Curling has nothing to do with styling your hair, but playing it can get pretty hairy! This Olympic team sport, invented in Scotland about 500 years ago, resembles shuffleboard on ice.

The Rules of the Game
One at a time, players try to push large, 42-pound granite stones across the ice into a circular target, called a house. Players put a spin, or "curl," on the stones when they release them. They wear special shoes that grip the ice well. Each team has four players, and each team member plays a role in controlling the speed and direction of the stone. Before a player slides a stone, for example, the other team members are allowed to use brooms to sweep the ice ahead of it to clear away debris. To score, the players must land the stone closest to the center of the house. As long as the stone is within 6 feet of the center of the target, a team scores a point for each stone that is closer to the center than the opponent's best stone. The game is played through 10 ends, which are like innings in baseball. The team awarded the most points after the 10 ends is the winner.

By William Ramsey