Curling: an old sport gains interest

By Keisha Benton
April 5, 2018

Those who watched the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea may have seen coverage of a game that looks as though it revolves around people sliding large rocks across the ice. This is the sport of curling.

Curling is one of the oldest team sports. It began in Scotland in the 1500s. It was introduced to the Olympics in 1924 but was then dropped and added several times until 1998, when men’s and women’s curling became an official Olympic sport.

Curling is a popular Olympic sport. Photo from Flickr: Benson Kua.

In curling, two teams of four players slide 40-pound granite rocks on ice towards a target at the other end. It looks a little like a bowling alley on ice, only with rocks and brooms.

Each team tries to get its rocks closer to the target than the other team. When a player slides a rock, the rock curls, or bends, in one direction, depending on the ice surface. Players use a broom to sweep the ice to make the rock bend less and move a greater distance. There is a lot of strategy that goes into the sliding and sweeping of the rocks in order to win.

The U.S. always has a curling team at the Olympics, but the Canadians usually dominate the sport; however, curling is gaining popularity in the U.S.

Celebrities, such as Mr. T, are fond of curling. Photo from Twitter: @MrT.

Many Americans first saw curling when they watched television coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. While the greatest participation and interest in the sport is in New England and the Upper Midwest, there are now curling clubs in most states.

Though curling is popular among many Americans who watched the Olympics, curling still remains unfamiliar to many others.

Brad Koch, director of athletics and recreation at Cabrini, said that he is “Not familiar with the sport, other than it is played in the Winter Olympics.”

Locally, there are at least two curling clubs in the Greater Philadelphia area: one in Bucks County and the Philadelphia Curling Club in Paoli. The Bucks County Curling Club offers an introductory class to the public.

The Philadelphia Curling Club has been around since 1957 and has leagues for both adults and teens.

Cody Clouser, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, is a member of both the Philadelphia Curling Club and the Penn Curling Team.

He said, “There has definitely been an increase in interest since the Olympics.” Clouser believes “College students should know that it is a sport for anyone. It is pretty open and easy to pick up. It is never too late to start curling and it is something you can continue doing your entire life. Some of our club members are in their 80s. It is a sport worth committing to and really fun to play.”

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Keisha Benton

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