Curling is played in over 35 countries throughout the world Curling was "invented" in Scotland in the late 1400s The first organized curling club was established in Lochleven Scotland in 1668 Much later a set of 12 rules was published and adopted by most clubs The Royal Caledonian Curling Club was formed in 1836 thus creating a governing body which eventually led to uniform rules and regulations throughout Scotland and the rest of the world The first curling match in Canada took place in 1760 on the St. Charles River near Quebec City The first organized curling club in Canada was the Royal Montreal Club founded in 1807 The first curling club in Ontario was formed in Kingston in 1820 There are approximately 1200 curling clubs in Canada including 210 clubs in Ontario with 8 in the Greater Hamilton area There are approximately 1.5 million people aged 7 and older who curl in Canada each year There are 4 curlers (skip, vice skip, second lead) on a curling team, each of whom deliver 2 rocks each end A game is played on a "sheet" approximately 14 feet wide and 140 feet long of pebbled ice A game lasts approximately 2 hours or 15 minutes an end. There are 8 ends in club games, 10 ends in most Ontario Curling Association Competitive games The object of the game is to have your team's rocks (also known as stones) closest to the centre of the house which is made up of 4 circles 12', 8', 4' and approximately 1' in diameter The curling rock weighs approximately 44 pounds or 19.95 Kilograms. They are made of special granite found only in Wales or Scotland