TEAM...Each team is composed of 4 members, who usually throw in the following order; Lead, Second, Vice (-Skip) & Skip.

END...A division of a game or match in which each team member delivers 2 stones, alternating with their counterpart on the opposing team. (Think of an inning in baseball.) Therefore, a total of 16 stones will be delivered in each end.

WEIGHT...An indication of how far down the ice the stone is expected to travel. For example, “Hack Weight” reaches the far Hack; “Bumper Weight” reaches the far Bumper and “Tee Weight” would reach the far Tee Line.

LIGHT...The stone has less WEIGHT than asked for and will not travel as far down the ice as desired.

HEAVY...The stone has more WEIGHT than asked for and will travel farther down the ice than desired.

TAKEOUT...The stone is delivered with a sufficient WEIGHT that when it hits another stone, it will knock it out of play.

PEEL...A TAKEOUT aimed so that it will hit the targeted stone at an angle, resulting in both the targeted stone and shooting stone getting knocked out of play or coming to rest at the side of the sheet.

DRAW...The stone is delivered with a WEIGHT that will allow it to come to rest within the HOUSE.

GUARD...A stone that comes to rest in a position to protect or “GUARD” an earlier stone.

TAP UP...Similar to a TAKEOUT, but the goal here is to only move the hit stone a few feet. You would TAP UP one of your team’s stones into the HOUSE or closer to the BUTTON (this is called a PROMOTE) or an opponent’s stone further to the back of the HOUSE.

FREEZE...A stone that will come to rest just touching another stone, without actually moving it.

HAMMER...The 16th and last stone delivered in an end.

STEAL (AN END OR A POINT)...Scoring in an end in which your team does not have the HAMMER.

FREE GUARD ZONE...If one team’s Lead delivers a stone that comes to rest in play, but not in the House or in back of the Tee Line, then the other team’s Lead stones cannot take it out of play. If the first stone is knocked out, then the second team’s stone is taken out of play and the first team’s stone is put back on the ice in the position it was in before the offending stone hit it. (The Free Guard Zone ends once the Seconds start delivering their stones.)

No Tick Rule...The No Tick Rule was tested in 2022 and is now part of the rules of national and international play. During the Free Guard period of an end (prior to the 6th stone of the end), if a stone is both touching the center line AND in the Free Guard Zone, an opponent's stone may not move that stone, either directly or indirectly, so that it is no longer touching the center line or is not longer in the Free Guard Zone. If a Tick Violation occurs, the skip of the non-offending team has the option to either remove the thrown rock from play and replace all other stones back to their original positions, or leave all the stone where they came to rest.

FRONT END...The Second & Lead of a team.

BACK END...The Skip & Vice of a team.

MIXED...For an event to be technically considered MIXED, the team must throw in either a Male-Female-Male-Female or F-M- F-M order.

OPEN...Team members may be comprised of any combination of genders.

SENIOR...All team members must be at least 50 years of age. 

SCORING...Once all 16 stones of an END have come to rest, the score for that END is determined. A team scores one point for each of their stones in or touching the HOUSE, as long as no stone from the opposing team lays closer to the BUTTON. Hence, only one team can score in any given END. The team that scores in one END will deliver the first stone in the next END.

GAME...In an Olympic/International match, 10 ends will be played, while a social/club game is usually 8 ENDS. The winner is the team that scores the higher cumulative total of points (stones) over these ends.

DELIVERY...Starting in the hack, a player must clearly release the stone before it crosses the near HOG LINE. Each stone is delivered with a clockwise or counter- clockwise spin (called a “Turn” or “Handle”), which causes it to curve or “curl” as it travels down the ice. For a stone to be “in play”, it must come to rest having crossed the far HOG LINE, without going over the END LINE or having touched either of the Side Lines. Any stone that does not come to rest “in play” is removed from the ice.

SWEEPING...Between the TEE LINES, any team member may sweep any of their team’s stones that are in motion. Behind the far TEE LINE, only one team member may sweep any of the team’s stones at one time.

Between the TEE LINES, you are not allowed to sweep any of the opponent’s stones. Once an opponent’s stone crosses the far TEE LINE, the team member in charge of the HOUSE may sweep that stone if they wish.

Should the sweepers “burn the stone” (in any way touch it with their brooms, feet, clothing, etc.), it will be taken out of play. Should it hit other stones before this can be done, they will be reset to their original position by the opposing Skip.