Open House Sessions Teach Participants to Play Olympic Sport
Learn to curl for free with the Marshfield Curling Club October 29 through November 1. An Olympic sport since 1988, curling is enjoyed by players worldwide and is an ideal activity during Wisconsin winters.
Whether young or old, stop in during the annual open house to learn from willing instructors. No registration is required, and there will be refreshments and snacks, and free beer to ages 21 and over. Just wear clean tennis shoes and comfortable, warm clothing.
Played on a long sheet of ice where frozen beads of water create a textured playing surface, curling is played by two teams who compete against each other to strategically glide rocks to a bulls eye called the “house.”
“The purpose of the game is to get your rocks closer to the center of the house than your opponent each end, similar to a period of hockey,” said Club President Jacob Roberts. “Olympic curling plays ten ends while most ‘novice’ leagues and tournaments will play eight ends.”
As an Olympic sport, curling is especially appealing. “During the Olympic years we seem to get the most interest at our open houses,” said Roberts, adding that quite a few of the members of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Curling teams curl in clubs within a few hours drive of Marshfield.
It can also be done at practically any age. “Our youngest members are in their low teens, and our oldest members are in their mid-80s. Over the last ten or fifteen years, there have been some delivery aids that have become popular for those who can no longer bend down to throw the rock,” he said. “It is also a good workout as you need to shuffle down while sweeping in front of the rock to affect what the rock does.”
Each of the four open house nights run from 6-9. For those who get hooked on the sport, the Marshfield Curling Club has leagues on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the curling year from November to early March. Tournaments called Bonspiels occur every weekend at clubs across the United States and Canada.
