The Jersey Pinelands Curling Club is hosting its next Learn to Curl session on Tuesday, Oct. 11 from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Igloo skating rink in Mt. Laurel.
During this two-hour session, new curlers will be taught the fundamentals of this 500-year-old sport, originally played on frozen ponds in Scotland in the 16th century, popularized throughout Canada in the mid-1920s and today growing in prominence in the United States as a result of its re-emergence as a marquis Olympic medal sport.
Learn to Curl participants will learn to “throw a stone at the house” or slide a 42-pound curling rock 138 feet down a sheet of ice so it lands as close as possible to the center of a ringed target or house. They’ll learn to “sweep” with brooms as the rock spins in an arc toward the house, to optimize the stone’s path for precise placement. They’ll learn to score each “end,” or game segment. And they’ll learn good curling etiquette, a major aspect of this convivial sport.
After the Learn to Curl session, participants are invited to join clubmembers for “broomstacking,” a friendly social gathering with food and drinks that follows every game.
Since the first Learn to Curl sessions began at the Igloo in April, 88 new curlers, from ages 12 to 81, have been introduced to the sport of curling. Many go on to join the growing JPCC as full-fledged members who curl every week.
The Learn to Curl session costs $50 and is open to participants age 12 and up. Equipment including stones, brooms, shoe grippers and sliders will be provided. Learn to Curl sessions are also planned on Nov. 15th and Dec 6th.
