warm up before the game. When you're late you're holding up seven other players. Delays are upsetting to your opponents and your own team. If you know you'll be unavoidably late, inform your team in advance.
• Get a sub. There may be occasion when you're not able to curl as scheduled. It's 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. No shows are no no's!
• Start with a handshake. At the beginning of a game, greet the members of the opposing team with a handshake, tell them your name, and wish them good curling. Make sure everyone knows everyone else.
• Finish with a handshake. When the game is over, offer each of the players a hearty handshake and move off the ice.  The winning curlers traditionally offer their counterparts some refreshment. In turn, your opponent should reciprocate.
• 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 be sure not to use the sheet you'll be playing on.
• Keep the ice clean. Change your shoes. Sand, grit and dirt are the ice's worst enemy. The shoes you wear should only be used for curling. Keep them clean.
• Compliment a good shot. One of the nicest curling traditions is that players and spectators compliment a good shot by either side while not remarking on a poor shot or a competitor's misfortune.
• Be ready. Take your position in the hack as soon as your opponent has delivered his/her stone. Keep the game moving; delays detract from the sport. Be prepared to sweep as soon as your teammate releases the rock.
• Place your skip’s rock in front of the hack to help speed up the game.
• Be courteous. Don't distract your opponent in the hack. Keep your distance, be silent and motionless. Don't walk or run across the ice when a player is in the hack. Don't gather around the back of the house when an opponent is throwing. Sweepers should stay on the sidelines between the hog lines when not sweeping.
• Wait for the score. Vice skips are the only players allowed in the house while the score for the end is being decided. All other players should wait beyond the hog line until told they may move into the house to clear the rocks.
• Skips should keep the game moving by minimizing delay in making decisions. Avoid long conferences. This is rock science, not rocket science.

THE SPIRIT OF CURLING

• Curling is a game of skill and traditions. A shot well executed is a delight to see and so, too, it is a fine thing to observe the time-honoured 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/her from playing his/her best.
• No curler ever deliberately breaks a rule of the game or any of its traditions. But, if he/she should do so inadvertently and be aware of it, he/she is the first to divulge the breach.
• While the main object of curling is to determine the relative skills of the players, the spirit of the game demands good sportsmanship, kindly feeling and honourable 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.

SAFETY DO'S

• Step onto the ice gripper foot first.
• Step off the ice slider foot first.
• Warm up before starting the game.
• Face towards the skip when sweeping.
• Watch for stray rocks from other sheets.