Rules & Etiquette
The Game
· Games will start at 4:00 pm and will end between 5:15 –5:30pm.
· Games are 5 ends or until 5:30pm, whichever comes first. You may not start a 5th end after 5;15 pm.
· The winning team is responsible for recording the game result on the bulletin board (usually the person who plays third position).
· Third’s responsibilities:
Toss or call the toss of the coin. The winner of the toss throws second; the loser picks the colour of rock.
Sweep any opposing rocks out of the house only after the opponent’s rock crosses the T-line.
The third can only sweep one rock out of the house after it crosses the T-line.
Record the score.
Measure any rocks.
· The winner of the preceding end throws first on the next end.
· When the third is sweeping a rock out of the house, his/her teammates must not be in the house.
· You only have the right to sweep the opposing team’s rock out of the house if they are not sweeping it (the opposing team may want to sweep their own rock out of the house for a blank end or to position it better, avoid a freeze).
· If a player wishes to recommence delivery they can do so only if the rock has not crossed the nearer T-line.
Missing Players
· If your team misses a game, you forfeit to the other team provided at least two of their players show up.
· If you know your team will be missing players, each team is allowed to recruit two spares. Spares must play the lead and second positions.
· If teams are missing one player, they will play with three and the first two players will throw 3 rocks and the skip 2 rocks.
· If three teammates are missing, you will forfeit the game but you can play for fun with spares.
· If both teams have three players missing the game will be recorded as a tie.
· When players are missing, the game will be recorded as a tie or forfeited as per above and then, with remaining players present from any team, you will make up a minimum of 3 people per side and play a ‘fun’ game (not for points).
· If some teams are consistently missing the same players, the organizers will re-draw the teams.
Game Etiquette
· Games commence by shaking hands (glove / mitt removed) and wishing the other team a good game. Games end by again shaking hands and thanking the other team for the game.
· When the opposing team is throwing their rock, members of the other team must stand ‘quietly’ between the hog lines and close to the boards. Your skip may stand behind the back-line of the house.
· While the opposing team is throwing, the skip and third may stand behind the house (to watch the line of the rock) but their broom brushes should not be on the ice and you should not be creating distractions for the thrower.
· While waiting to throw you should not be distracting the thrower (i.e. talking loudly, swinging your broom, running forward to get your rock to throw, etc).
· Players never bang their booms on the ice, bench, boards and never throw their brooms.
· For any rock (your own or opposing) do not tap or bang your broom on the ice in the house or in the path of the rock where you would like it to stop.
· If you touch your rock while it is in motion, with your broom or any part of your body, you are on the honour system to call it a burned rock and remove it from play.
· You may not purposely burn your own rock.