Ever wanted to try curling? This is your chance! Throughout the year, the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club and Sharks Ice offer many low-cost curling clinics, usually at the start of each season. Curling Clinics are a comprehensive introduction to the Olympic sport of curling. You will learn the basics of the game, a bit of curling history, and technique fundamentals. During the second half of the session, we also hold mini-games as space and time permit. Curling clinics are also a great chance for our newer members to get a technique refresher! (And, don’t forget, these sessions are always followed by some après-curling socializing at Stanley’s Sport Bar overlooking the rink!)
History of Curling
Curling is a 500+ year old sport. The first references to the game appear in Scottish writings and Flemish paintings from the 1500’s. In the early days, rocks came in different shapes and sizes and each curler brought their own to games. Curling became extremely popular in Scotland and it was the Scots who developed the modern game. They created the first rules and organized the sport’s first governing body, the Grand Caledonian Curling Club, in the early 1800’s. Scottish immigrants brought curling to the US at about the same time. The first US club, the Orchard Lake Curling Club, was founded near Detroit in 1832. By the late 1800’s there were thriving curling communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and New York.
When can we sign up?
Available times are scarce and book up fast. Places are Oakland Ice Center, Sharks Ice at Fremont and Sharks Ice San Jose. The next available event is (as of 3-18-10) is May20 (Thursday) at Sharks Ice of Fremont from 7:30 to 9:45PM. Cost is only $12.50 (as long as we are more than 3 people. I have seen only a few Saturday dates (all sold currently out), Tues, Wed and Thursday dates, but 20 May is the only one available slot at this time.
What should you bring?
We recommend wearing loose fitting pants (sweats or track pants), warm clothes and sneakers. Lots of folks enjoy having a warm hat, gloves and knee pads, as well. (no high heels)
Due to required advance booking, signups need to pay (non- refundable) at signup time.
For more info and rules, go to bayareacurling.com
NOTE: This article is for info only. If there is enough interest, we set up a time and place subject to the infrequent slots allowed for first-timers. At present, there are no published times available through the end of May and a new schedule has yet to come out. Let me know at newsletter@niseiskiclub.org if you are interested and we will nail down a time slot at San Jose, Oakland or Fremont. In other words, if enough of you don’t contact me, I will not proceed with plans.
