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Now that the Olympics are over most people will recall the most exciting events like the snow- boarding half-pipe or hockey.

The event where people sweep the ground really fast in front of a sliding rock is called curling and it is actually quite popular around the world.

Curling can be compared to golf, bocce ball, and chess. It uses the precision of golf, the striking of your opponents' objects to gain the advantage as in bocce ball, and the strategy and planning of chess.

It is a game of strategy where each team attempts to get their stones (weighing between 38 and 44 lbs) closest to the bullseye by the end of the game which consists of ten rounds or "ends."

With four players on each team, the players deliver two stones each in consecutive order. Each team alternates delivery during the game.

Before each slide, the captain of the team will have a teammate mark the spot where they want the stone to end up with his broom, while two other teammates stand with their brooms ready on the ice in front.

The captain, also called "the skip," then lunges forward while holding the stone and releases it just before the hack line. While the stone travels down the ice, the skip directs his two teammates with the brooms so that they can adjust the direction of the stone with rapid brush strokes with their brooms, (dummies.com).

During the delivery, the sweepers are very important for a good stone position. The act of sweeping in front of the stone creates thin water tracks which allow the stone to follow the selected path.

During play, it is important to remember that curling is a very civilized sport where taunting and distracting your opponent is frowned upon, since communication between teammates is vital for a good delivery.

Curling is believed to have originated in Scotland and was first introduced to the Olympics in the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924, according to worldcurling. org.

This year's Olympic champions in the men's tournament was Canada, followed by Norway getting the silver, and Switzerland grabbing the bronze. The women's tournament was won by Sweden, followed by Canada and China.

Eve Muirhead, a 19 year old on Britain's women's team said, "everyone thinks that curling is for the older generation, but it's not...I think that young people like myself coming up is great for the sport," (news.sky.com).