At the StarCenter in Farmers Branch, the Dallas Fort Worth Curling Club members take the ice for their league finals after 10 weeks of regular play.
This group was created after the sport gained popularity in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
“It’s a game that’s easy to learn, but difficult to master—so there’s always something you can work on,” said Shana, one of only a few women playing in the club’s finals.
She’s been curling in North Texas for more than 10 years, but many of the league’s other members learned to curl in a much colder climate.
“So how long have you been curling?” asked NBC 5’s Kristin Dickerson to one of the other competitors.
“Too long, I’d give away my age. I can’t tell you that!” Jeff said with a laugh.
He grew up in Canada where they taught curling in elementary school.
For Nick, “I grew up in Minnesota.”
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Along with throwing stones, he also rode them.
“That was always a highlight of when you were a little kid—get your mom or dad to push you on it, you sit on them and they push you down the ice. That was a lot of fun,” Nick said.
The term “curl” comes from the spin on the stone as it makes its way down the ice.
“So the way you score is that your color stone is closest to the center, or the button,” Nick said while pointing to the circle painted underneath the ice.
Sweeping the ice warms it up to make your stone slide even farther.
If you think it looks easy, you should know that curling is a workout, according to the club’s president, John.
“It’s a great way to lose weight, although it doesn’t look like it. I need to curl about 20 games a day apparently,” John said with a laugh.
The final benefit of curling is that it doesn’t hurt to lose a game, because the winners will buy the losers the first round of drinks.
Curling is also played in the Paralympics, so people of all physical abilities are able to play.
If you’re interested in trying curling, these are the dates for the DFW Curling Club’s “Learn to Curl” events:
- February 17, 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- February 21, 7:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
- February 24, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- February 25, 2:30 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.
League Play (Anyone is able to join the league):
Wednesday and Sunday nights starting in Late January
Bonspiel (Amateur/Recreational Curling Tournament):
April 13-15, 2018
(Teams from across the country and Canada come to Dallas to compete)
You can find more information by clicking here or on the club’s Facebook page.
