The Rules of Curling

Curling can be a bit tricky to figure out.

It’s like a cross between bowling, hockey, bocce and shuffleboard, and likely the only sport to include a household cleaning tool as a necessary piece of equipment.

1. Each game begins with a coin flip; the winning team of four gets the first opportunity to slide a 42-pound stone down a 150-foot sheet of ice.

2. After the stone is released, two team members guide it through lanes of ice, sweeping in front of it with brooms. Another member, the skip, shouts directions.

3. At the end of the lane is a giant bullseye called the house. The team with a stone closest to the center scores a point, with more points for any stone nearer the center than the other team’s best shot.

4. Each member tosses two stones, trying to block, knock or nudge existing stones.