Curling debuted at the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France in 1924. It is an ancient Scottish sport featuring two teams, alternately sliding 42-pound granite stones down a 146-foot sheet of pebbled ice toward bullseye-like circles called “houses.” Teammates sweep the ice in front of the stone to reduce friction, allowing it to travel farther and straighter, if desired. A game is divided into “ends” (like innings). Only one team scores per end, that being the team finishing with its stone closest to the center of the house. One point is scored for each stone in the house closer to the center than the opponent’s closest stone.
