Now you might be thinking, “How do I get my hands on one of these hammers?” Great question. It’s not like you find it in a drawer at the local ice rink. In curling, teams determine who has the hammer through a little pre-game ritual.
First, there’s the draw to the button. Two players, one from each team, slide a stone toward the center of the house. The stone that ends up closest to the button (the bullseye) wins. That team gets to choose: do you want the hammer, or do you want to pick your stone color?
Most teams choose the hammer. It’s like being offered the last piece of cake at a party. You take it, obviously, because cake is delicious and winning is fun.
After the first end, the hammer switches to the team that didn’t have it! So if you score, you lose the hammer. If you blank, you keep it. It’s like a game of hot potato, but with ice and brooms.
