League Rules

Rules of the Game for League Play

League Rules modified by MCC’s COVID-19 Committee for 2022-2023 season. See COVID-19 Guidelines for play.

General

Except as modified or expressly provided herein, the rules of the United States Curling Association shall govern all play.

Legal Team

A legal team, other than for Men’s draws and the Women’s All-American, shall consist of at least three (3) curlers, at least one (1) of whom must be a regular member of the team.
A legal team for Men’s draws shall consist of a least three (3) curlers, at least two (2) of whom must be on the original roster of the team at the beginning of the Event. In the case of a team with only 3 rostered players, a legal team will consist of three (3) curlers, at least one of whom is on the original roster.
A legal team for the Women’s All-American shall consist of four (4) curlers, at least two of whom must be on the original team roster at the beginning of the Event. Five member teams are allowed, when necessary, in order to permit full participation of those signed up for the event.
A legal team for Mixed draws shall also consist of at least one (1) male curler and one (1) female curler, and the throwing order must alternate genders. In situations where the gender composition of a team is unequal, the curler who is the sole gender may not throw in the lead position.

Substitutes

If a member of a team is unable to play, he or she must arrange for a substitute and notify the skip of his or her team.
To qualify as part of a legal team, a substitute must be arranged in advance of the draw or be a curler who is not assigned to a team scheduled to play that draw and shows up in hopes of being a substitute. A player borrowed from another team at the time of the draw shall not be considered a valid substitute.
To allow a game to be played after a forfeit has been declared, teams may borrow a curler from another team. The borrowed curler is to be designated by the skip of the loaning team.
Except as required by another provision of these rules, a substitute is allowed to play any position.

Scoring

All regular games shall be scored on a win-lose basis with the winning team receiving 1 point and the losing team receiving 0 points except as stated below.
Where there are successive games, in order not to delay following games, ties shall not be played off and each team shall receive 1/2 point.
Where there are no successive games, ties shall be played off with each curler delivering only one stone each to determine the winner. The team winning the last regular end shall deliver the first stone in the extra end. If the tiebreaker end results in no points, the game is over and each team shall receive 1/2 point. All teams winning by forfeit shall be declared winners and shall receive 1 point.
A team that is not a legal team must forfeit to a legal team. The legal team shall be declared the winner and shall receive 1 point. The game may be played, but the forfeit score as above shall stand. If both teams are non-legal, a game may be played, but both teams shall be declared as forfeiting and no points shall be awarded.
The vice-skips shall enter the score into the Draw Administration section of the MCC Website. The MCC Administration laptop is provided in the curling house to facilitate the entry of scores at the end of each game.
The team in each draw with the most points at the end of an event shall be declared the draw winner for that event. If multiple teams in a draw tie for the most points, the head-to-head results shall determine the winner. After eliminating tied teams based on the head-to-head results, all remaining teams shall be declared draw winners for the event.
In the situation where all teams in a draw are not scheduled to play the same number of games in an event due to bye weeks or other scheduling issues, the draw chair should use their best judgment to determine draw winners for the event, with the assumption that more winners are better than fewer. Any tie- breaking rules for a draw and/or an event must be publicized prior to the start of the event or there shall be no tiebreakers allowed.
Draw chairs are responsible for ensuring weekly scores have been posted online and determining the draw winners for each event upon conclusion of the event.

General Playing Rules and Courtesies

Tardy or substitute players may join at the start of the next end.
Teams must be ready to play at the scheduled time. A team not ready to play at the scheduled time shall:
1. Deliver the first stone;
2. Forfeit 1 point and 1 end for the first full ten (10) minutes delay;
3. Forfeit an additional 1 point and 1 end for each additional ten (10) minutes, up to 30 minutes; and
4. After 30 minutes, the late team shall forfeit.
The sweeping motion may be in any direction (it need not cover the entire width of the stone), deposits no debris in front of a moving stone, and finishes to either side of the stone.
A stone must be in motion before it can be swept. Warming the ice is illegal.
Behind the tee line, a team has first privilege of sweeping its own stone, but it must not obstruct or prevent its opponent from sweeping. It is unsportsmanlike to prevent an opposing player from sweeping an opposing stone behind the T- line.
All measurements shall be made by the vice skips, and no one else shall be allowed within four (4) feet of the house during the measurement.

Bell Rule

Games shall be timed with the clock starting at the scheduled time for the draw (whether teams have commenced play or not). When the clock indicates 1 hour 40 minutes from the start time of the draw, games in progress shall be allowed to complete the end being played plus one additional end. Everyone is asked to exit the ice promptly so it can be cleaned and readied for the next draw.

Interpretation of Rules

Any questions about these rules or their interpretation, except during the course of a game, shall be referred to and be answered by the MCC Chairperson. During the course of the game, questions shall be referred to the Draw Chair or a person designated by such Chair.

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