Obscure Winter Sports

New Montana Curling Club Offers More Than an Excuse to Drink Mimosas

By Kate Whittle, 3-01-11

	Meredith Stewart, who's been curling since she was a fourth-grader in Minnesota, demos curling for would-be athletes at Missoula's Glacier Ice Rink.

It was 11 degrees on a Sunday morning in Missoula, Montana. While most of the town was still at home, tucked in bed or sipping coffee, I got up and headed to the Glacier Ice Rink at 9 to find myself some curlers. It turns out a few dozen dedicated members of the Missoula Curling Club sliding were already there, sliding enormous rocks and sweeping the ice. The brand-new curling club practices and plays matches at odd hours on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings to work around hockey schedules.

After watching for a bit and trying to discern what on earth was going on, I introduced myself to Meredith Stewart, an eight-year curling veteran. Stewart, a freshman at the University of Montana, has been curling since she was a fourth-grader in Duluth, Minnesota. She read about the new Missoula league, so every weekend since January, Stewart gets on the ice to practice and play. She explained some of the rules to me.

In curling, a thrower slides a rock, or stone, across the ice, aiming to get close to the scoring area, or house. “Sweeping can make the rock go faster and sometimes change its direction,” she said.

The rules for scoring get complicated, but playing, itself, is simple. Stewart took me out to the center to practice. When throwing, you squat down, hold the rock in your right hand and a broom in your left for stability, and then push off with your right leg and slide the rock. Stewart makes this look easy. Her rocks slide nearly to the end of the rink. I hunker down, steady myself, and push--and my rock slides about 20 feet.

Stewart’s friend Chris Leclercq, another UM student, was on the ice for his third time practicing. He fares a lot better than I do. Still, I can see why this is fun--it’s mostly a game of strategy and, unlike most games played on ice, you don’t have to be a skater to play.

Curling originated in the 16th century when Scots slid literal rocks across frozen lakes. Today, it’s an Olympic sport, but it remains a little obscure. This map of curling clubs across the U.S. shows they’re mostly clustered around North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

A few days before, I’d spoken with one of the club’s founding members, Peter Hicks. Hicks has been curling for about 12 years and served as an official during the 2002 Winter Olympics. After a few years of living in Missoula without a curling club, he got together with Traver McLeod and asked the Glacier Ice Rink owners to use their space. The most expensive part of startup was getting the rocks, which are made from granite found only on an island off the coast of Scotland. Hicks said two club members donated more than $12,000 to buy two sets.

Rocks in hand, the league’s founders set out to teach Missoula the sport with several “Learn to Curl” nights. Those willing to spend their Saturday nights and Sunday mornings on the ice competing, paid a fee and signed up. The league’s now in the process of joining the U.S. Curling Association so members can travel and expand competition.

So why is curling fun? John Anderson, practicing with Stewart and Leclercq, said it might just be that the sliding is fun. I noted that curling seems pretty casual, judging by the mimosas set out in a penalty box. “Sometimes I think Scots invented golf and curling as an excuse to drink,” he said.

Leclercq’s take is that curling is relaxing. “It’s like making a zen garden,” he said. Maybe for those who make zen gardens with frozen toes. I took mine to get some breakfast and coffee, but left the rink with a new appreciation of this obscure sport.

A spring league for Missoula curlers is in the works, as are more learning sessions for anyone who’s new to the sport. For more information, check out missoulacurlingclub.com.

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