Crokicurl in River Prairie
What in the world is Crokicurl? Where can you find it? How do you play? If these questions have your head spinning, don’t worry—we’ve got all the answers to get you ready to dive into this exciting game when you visit River Prairie!
What is Crokicurl?
Crokicurl is a unique blend of two games: the precision of curling and the strategy of the Canadian board game "Crokinole." In Crokinole, players flick discs into scoring rings, aiming to outscore their opponents by landing more discs in the center. Curling, on the other hand, involves sliding stones toward the center of a target while trying to knock out your opponents’ stones. Seeing the similarities, Canada brilliantly combined the two to create Crokicurl—a fun, competitive game that can be played all winter long!
River Prairie is proud to be the first place in the United States where you can experience Crokicurl for yourself. The goal is simple: shoot the stones toward the center, positioning them within the highest-scoring rings by the end of the round. It’s easy to learn but challenging to master, making it the perfect winter activity for everyone!
Photo of Crokinole Board Game
Where can you find it?
The Crokicurl rink is located in River Prairie in Altoona, WI on the west side of the park in between Cowboy Jack's and 44 North right beneath the hanging, twinkly lights. After dominating a game, celebrate your victory with drinks at any of the fantastic nearby restaurants in River Prairie!
How do you play?
1. Corkicurl is played with 1-2 player teams. Teams of 1 play from opposite quadrants and teams of 2 players have the team members stand in opposing quadrants. On teams of 1, player throw 4 stones each and teams of 2 throw two stones each.
2. Flip a coin to start! The team that wins the coin flip can decide which team goes first/second and which quadrant(s) they would like to play from. The team that lost the coin flip gets to choose their stone color first.
3. A shot is accomplished by sliding the stones onto the playing surface and releasing it before the starting line (view figure for reference). The stone can be played from any point as long as it is within the player's quadrant. Players can put their feet against the side rail while shooting their stone.
4. The first player will try to slide their stone into the button to try and score 20 points. If the first or any subsequent stone successfully lands inside the button, it is to be removed immediately, set aside, and counts as 20 points at the end of the round. If a stone is shot when the rink is open and fails to touch any portion of the red ring, it is removed from play.
5. If the first or following stones do not land in the button, subsequent shots must attempt to remove the opponents stones from the playing surface unless there are no stones within the playing surface. If a player's stone fails to make contact with an opponent's stone, the player's stone is removed from the game.
6. The object of the game is to position your team's stones in the best scoring position on the rink to have a higher total of points at the end of a round.
7. No players are allowed to enter the colored rings during the game unless they need to remove a stone.
8. Players cannot change quadrants during a round.
9. Play proceeds in a clockwise fashion alternating between each team and player.
10. Scoring occurs after all the stones have been played. Team can play several rounds until a team reaches a pre-determined score (i.e. 200 points) or, teams can play best out of 3,5 or 7 rounds. After a round is done, the losing team of that round chooses whether they want to throw first/second in the next round.
11. If a stone lands on a line between two rings, the player receives the score for the higher-scoring ring even if is barely touching it.
Where to get Crokicurl stones
(Last updated in 2023)
A key for the Crokicurl storage box is available at:
- Parks & Recreation Office | Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 3 PM
- 44 North | Tuesday - Friday, 3 PM - 9 PM
- 44 North | Saturday - Sunday, 11 AM - 9 PM