Bozeman Curling Club Rules:
- Bring separate shoes for curling. Change shoes prior to entering the ice to keep ice clean. Salt and dirt will track onto ice, changing the conditions of the ice.
- Everyone should help bring stones onto ice before games and return them to the storage locker when the session is finished.
- Games are six (6) ends.
- If you have less than 15 minutes left prior to the next draw or when we have to return the ice, do not start an end.
- Teams consist of 4 to 6 members, each throwing 2 stones, in the order you set. The 4 players who start the end must remain the same position throughout the end. In the event where a team is playing with only three players, the lead and second will deliver 3 stones each per end and the skip will deliver 2 each end.
- You may substitute players or change rotation in between ends, if your team so chooses. ∙
- Each team will designate a Skip and Vice-Skip.
- Begin by flipping a coin, this is done by the Vice-Skip, and the opponent Vice-Skip will call it in the air. Whoever wins, decides if they want Hammer or not. (Hammer means you throw the last stone on the first end. Then the other skip picks which set of rocks to throw. (Color)
- Whichever team scores, the Hammer moves to the team that did not score.
- Introduce yourselves to the other teamshake hands and say “Good Curling” to each other.
- Non-hammer team throws the first stone. Seconds and Vice-Skip sweep for the lead. When a player lets go of the stone, the other team should begin setting up the stone for their turn. When the stone motion stops, sweepers move to the side and stay between the Hog lines and try to not distract other players. Skip leaves the house and stands behind the hack as other skip takes over the house.
- The free guard rule shall be in effect. Until five stones have been played (two from each side), opposing stones in the free guard zone (the area between the hog and tee lines, excluding the house) may not be knocked out of play by. These are known as guard rocks. If the guard rocks are knocked out of play, all stones are replaced to where they were before the shot was thrown, and the delivered stone is removed from play and cannot be replayed. This rule is known as the five-rock rule or the free guard zone rule.
- Only Vice Skips look and decide which stones are closer and what the score is.
- Compliment good shots, don’t comment on an errant stone.
- If at the end of 6 ends the score is tied, the skips that skipped the last end played will each throw one stone and the winner will be determined by which stone is closer to the button and is still in play between the Hog Line and the End Line. If both stones end up out of play, the skips will deliver another stone each to complete the match and determine the winning team.
- The team that scored the most recent point in the match will throw first. The vice-skip will skip for each team, sweeping is allowed, however the vice skip may not sweep the opponents stone if it passes the T line. This is known as a Shootout or a Draw to the Button.
- If a team touches their stone being delivered between the hog lines, the stone is “burned” and removed from play. If the a stone is touched after the hog line then the non-offending team decides what to do. They can either remove the touched stone and replace any other moved stones, leave the stones as they lie, or move the stone to where they think it would have ended up . I.e. minor accidental touches don’t necessarily need removal. Be good sports.
- Stones have to completely pass the hog line or the back line, except stones that touched stones in play remain in play even if they don’t come to a rest in play.
- Unless specified in the Bozeman Curling Club House Rules, games will be governed by the rules set forth in the USA Curling guidelines.
GOOD CURLING!
