What does the stone have to get to be in the play in curling?

Answer 1

The sport of curling is superficially similar to shuffleboard, except that the scoring is different, and there are players who can affect (steer) the stone by using brooms to brush the ice surface in front of it as it slides.

Answer 2

The name for the rings as a whole is the "house".

The smallest circle in the middle of the house (the "bull's eye" so to speak) is called the "button". At the center of the button is a small hole in the ice called the "tee," which is the official center of the house, and the point from which measurements are taken if you need to determine whether one rock is closer to the center than another. The painted rings are just a reference to help you easily judge what rocks are closer to the center than another; they do not have different points values as one might assume. Curler do, however, name the different rings for communication purposes. The outermost ring is called the "twelve-foot," since it is twelve feet in diameter. Likewise, the middle and inner rings are called the "eight-foot" and "four-foot."

Answer 3

For a rock to be in play, it has to be completely over the "hog line" (the thick line that runs across the sheet 15 feet in front of the house). If a rock goes completely over the "back line" (the line running across the sheet at the back of the house), then it is out of play. If a rock ever touches a side line/board, it is out of play.

In order for a rock to be eligible to score, it has to be touching the "house" (the target-like scoring area) when you look straight down from above.