Do you speak curling?

Throwing a stone onto a sheet, with the aim of reaching the house and the button in order to score, while sweeping the ice. Curling can be a sport that's equal parts captivating and complex, to the point where you might need a glossary to understand the action.

Ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, learn more about the main vocabulary of this fascinating game of ‘chess on ice’, including the words used to describe the field of play, equipment, scoring, team and shots.

Curling’s field of play

• Sheet: An ice strip on which curling is played. The sheet is over 45 metres long and a maximum of five metres wide.
• House: A target at the end of the sheet made up of four concentric rings, which helps to determine which stones are closer to the centre, the button.
• Button: The centre of the house. The stone placed closest to the button at the conclusion of an end secures at least one point for the team.

Curling equipment

• Stone: A granite rock (weighing almost 20 kilograms) thrown by players onto the sheet in order to attempt to score points.
• Brooms or brushes: Tools used by players to make the ice slicker so the stones can curl faster.
• Slider and gripper shoes: Each curler wears one shoe with a slippery sole and another that grips the ice, allowing the player to slide and maintain stability at the same time.
• Measuring device: A device that can be requested whenever players cannot agree on which stone is closer to the button.

Curling scoring

• End: A period of play in which each team takes turns to throw eight stones (five in mixed doubles, with another stone already placed before the end starts).
• Game: The conclusion of the contest, after eight or 10 ends (depending on the tournament), unless a team concedes beforehand or the game goes to extra ends. At the Olympics, both men’s and women’s tournaments have 10 ends and the mixed doubles has eight ends.
• Points: A team scores points for each of its own stones that is closer to the button than any stone of the other team at the conclusion of an end. The stone must be in the house or touching it in order for points to be awarded. Only one team can score in an end. At the conclusion of the game, all points are added together to determine the winner.
• Hammer: The last stone thrown during an end. The hammer is always given to the team that ‘lost’ the previous end. If there is a blank end (with neither team scoring), the hammer stays with the team who had it previously, except in mixed doubles, where a blank end changes the possession of the hammer.
• Steal: When a team scores during an end in which the opponents were in possession of the hammer.

Curling team

• Curler: A curling player.
• Lead: The player who throws the first two stones of an end.
• Second: The player who throws the third and fourth stones of an end.
• Third: The player who throws the fifth and sixth stones of an end.
• Fourth: The player who throws the last two stones of an end.
• Skip: The captain (but don't call them a captain, call them a skip!), who is usually responsible for the strategy of the team and plays as fourth. Teams are named after their captains (e.g. the current women’s Swedish squad is called Team Hasselborg).
• Vice-skip or mate: A curler responsible for the strategy when the skip is throwing stones. The vice-skip usually plays as third.

Curling shots

• Delivery or Throw: When the player throws the stone onto the sheet.
• Curl or Turn: The curved trajectory of the stone on the ice.
• Sweeping: Using brooms/brushes to remove friction between the stone and the ice.
• Draw: A stone thrown with the aim of reaching the house and scoring.
• Guard: A stone placed in front of the house, with the goal of preventing the other team from reaching the button or protecting a stone already close to the button.
• Takeout: A stone thrown with the aim of removing other stones from play.
• Hard!: When the skip motivates the teammates to sweep harder and faster.
• Conceding: When a team gives up on the game before its completion.
• Thinking time: As in chess, players need time to think about their strategy. In 10-end games, they have 38 minutes total do to so (30 in 8-end games), strictly counted using a stopwatch.

Curling at Beijing 2022

The curling competitions at Beijing 2022 are taking place at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre. The mixed doubles tournament starts on 2 February, with the final on 8 February. The men’s and women’s games will be played from 9-20 February. Each draw will see 10 teams fighting for Olympic medals.