Curling World Curling Tour to make the games only eight ends. Most tournaments on that tour are eight ends, as are the vast majority of recreational games. In international competition, each side is given 73 minutes to complete all of its throws. Each team is also allowed two minute-long timeouts per 10-end game. If extra ends are required, each team is allowed 10 minutes of playing time to complete its throws and one added 60-second timeout for each extra end. However, the "thinking time" system, in which the delivering team's game timer stops as soon as the shooter's rock crosses the
2018 Continental Cup of Curling teams from each region will compete against each other in the competition. Four teams from Canada earn the right to represent Team North America by virtue of winning certain events, namely the 2017 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials (which were held in lieu of a Canada Cup of Curling in 2017) and the Canadian National Championships (the Brier and the Tournament of Hearts). Two teams from the United States, namely the top point-getters of American teams on the World Curling Tour, were chosen to represent North America, and the teams representing Team World were selected by the World Curling Federation. The