Curling combines both physical and mental skills in a game that can be fun and challenging at all levels of play. Two teams of four curlers each alternate delivering 42 lb. stones down a 140 ft. sheet of ice.  They attempt to get closer to the center of the target or "house" than their opponents, to guard their good shots or to "take out" their opponent's stones. Each team delivers 8 stones each end, and a typical game consists of 8 ends, each lasting about 15 minutes. Team-mates "sweep" the ice in front of their team's stones in an effort to get them to travel straighter or further. Interest in curling dramatically increased in the mid-90's when Curling became an official Olympic medal sport.