Curlers wear special shoes, one with a "slippy sole" (sometimes made of teflon or plastic tile), the other with a rubber sole. This allows players to slide great distances without cutting up the ice surface. Some curlers choose to slide a long way down the ice when they throw their stone. However they must release the handle by the "hog line," 33 feet out from the "hack," the small platform players use to push off.
MPR Photo/Euan Kerr
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