Curling is a really fun sport that is played by two teams of four players each. One player shoots the rocks at a time, while two sweep the ice in front of the rock (to make it go faster and straighter) and the other directs how hard to shoot the rock, where to aim it, and which direction to curl it in.
The four players on the team are called the Lead, Second, Third, and Skip. They throw two rocks per round, or end, starting with the lead. They aim at the house (Bull's Eye at the other end of the ice). When all the rocks are thrown and the end is over, points are calculated by determining who has the most rocks the closest to the centre. You can only score a point if you have a rock closer to the centre of the house than the other team.
There are different kinds of shots that can be used in curling, and the most common one is the draw. A draw will get your rock behind your own or enemy rocks so that it cannot be taken out by an enemy's shot. Take-outs are used to remove enemy guards or rocks in the house. Guards protect the rocks already in play, or if you have a lead, prevent the enemy from getting good shots into the house.
Curling is a really fun sport where strategy and skill are required and it is much more complex and harder than explained here. There are all kinds of rules that apply under special circumstances, and etiquette, which I haven't completely mastered yet. I also think that it is an extremely misunderstood sport, as most of my friends laugh at curling.
I got the two pictures and the burning snowmen from the following websites:
www.curling.com
www.island.net/~cvcc
www.microtec.net/academy/graphics/gr8fall99
CURLING 
